Rebirth: My CEO Husband's Thoughts Are Too Shameless

"What are you doing here, Hannah?" Dominic asked as he looked at his younger sister.

Before Hannah could answer, her gaze shifted past him and landed on Clara.

The warmth in her eyes disappeared instantly.

"Hello, Hannah," Clara greeted with a polite smile.

Hannah was only a year younger than Clara, but as the youngest daughter of the Sterling family, she had been pampered since childhood. She adored Dominic and treated him like a second father after the passing of their own.

To Hannah, however, Clara was the last woman worthy of becoming her sister-in-law.

After all, this was the same woman who had repeatedly humiliated the Sterling family and even attempted to elope with another man on her wedding day.

"So you really married her?" Hannah scoffed, glaring at Clara. "Even after she tried to run away with her lover?"

"Hannah."

Dominic’s voice turned stern.

"Mind your words. She is your sister-in-law now."

(Enough. She’s already part of this family. I won’t allow anyone to insult her—not even Hannah.)

Hannah looked at him in disbelief.

"You still want to defend her after everything she has done?"

Clara quietly watched the exchange.

Even in her previous life, Dominic had always stood up for her whenever his family criticized her. No matter how unreasonable she had been, he had never allowed anyone to humiliate her in front of him.

Ironically, it was because he had refused to call off the marriage despite everyone’s objections that most of the Sterling family had chosen not to attend the wedding.

Clara unconsciously tightened her grip on the hem of her wedding gown.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.

Both Dominic and Hannah looked at her, their expressions filled with caution.

(What’s she planning now?)

(Please don’t start another argument...)

Instead of speaking immediately, Clara lowered her head.

Then...

She bowed deeply, almost ninety degrees.

"I... I’m sorry," she said sincerely. "I know my actions have caused your family nothing but embarrassment and trouble. I can’t erase what I’ve done, but I genuinely want to make this marriage work. I hope that, with time, I can make up for my mistakes."

Silence filled the room.

Hannah stood frozen.

She stared at Clara as though she had seen a ghost.

"W-What..."

Her mind completely blanked.

This was the same Clara who had once deliberately tripped her during their first meeting, causing her to fall in front of the family elders and become the laughingstock of the gathering.

The same Clara who had never apologized for anything.

Yet now...

She was bowing to her.

(She... actually apologized?)

Dominic was equally stunned.

His eyes remained fixed on Clara’s lowered figure.

(She’s serious... This isn’t an act.)

For the first time since meeting her, he couldn’t find even a hint of mockery or defiance in her expression.

Clara remained in her bowed position.

To her, this was the bare minimum.

Compared to the pain and humiliation she had caused the Sterling family in her previous life, lowering her head was nothing.

Slowly, she lifted her gaze to meet Hannah’s.

"So... please give me a chance," Clara said earnestly. "I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness yet, but I hope you’ll let me prove that I’ve changed."

Hannah remained silent for a moment before letting out a sarcastic scoff.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

She folded her arms across her chest, her eyes filled with suspicion.

"Why are you suddenly apologizing to me? Do you seriously think this little act will make me forget everything you’ve done?"

Clara pressed her lips together.

I knew it wouldn’t be this easy.

After everything she had done in her previous life, she couldn’t expect Hannah to forgive her after a single apology.

That’s alright.

As your older sister-in-law... I’ll earn your trust little by little.

Just as Clara was about to respond, Dominic’s calm but authoritative voice cut through the silence.

"Enough."

Both women turned to look at him.

Dominic glanced briefly at Clara before shifting his attention to Hannah.

(She’s already apologized. I won’t let her keep lowering herself like this.)

His expression remained composed.

"You still haven’t answered my question," he said evenly. "Why are you here at this hour?"

Hannah shot Clara one last glare before looking back at her brother.

"I’m here because I’m worried about you," she answered honestly.

Her expression softened slightly as she faced Dominic.

"I can’t trust this woman."

She pointed toward Clara without even looking at her.

"Everyone in the family opposed this marriage. Even after learning she tried to run away with another man, you still insisted on marrying her."

Her brows furrowed with frustration.

"I don’t believe she’s suddenly changed overnight."

(Neither do I...)

Dominic’s gaze instinctively drifted toward Clara.

(But... why does it feel like she’s telling the truth?)

Hannah continued before he could dwell on the thought.

"So I’m staying here for a while."

She looked at Clara with open hostility.

"If she’s pretending, I’ll find out soon enough."

Her chin lifted confidently.

"And when that happens, I’ll make sure you finally see her for who she really is."

Clara didn’t argue.

Instead, she quietly met Hannah’s hostile gaze.

Deep down, she understood.

In her previous life, Hannah had only wanted to protect the brother she admired most.

She had every reason not to trust her.

This time... Clara would prove, through her actions rather than her words, that she truly intended to become a worthy member of the Sterling family.

The room fell silent.

Hannah stood with her arms crossed, her expression resolute.

Clara simply nodded.

"That’s fair," she said without the slightest hint of anger. "You don’t have to trust me right away."

Hannah frowned.

She had prepared herself for Clara to argue, throw a tantrum, or even insult her.

Instead... the woman standing before her accepted every accusation without complaint.

"I’ll prove myself through my actions," Clara continued. "Not today. Not tomorrow. But one day, you’ll know my apology wasn’t just empty words."

Hannah clicked her tongue.

"We’ll see."