I had doted on my wife, Clarice Barrett, for forty long years. But on the day I got into a car accident, she stepped out of the very vehicle that hit me.
It turned out that the driver who crashed into me was my rival in love.
I lay there in the back seat of a taxi, clutching the flowers and gifts I had bought for her.
Yet, she was on her way to the hospital with her first love, not even sparing me a glance.
It was then that I finally woke up from my romantic dream. I regretted everything.
Before I died, my son asked if I had any last words for Clarice.
I let out a bitter, mocking laugh and said, "If I had the chance to live again, I'd never choose her."
With that, I passed away, filled with resentment and pain.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day I confessed my love to Clarice.
I immediately canceled the gifts I had booked and instead bought a ticket out of town to chase my dream of becoming a professional eSports player.
I never expected that on the day of my debut, Clarice would appear outside the club, tears streaming down her face.
"Acton, our son said you don't want me anymore. Is it true?"
——
"Pentakill! Ace!"
The sound of a complete team wipe in the game broadcast snapped me out of my thoughts.
Seeing the barrage of comments flooding the livestream chat, I realized that I had truly been reborn.
[Wow, a one-against-five pentakill! It's such a pity the streamer doesn't go pro with skills like this!]
[The streamer's skill is incredible! Reminds me of an old friend!]
I smiled at the comments. But the next moment, my eyes were drawn to the chat history on my phone.
It was my chat history with Clarice.
I had sent her over a dozen messages, and she hadn't replied to a single one.
Worried I might miss her response, I'd set my phone to stay on all the time.
I invited her to dinner tomorrow, carefully choosing a few of her favorite restaurants.
But it was as if she hadn't even seen the messages; she never bothered to reply.
I chuckled to myself, realizing just how foolish I was.
Just as I was about to retract those messages, my phone rang.
"Mr. Moreno, the flowers you ordered are delayed due to logistics issues. Would you like to replace them with something else?"
Only then did I suddenly realize I'd gone back to the time before I confessed to Clarice!
In my previous life, Clarice's family and my family were close.
Since I hated studying, I dropped out early to start streaming.
Clarice's family had almost lost everything after her father's investment failures.
At that time, my parents stepped in and helped them recover some of their losses.
However, Clarice's father couldn't bear the blow and ended up taking his own life.
Misfortunes followed one after another. Shortly after her father's death, Clarice's mother passed away due to cancer.
On her deathbed, Clarice's mother wished for a stable future for her, leaving behind a will for her to marry me.
Clarice had always been the most attractive girl. She was sweet, beautiful, and gentle.
We had grown up together, and I really liked her. I was ecstatic when I heard the news.
But after her father's death, Clarice changed. She became withdrawn and seemed like a different person.
She married me according to her mother's will, but she treated me like a stranger from then on.
She never accepted my kindness.
Not only did she never shown any interest in me, but she also often pretended not to hear when I spoke to her.
I thought Clarice was just grieving for her parents.
Worried about her mental state, I gave up on my dream of becoming a professional player.
I chose to become a streamer, which allowed me more free time, just so I could be by her side.
I took care of her every need, even preparing three meals a day and delivering them to her company.
Over time, even my viewers knew I was hopelessly devoted to my wife.
They often left comments in the chat, expressing envy that Clarice had such a good husband like me.
Some would say I was giving too much and would end up with nothing, but I never paid attention to those words.
One day, when I went to her company to deliver lunch for her, I saw her sitting in another man's sports car in the underground parking lot.
That afternoon, I stood in the parking lot for two hours, watching them.
Clarice wore a smile I had never seen before, radiant and joyful.
I tried to comfort myself, thinking, "Maybe they're just friends. It's probably nothing."
However, their conversation as they left made my heart ache.
When she got out of the car, Clarice disdainfully said to the man, "Acton's just a small-time streamer. What future does he have playing games all day? You pros have a real future."
Watching their backs as they laughed and left, I was stunned. I didn't even notice the lunchbox in my hand had fallen.
Clarice always had a weak stomach. To make her comfortable, I rented an apartment near her office just to cook for her.
I never thought she looked down on me so much in her heart.
In my previous life, I always believed I wasn't loved because I wasn't doing enough.
I tried even harder to please her. On our wedding anniversary, I started planning over a month in advance, hoping to surprise her.
Yet, when I got into that car accident, I saw her rushing to take another man to the hospital.
At that moment, I felt utterly hopeless.
I suddenly realized that my decades of devotion to her had been for nothing.
2In my previous life, Clarice only treated me kindly in front of my parents.
Maybe it was because she felt grateful to them for helping her family keep their business.
Whenever she was around my parents, she would always act very gentle and considerate.
And only in those moments could I briefly feel Clarice's tenderness.
I never truly knew what I meant to her.
I felt she might have seen our marriage as just a way to repay a debt and fulfill her mother's last wishes.
I also understood that love and gratitude were two very different things.
