Chapter 1After Rebirth, My Wife and I Parted Ways

My wife, Stella Reed, and I resented each other for half our lives.

She hated me for tying her down with marriage and kids, making her lose her chance to make it big in New York.

I hated her for constantly partying, dumping her ailing parents and our two kids on me.

When we both reincarnated, we locked eyes in the crowd, then turned and walked away from each other without a second thought.

Hopefully, this time, neither of us will have any regrets.

The day I finally confirmed my university application, my dad walked into my study, glanced at me, and nodded in approval.

"Alright, son, with those SAT scores, you should go to a good university! Don't spend all your time chasing after that Reed girl, what's so great about her anyway?"

My mom heard him from the kitchen, rushed in, pulled my dad away, and shot him a glare.

"Keep it down. He knows what he's doing."

I smiled, watching my parents leave, and suddenly felt a lump in my throat.

In my previous life, I'd snuck out of the house late at night to go to the train station to find Stella.

My parents, worried sick, went looking for me and were hit by a drunk truck driver. I never even got to see them one last time.

I swallowed back my tears, moved my mouse, and clicked the final confirmation button on my university application without hesitation.

In my last life, Stella, who I’d grown up with, suddenly declared she wanted to be a singer and move to New York to pursue her dream.

But before that, she'd always said her dream was to be with me, and for us to go to the same university.

For her, I didn't hesitate to waste my incredibly high SAT scores, applying to the same average university she did.

But two days before the acceptance letters arrived, she suddenly announced her plan to chase her dream in New York.

Stella’s sick parents came knocking on our door, begging me to help them find their daughter.

I went in my previous life. My parents, worried about me, chased after me and ended up in that car accident.

When I finally brought Stella back, she heard her parents' tearful accusations—that she was responsible for my parents' deaths—and that she *had* to make it up to me.

So they forced Stella and me to get engaged, planning for us to marry right after graduation.

But then she got pregnant when I was just a sophomore, forcing her to take an early leave from school and rush our marriage.

Pregnancy, childbirth, childcare—two years flew by. I was thrilled to return to campus, but then Stella's parents fell seriously ill and came to live with us for treatment.

Stella told me to be sensible. She said her parents had already worked so hard for her education, and now they were sick and needed care.

As for her, she would, of course, go to work to earn money and support the family.

Back then, for Stella's sake, I didn't mention that her meager monthly salary wasn't even enough for the kids' formula or our basic household expenses.

Eventually, I had to sell our old house to cover her parents' medical bills and raise our two children.

But while I sacrificed my education and struggled to keep our large family afloat, she used her small salary to hang out with dubious friends.

What little money she had, she spent on music, claiming it was to fulfill her dream.

The pressure of the family choked me. After several failed attempts at communication, we started having massive arguments.

She'd call me old-fashioned and useless, narrow-minded, claiming that if I hadn't dragged her back, she'd be a big singer in New York by now.

She even accused me of using my parents' deaths to guilt-trip her into marrying me.

I didn't hold back either, calling her delusional! With that raspy voice, thinking she could be a singer was pure fantasy!

When she brought up my parents' deaths, I snapped. I lunged at her, wanting to shut her up, but she shoved me away hard.

After that, Stella started deliberately staying out, and her parents, who rarely saw their daughter, blamed everything on me. They complained that I was insensitive and inconsiderate, always upsetting their daughter.

They completely forgot how they'd begged me to find her in the first place.

In that miserable life, I gritted my teeth, pinched pennies, and took on odd jobs to earn money to support the family.

But the children I worked so hard to raise were never close to me. They were always much closer to Stella, who never did anything.

I thought they'd understand when they grew up. I waited over two decades, until they were married with their own families.

But they all vied to have Stella live with them, while they were cold and distant towards me.

"Dad, you controlled us too much when we were young. We don't want to hear lectures anymore."

"Mom's dreams were crushed by you when she was young. Now that she's older, we're taking her to New York to chase them again."

"Grandma and Grandpa Reed were right, you just want everyone to live the life you plan. You're selfish!"

I never imagined my own children would say such things. I went home heartbroken, only to see Stella triumphantly packing her bags, bragging about how she was finally leaving me to live the good life.

I'd slaved away for this family for over two decades, only to be branded selfish and controlling.

Why did Stella get to be so carefree? She ignored her family and responsibilities, yet ended up being the open-minded mother in our children's eyes?

I lunged forward and pushed Stella down. She was stunned for a moment, then grabbed a vase and smashed it at me.

"You dare lay a hand on me? I'll kill you…"

So our deaths were, in fact, the just deserts of our mutual fight.

The moment we both fell to the ground, I prayed in my heart that if there was a next life, I'd never, ever meet Stella Reed again.