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Home / I Traded Seven Years of My Life to Save Her / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of I Traded Seven Years of My Life to Save Her: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

11 Chapters

Chapter 1

Three days before Valentine’s Day, I received a package with postage due.I glanced at the sender information.'Netherworld Express’Everything else was blank.The recipient was definitely me.Chase Miller.The phone number and address were both correct.“What is it?” I asked.The delivery guy was starting to get impatient. “No idea. Just a box. Pretty light, though…”He paused, then lowered his voice.“But my boss personally told me this had to be delivered directly into your hands.“He said you had to sign for it before midnight.”I stared at the box, wrapped tightly in yellow-brown kraft paper.And for reasons I couldn’t explain, I scanned the code and paid.I placed the box on the coffee table and sat there from afternoon until dark.Outside, it began to rain.Rain this time of year was always like this. Fine, steady, and endless.Three years ago, my wife, Elena Moore, had died on a rainy day just like this.At nine that night, I finally tore open the seal on the

Chapter 2

I collapsed into the chair and stared at the copper coin.Then I took a deep breath, grabbed the note, and tried to examine it more closely for any flaw.But the moment I lowered my head, the copper coin I had tossed into the corner of the coffee table suddenly flipped over by itself.The side with the strange symbols faced up.And among those twisted markings, I clearly saw three dark red words slowly appear.'Return at midnight.'“Return at midnight… return where? How?”I stared at the time on my phone.There was still over an hour until twelve.But if I could really see her again, what was one year of my life?For the past three years, every day had felt like a slow suicide anyway.I washed my face.In the mirror, my eyes were sunken, and I looked like an addict.“It’s fake,” I told my reflection. “All of this is a hallucination.”But the copper coin was heavy in my pocket, pressing against my thigh.A moment later, I left the apartment.For reasons I couldn’t explai

Chapter 3

I spun around.A man in a dark blue uniform was standing one step behind me.A name was embroidered over the left side of his chest.‘Netherworld Express.’In his hand was a small black device that looked like an old card reader, its screen glowing blue.“Malcolm Seven,” he said flatly. “Netherworld Express. Obsession Settlement Division.”I instinctively took half a step back, my spine hitting the streetlamp behind me.“You…”He tipped his chin toward the intersection.“The car’s getting farther away. Want to chase it? I can take you after it.”“The price is one year of your life.”My head buzzed.“What do you mean, one year?”“The first use of a death coin costs one year. Fixed rate.”Malcolm Seven shook the device in his hand.“The three minutes you just saw have already been deducted. Now you have… let me check.”He flicked his wrist.Several lines of text suddenly appeared in front of me.'Chase Miller. Male. 32 years old.''Remaining lifespan: 6 years, 4 months

Chapter 4

I looked down at the coin.“I’ve already used it once?” I asked.Malcolm said nothing.“What did you mean by ‘six chances’? Didn't I have seven chances?”He was silent for a long time.Then he said, “In your last loop, you already tried to save her.”“You died. So did she.”Malcolm’s words pierced my mind like a needle.“What did you say?”“In your last loop, you saved her.” Malcolm crushed out his cigarette. “Then both of you died. After time reset, your memory was erased, but the coin remembered.”He pointed at the copper coin.“This is your second loop. You have six chances left.”I stared at the coin.“I want to try again.”Malcolm looked at me for a few seconds, then took the black device from inside his coat and pressed a few buttons.“What time point do you want this time?”“The day before the accident.”My voice was dry.“I want to stop her from leaving.”“You sure? It’ll cost one year.”“Do it.”The device beeped.The copper coin suddenly burned hot in my

Chapter 5

“Thank you. But we’re divorced. You didn’t need to come all this way. I can handle it.”Her tone was distant.My mind went blank.We were divorced?Why did I not remember any of it?She checked her watch.“I need to go take care of the paperwork. Thanks for coming. You should go home.”With that, she turned and walked toward the payment counter.“Elena,” I called after her.She stopped but did not turn around.“Tomorrow… when you go back to the city, don’t drive, okay? Take the train.”She turned back, her frown deepening.“Why?”“I… I heard there was an accident on the highway. It’s not safe.”“Who told you that?”“A friend.”I could not keep making things up.“Just don’t drive. Please. I’m begging you.”She stared at me, her eyes complicated.“Chase,” she said softly. “We’ve been divorced for six months. I can handle my own life.”“No, you can’t!” My voice rose. “Something is going to happen to you tomorrow!”People in the hallway started looking over.Elena’s e