Just then, the voice on the phone spoke again.
"Mr. Moreno? Are you still there? How would you like us to handle the flower situation?"
Snapping back to reality, I steadied my emotions.
"If the flowers aren't available, don't worry about it. Just cancel the order for me."
In my past life, I had nearly blown half a year's worth of living expenses on this proposal.
I opened the shopping app and saw that the luxury handbag I had bought for her was en route.
Without hesitation, I canceled the order and booked a ticket to Azuria.
Messages of support from my fans flooded the livestream chat.
[Is the streamer about to log off and go confess? Good luck with your confession, streamer!]
Every day, the fans who accompanied me would hear nothing but gaming and my love for Clarice.
This proposal had been planned for a long time with my fans' help and ideas.
However, what I said next caught them all by surprise.
"I'm not going to confess anymore. Does anyone here have any connections with pro clubs in Azuria? I'd appreciate any recommendations.
"I might stop streaming for a while. I'll be back once I'm settled in Azuria. Guys, wait for me!"
In my previous life, I had always performed exceptionally well during my streams, often taking down pro players one-on-one.
People in the chat would always tease me about why I didn't go pro and instead stayed as a small-time streamer.
Before, I would proudly tell them that I wanted to be with the love of my life.
But this time, I was determined to live for myself!
After logging off, my most loyal fan, KingGorilla, sent me a private message.
[Acton, have you really decided to go pro?]
As my number one fan, KingGorilla had been with me since I first started streaming.
KingGorilla had always encouraged me to go professional and not waste my talent.
But I would always turn him down, saying that going pro would make it difficult for me to take care of Clarice.
Over time, KingGorilla stopped bringing it up.
But this time, after hearing what I said on the stream, he rushed to ask me.
I sent him a screenshot of my ticket purchase.
I said: [I'm going to make a name for myself in Azuria!]
KingGorilla was thrilled and promised to come pick me up. After chatting a bit, I started packing my bags.
But just then, there was a knock on my door.
I opened it, and there stood Clarice.
I had rented an apartment close to hers to make it easier to take care of her.
In my previous life, after all the years we'd been together, this was the first time she'd ever come to see me on her own.
Instinctively, I picked up my phone to check, making sure I hadn't missed any messages from her.
Our conversation was still stuck on my invitation for dinner that evening.
Seeing Clarice as she was decades ago, I froze for a moment.
After loving her for so many years in my previous life, seeing her now made me feel a bit angry.
I asked her sharply, "What do you want?"
She looked taken aback, clearly not knowing what to say. She fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, hesitating for a while before finally saying, a bit shyly, "Can we talk inside?"
Looking at this woman I had pampered so much in my past life, I couldn't help but feel some resentment.
After all, it was my attempts to please her that ultimately led to my death.
3In my past life, I carefully planned out every detail of our wedding anniversary celebration.
I started preparing days in advance.
Every single detail of that evening was meticulously designed.
That night, Clarice said she had to work late at the office and would arrive later.
I sent her countless messages asking where she was, but she never replied.
Worried the delivery guy would ruin the flowers and gifts I had ordered, I decided to take a cab to pick them up myself.
On the way back home, I got into a car accident.
After the accident, I saw that Clarice, who claimed to be working late, was actually in someone else's car.
She looked so attentive to that person, yet she had never once shown such concern for me.
When the ambulance took me to the hospital, the only one there by my side was my son, Xavier Moreno.
Xavier was frantic, trying desperately to get in touch with her, but to no avail.
He finally managed to call her, only for her to hang up on him.
In the end, I missed the crucial window for treatment and could do nothing but lie on the hospital bed, waiting to die.
Thinking of how I had loved Clarice for so many years and never received a shred of her care, I lost all will to live.
So, in my final moments, I left a message saying I never wanted to be with her again.
Even though I had come back to the past, I still couldn't suppress the anger inside when I looked at Clarice standing there in front of me.
"What are you doing here? What would a beauty like you want in my humble little place?" I said coldly.
Clarice seemed embarrassed, hesitating as she asked, "I heard you're going to Azuria? Is it true? Are you leaving me?"
Upon hearing those words, my anger flared up.
"Clarice, I didn't expect you'd have someone spying on me!
"What does it matter to you where I go? I'll do whatever I want.
"And what's this about me leaving you? How could a lowly gamer like me ever be worthy of someone as high and mighty as you?"
Clarice seemed stunned by my words, frozen on the spot.
She looked utterly bewildered, as if about to say something, but I didn't give her the chance.
I shot her a look, then slammed the door shut.
I had been given a second chance. I felt that my life was truly about to start over from this moment on.
That night, as I finished packing and was getting ready to rest, I unintentionally came across Clarice's Twitter account.
She had posted a video in which she was crying uncontrollably, apologizing to me.
"Acton, I was wrong. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have made you angry. Can you forgive me?"
