All In, No Escape

I jolted awake, the suffocating sensation of seawater choking my lungs still lingering.

I looked down at my legs, already moving on their own, following behind my older brother, John Wesley.

He was taking me to the gambling den.

If I kept going, everything would unfold exactly as it had before, the moment my life plunged into darkness.

I desperately wanted to stop, but my legs refused to obey.

Behind me, my wife, Helen Grace caught up, shouting at my back, her voice filled with fury.

"Nathan Wesley, get your ass back here! Stop gambling! Do you hear me?!"

That scene… It was exactly the same as in my previous life.

From that very day onward, everything fell apart. My life, my marriage.

It ended in complete ruin.

After that game, I would have been ten million dollars in gambling debt.

Helen would take our son, Danny Wesley, and leave, determined to divorce me no matter what.

"Nathan, I begged you not to gamble, but you insisted on throwing away everything we have! You've made my life miserable, being stuck with a gambler like you! I'm divorcing you."

That very night, she took our son back to her parents' house and sent me the divorce papers.

I wanted to go see them, to see my wife and child.

However, every time I got close to the door, John would appear, and I would turn around, powerless, heading straight back to the gambling tables.

My wife would stand by the window, watching me leave again and again, her disappointment unbearable, tears falling silently.

After that, I lost almost every game I played.

Even when I occasionally won, the money somehow ended up in John's account.

When my debt grew beyond anything I could repay, my creditors cut off my limbs and threw me into the sea, leaving me to drown.

Even after my death, the disaster did not end. My wife and child were dragged down with me.

I never expected heaven would give me another chance.

Perhaps I could uncover the truth and clear my name in my new life.

"Look at those two brothers. Same family, same blood. One turned out exceptional, the other a worthless gambler."

"Don't you know? John isn't even truly part of the Wesley family. He came along when his mother remarried."

"Well, that just shows how well the stepmother raised him."

The passersby whispered, judging me without knowing anything.

"Helen, I'm sorry. I couldn't stop him… How did our family end up with such a disgrace?"

I clenched my fists tightly.

John was the real culprit.

He lived a life of comfort using my money, spotless and admired, while I carried all the blame.

If I could not stop my legs… I would go all the way.

"John, don't bother trying to talk me out of it. I'm in on this game."