Chapter 2
In 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.
Chapter 3
In 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.
Chapter 4
The 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."