When I opened WhatsApp, I saw that after I blocked her that afternoon, she had called me numerous times and even used different numbers to try and add me.
When she realized I wouldn't respond, she took to Twitter to apologize publicly.
In my previous life, I would've immediately apologized to her the moment she furrowed her brow even slightly.
But now, watching that video, I could only feel that she was putting on a show.
There wasn't a single ripple of emotion in my heart.
But just then, my father called.
"You brat, what did you do to upset Clarice again? Get your ass back home right now!"
I realized that Clarice hadn't just put on a performance on Twitter. She had gone straight to my parents to complain.
That really set me off.
"Well done, Clarice, spreading lies about me? Do you have any idea how much you've hurt me?"
With that thought, I said to my father, "You can help the Barrett family all you want, but Clarice has nothing to do with me.
"No matter what you think, don't bother me with anything about her anymore. I don't care, and I don't want to care!"
My father became even more furious over the phone while I could hear Clarice pretending to be a good person in the background.
She pleaded with my dad not to be angry, saying it was all her fault.
"Clarice, quit pretending to be the saint. Don't those words make you feel sick?
"All those times you ignored me, and now suddenly, it's all your fault? Where were you back then? Get lost!"
My mom also took Clarice's side. She grabbed the phone from my dad and started scolding me.
She even threatened to cut off my living expenses if I didn't come back and apologize to Clarice.
Hearing that, I hung up the phone right away.
In my previous life, my parents were like this, too. They practically treated Clarice as their own daughter.
And I, their real son, was treated like an outsider, ordered around every day.
I stood alone by the window of my small rented room, looking out at the night view, feeling a deep sense of loneliness.
I silently vowed to myself that I would live my life to the fullest.
4The next day, without any hesitation, I set off for Azuria.
Before I left, my parents kept sending me messages, urging me to come back home.
I received a notification from the bank that my credit card had been frozen.
It all felt incredibly ironic to me.
I thought, "Clarice is truly something, having my parents choosing her side."
Many friends messaged me, asking what had happened, most of them urging me to reconcile with Clarice.
I chose to ignore these messages.
I thought to myself, "They haven't endured the pain I went through; they have no right to tell me to forgive.
Compared to the silent torture and emotional abuse I suffered in my past life, what does Clarice's suffering even amount to?
I haven't even said a harsh word to her, and she can't take it?"
Upon arrival, I immediately contacted my online friend, KingGorilla.
I had asked him to help me rent an apartment in Azuria.
He mentioned he had some connections to introduce me to a pro club and would be waiting for me at the airport.
KingGorilla often sent me gifts during my streams and had always hinted that money wasn't an issue for him.
He used to encourage me to go pro, saying I definitely had the skills to make a name for myself.
In my past life, everything I did revolved around Clarice.
If I didn't see her for a day, I felt a deep sense of unease.
I never even considered leaving her side to pursue a career elsewhere.
So, in the end, I remained an obscure little streamer, making a living from streaming and taking commissions.
And eventually, she looked down on me for not amounting to anything.
This time, I left home and came to Azuria, ready to fully enjoy life without Clarice's presence.
The scenery along the way made me realize how foolish I had been before.
I thought, "The world out here is so wonderful. Isn't this life far better than being stuck with that woman?"
Soon, I arrived in Azuria. What I didn't expect was that KingGorilla turned out to be a woman!
She greeted me with a warm smile.
She was dressed in expensive clothes and wore elegant makeup, looking exceptionally graceful.
I couldn't believe it. I called KingGorilla on the phone, and she answered right in front of me.
"Hello, Acton. I'm Karol Schmidt."
We had only ever communicated through text and never sent voice messages, so I never imagined KingGorilla was a woman.
I suddenly felt incredibly awkward. After all, I had troubled her with many requests before I came.
She sensed my discomfort and quickly urged me to get moving, saying there would be a tryout later today after I got settled.
When I saw her casually pull out the keys to a sports car, I was too stunned to speak.
Before long, we arrived at the apartment she had arranged for me.
"You call this a small apartment?"
Even though I had already gotten a sense of Karol's financial status, I was still blown away by the place she found for me.
I never expected that this 3200-square-foot flat would be what Karol referred to as a "small apartment."
She humbly told me to make do with it for now.
While I used to brag during my streams that my family had some money, after seeing Karol's resources, I didn't dare say that anymore.
"This is a small apartment. This place is the closest to the club, so I thought you'd stay here. All my other villas are too far away."
"Ms. Schmidt, I'm just a rookie here for a tryout. I'm afraid I can't afford the rent for a place like this."
Since my parents had cut off my allowance and I wouldn't be able to stream for a while, I might not have any income for some time.
Karol smiled and then spoke to me sincerely, "Acton, I believe you have what it takes to become a legendary pro player. This money is really nothing.
"Besides, we rich people never make a losing investment. Consider it a loan from me; I'll see it as an investment in you."