Chapter 1

The expression on Dad's face froze.

The mix of rage and disbelief reminded me of something from my previous life.

Back then, after I discovered my wife had betrayed me, she beat me so badly that I ended up in the hospital. When Dad came to visit, the very first thing he said was…

"What's done is done. You have a child now. Yeah, the first one isn't your biological kid, but it's only the first one. Stop making such a fuss.

"If you ask me, it's your own fault. You couldn't even keep your wife from leaving."

At that moment, I finally understood.

Every compromise I had made back then had slowly destroyed my entire life.

"W-What did you just say?"

His voice trembled. I turned and started walking toward the stairwell.

"I said, if you're going to jump, then hurry up. I'm busy. College enrollment is open, and I need to get back to finish my applications."

"Maverick!" His voice turned shrill. "Get back here! You ungrateful little bastard! Are you really trying to drive me to my death?"

I stopped and looked back at him. "Dad, you're the one who climbed onto the roof planning to kill yourself. What's that got to do with me?"

Then I walked off the rooftop without another glance.

When I got home, I went straight into my study and locked the door behind me. I opened the college acceptance portal, my fingers trembling uncontrollably.

My grades were good enough to get into one of the best colleges in the country. This time, I was not going to throw away my future by settling for some mediocre local school.

With the memories of my previous life guiding me, I accepted an offer from the out-of-state college I had wanted most.

The moment I clicked ‘Confirm Enrollment’, my nose stung and tears blurred my vision.

For the first time... I had truly made a choice for my own future.

I had barely closed the webpage when the study door slammed open. Dad stood in the doorway, his clothes rumpled and his eyes blazing.

He must have run all the way home. His chest was still rising and falling hard.

"You..." He struggled to catch his breath before his gaze landed on my computer. "You... submitted it?"

I nodded and closed the laptop.

"Let me see!"

He rushed toward me, trying to snatch it away. I turned sideways, shielding it with my body. "Dad, it's already been submitted."

"I said let me see!" His voice shot up an octave, sharp with panic and completely out of control.

When I refused to move, he reached over and pressed the power button. The screen lit up. The login page appeared, asking for a password.

He stared at me. "What's the password?"

"I'm not telling you." I met his eyes. "It's already done. You can't change anything now."

"Which school did you choose?" His voice started shaking. "Was it out of state? Was it?"

I said nothing. My silence was answer enough.

Without warning, he grabbed my keyboard and slammed it onto the floor. Plastic shattered in every direction. Several keys flew off and rolled into the corner of the room.

"Maverick! Are you trying to kill me?" he roared, his face flushed a deep, furious red.

"Didn't I tell you to stay here and go to a local college? Is that really so hard to understand? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to raise you by myself?

“And now that you're finally grown up, the first thing you want to do is leave this house…”