Chapter 6

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.Malcolm put away the black device and stood.“Think it through. You can’t change the way she dies.”“Why?” My voice shook. “Why does she have to die?”Malcolm was silent for a few seconds.“Do you really want to know?”“Yes.”He took out something that looked like a tablet, swiped across the screen a few times, and handed it to me.On the screen was a photo of Elena.She was wearing a business suit, her smile gentle.Beside it was a dense block of records.“Three months before Elena died, she filed a report under her real name with the Environmental Protection Agency against Brightway Chemical Plant on the east side of the city.“The report included twenty-seven water quality test results, proving that the plant had been illegally dumping wastewater for years. The contamination affected the drinking water of three towns downstream.”My fingers tightened around the tablet.“What does that have to do with her death?”“The owner of

Chapter 7

I stared at the investor’s seal on the screen.'Brightway Chemical Co., Ltd.''Derek Hale.'My stomach churned.My phone rang.It was Malcolm.“Finished reading?” There was no emotion in his voice.“Victor Ward and Derek Hale are working together.”“More accurately, they share the same interests,” Malcolm said. “Two years ago, Victor’s company was about to run out of cash. Derek invested twenty million to save it. In exchange, Victor helped him smooth things over with people in the government.”“Did Elena know about this?”“She was smarter than you.”Malcolm paused.“A week before she died, she emailed your company’s internal audit department with a copy of the investment agreement attached.“She copied you on that email.”I shot to my feet.“What?”I rushed into the study, turned on my old computer, and logged into the work email account I had barely touched in three years.The inbox was stuffed with ads and company notices.With trembling hands, I searched the dat

Chapter 8

I answered the call but said nothing.Victor’s voice came through the line. He was smiling, but there was no warmth in it.“Chase, did you get the money?”“…”“I’m very sorry about what happened to Elena,” he sighed. “But the dead can’t come back. You need to move on. Think of the $500,000 as compensation from the company.”I gritted my teeth.“Her death had something to do with you.”“You shouldn’t say things like that without proof.” Victor’s voice turned cold. “The accident report was issued long ago. It was an accident, and the dump truck driver was fully responsible. The driver was already sentenced. What case are you still trying to reopen?“In the surveillance footage, your car forced the dump truck off course.”“My car was at the repair shop that day. There are records.”Victor laughed.“Chase, I know these past few years haven’t been easy for you. Maybe your mind isn’t exactly clear anymore. But defamation comes with legal consequences.”“I have evidence.”“What e

Chapter 9

“Where did you get the evidence?”“Elena gave it to me,” I said. “She backed everything up a long time ago. You didn’t know that, did you? Besides the email, she also saved it on a flash drive and put it in our home safe.”It was a bluff.But Victor believed it.“Chase.” His voice dropped, sharp with menace. “Don’t push me.”“You’re the one pushing me,” I said. “At 3:47 this afternoon, at the Central Avenue intersection, your car will be there. You’ll force a dump truck to stop and make it crash into Elena. This time, I won’t let it happen.”A sudden screech of brakes came from the other end of the line.“Are you insane?” Victor roared. “What the hell are you talking about?”“I’m saying I’ll be waiting for you at the intersection.”Then I hung up.The cab stopped near Central Avenue.I got out and ran toward the intersection.2:50 p.m.I stood on the sidewalk, watching the traffic.Elena’s car had not arrived yet.But Victor’s black SUV had already appeared in my line of

Chapter 10

I saw Elena’s car slam on the brakes and stop several feet away.I saw the dump truck barrel out from the side road.But because Elena’s car had stopped, it crashed straight into Victor’s SUV instead.The two vehicles collided.Flames shot into the sky.Then a third vehicle, a van that had been parked by the side of the road, suddenly started up and accelerated toward Elena’s car.Elena did not even have time to react.The white sedan was hit so hard it flipped across the road and slammed into a utility pole.The gas tank leaked.A spark.An explosion.A sea of fire.I stood in the middle of the flames, but I felt no heat.I looked down.The coin in my hand had shattered.It broke into powder and slipped through my fingers.My body began to fade, like an old photograph, turning transparent little by little from the edges inward.Malcolm’s voice sounded beside my ear, very soft.“Time’s up.”When I opened my eyes, everything was white.Pure white.No boundaries.No

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