In my previous life, I was sponsored by a wealthy man and even ended up marrying his daughter. My younger brother, however, struggled at the bottom rung of society.

He was jealous that I lived a worry-free life and that I even had a beautiful wife by my side. Meanwhile, he was drowning in gambling debts, constantly having to hide and evade detection.

With bloodshot eyes, my brother drags me to the rooftop but accidentally falls down with me. We get reborn on the day the wealthy man selects candidates.

This time, he rushes forward and kneels at the wealthy man's feet.

"Shane, in this life, the family fortune and the heiress are all mine!"

What he doesn't know is that despite having all the money in the world, it doesn't guarantee he'll live to spend it.

After falling off the rooftop with Sean, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

I wouldn't have to live in constant fear anymore, nor would I have to face someone I didn't love every day.

But when I opened my eyes again, I found myself back in my junior year, on the day the Jennings family came to select students for financial aid.

Sean and I stood before Mr. Raymond Jennings. I observed the man who had been my father-in-law in my past life. He sat there arrogantly, casually flipping through the report cards as the principal introduced our situations.

"Mr. Jennings, Shane Reid and Sean Reid are students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds at our school. The two are brothers and orphans from the same orphanage."

As soon as the principal finished speaking, Sean rushed forward and knelt before Mr. Jennings.

"Mr. Jennings! Please sponsor me! I will definitely repay you well in the future!"

When I saw how Sean eagerly rushed toward the promise of money, I understood that he—like me—had been reborn.

In our past life, Mr. Jennings had chosen to sponsor me, the top student. So now, Sean was trying to seize the chance before Mr. Jennings made his choice.

Sean and I weren't biological brothers—for some reason, the orphanage director had just given us similar-sounding names. We grew up together, and I had once genuinely considered him a brother, thinking it was a bond of mutual dependence. However, he had pushed me off the rooftop out of jealousy.

"Mr. Jennings, I will obey your every word!"

After Sean said this, Mr. Jennings's eyes did indeed light up. I knew he was interested. He desperately wanted an obedient puppet, something I hadn't been in my past life.

Sean had grasped the crucial point and successfully captured Mr. Jennings's attention.

"Mr. Jennings, please sponsor Sean. I am willing to withdraw from this opportunity," I said.

My voluntary withdrawal provided a perfect conclusion to this sponsorship. After coming out of the office, Sean swaggered up to me, gloating, "Shane, this time, I'll be the one who reaches the peak of life!"

I almost laughed out loud. "Congratulations."

Little did he know what kind of abyss awaited him.

In my past life, after being sponsored by the Jennings, I no longer had to work day and night to scrape together my tuition fees. This meant I had more time to focus on my studies.

As a result, on the eve of my graduation, I secured an opportunity for an advanced course of study abroad based on my excellent grades.

I was away for three years. I thought I could achieve something upon returning and build a good life through my own efforts, but I unexpectedly lost the most important person in my life.

After returning, at Mr. Jennings' suggestion, I married his daughter, Macy Jennings.

I agreed readily. He thought it was to repay his kindness, but he didn't know I was actually seeking revenge.

My lover had died under Macy's car. However, the Jennings covered up the fact that Macy was driving under the influence, allowing her to walk free. The victim's family didn't receive any compensation. Their already ill health worsened from the shock, and they died of depression.

After getting married, I learned why Mr. Jennings insisted on marrying Macy to a poor boy like me with no background.

It was because no respectable family was willing to have her.

Macy frequented various pleasure establishments daily. Any man was welcome, and she had no restraint. During one drunken episode, she contracted an incurable disease—AIDS.

Mr. Jennings knew his daughter's days were numbered and urgently sought an obedient son-in-law. Through scientific intervention, he hoped she could give birth to a normal child so that someone could inherit their large family business.

What he didn't expect was that while I agreed to marry Macy, I refused to touch her.

It was because I cherished a deceased person in my heart. Moreover, Macy was the murderer who took my lover from me.

However, Macy had me tied to a chair, where she then slit both our arms and smeared her virus-laden blood onto my wound.

Since Macy couldn't get what she wanted, she would drag me to hell with her.

After being infected, I tried to gather evidence of the Jennings family's crimes as quickly as possible. One night, through a crack in the study door, I saw Mr. Jennings wiping tears while sighing over a photo.

When I took a closer look, I saw that it was a photo of the woman I'd loved most.

Before I could figure out the reason why Mr. Jennings did that, Sean came looking for me.

During the years I was abroad, Sean became addicted to gambling. He dreamed of making it big, but ended up losing everything instead.

After I married Macy, he hit rock bottom and came to me to borrow money.

But because I refused to comply with their arrangements and had contracted the disease, the Jennings kept me under strict watch. I didn't even have a job—where would I get money to lend him?

In a fit of anger, Sean dragged me to the rooftop. He was jealous that I had gained Mr. Jennings' favor and that it had changed the course of my life. He was envious of me making a fortune and marrying a beautiful, wealthy woman.

He thought I had stolen his sponsorship opportunity and, as if he had been possessed, became fixated on killing me.

Unexpectedly, the moment he pushed me, he slipped and fell down with me.

Sean couldn't control his laughter as he ran away, shouting like a madman, "It's mine! It's all mine!"

He didn't know that the wealthy family he longed for was the nightmare I desperately wanted to escape from.

I should thank him.

Following Sean's departure, I eagerly ran to the library. I needed to find her.

Now that I had started over, everything was still possible. I could finally prevent her death and spend the rest of my life by her side.

I saw the girl in the white dress studying alone by the window. Her dress was old, but she had washed it clean. Sunlight spilled over her, and even her hair glowed with a golden light, making her look like an angel.

I had promised her that I would marry her when I returned. But not long after I went abroad, she lost her life in a car accident.

I didn't even get to see her one last time.

I didn't even get the chance to take care of her ailing mother for her.

We were both born to live a life of misfortune. Fortunately, I now had the chance to rewrite our ending and make up for our regrets.

I approached her and softly called out her name, something I had silently repeated in my heart countless times.

"Willow."