A Decade's Reunion

Regrets?

Watching her figure slowly disappear into the distance, I couldn’t help but think back to our past life together.

In our previous lives, Sophia and I had married early. At first, things were manageable, even happy. Eventually though, we fell victim to the grind of daily life: the endless cycle of bills, chores, and responsibilities.

Before our rebirth, we had a massive fight. She wanted me to quit my job and move abroad with her for a fresh start. However, I didn’t want to abandon everything I had built here.

Her full fury unleashed, Sophia had screamed and thrown things. I remember pressing my fingers to my temples, trying to stay calm.

"If we both go abroad, what about Emma?" I asked.

Emma was our daughter. Sophia was an only child, and her parents were already elderly. My own parents passed away years ago.

Her parents didn’t want us to leave the country, and a child as young as Emma needed stability. I had chosen to stay and work locally, in a company that offered good benefits and a realistic shot at becoming a partner with enough effort, although it was not a massive organization.

It was a tough path, but for the sake of my family and my future with Sophia, I was willing to endure it. Her parents treated me like their own son, and I cherished that.

Unfortunately, happiness rarely lasts.

Ever since Sophia visited a friend’s successful design firm abroad, she couldn’t stop talking about moving. She convinced herself that if she had chosen to study and work abroad from the start, she would have been even more successful.

Then again, we weren’t that worse off. We owned our home and a car, and had no debt. Our combined savings reached seven figures, but she still wasn’t satisfied.

Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared at me, motionless.

"You’re not going to use our daughter to trap me for life!" she spat. "Yeah, my parents are old, but they’re still healthy and have pensions. They don’t need us to take care of them. Plus, we can just take Emma with us! If they ever fall ill, we can bring them over too."

It all sounded so naive. Moving abroad with parents and a child, starting from scratch, adjusting to a new language, work, and culture… It wasn’t as simple as she imagined.

I tried to reason with her, but she cut me off.

"Alex! I’m asking you one last time—is it me or this dead-end job? If you choose that stupid job, we’re getting divorced. Right now."

I froze, stunned by her ultimatum. I never imagined she would be willing to end our marriage over this.

"Sophia, why are you so determined to leave?"

She sneered, her tone dripping with disdain. "What kind of future do you think you can carve out here? Even if you don’t care about yourself, even if you want to waste your life away, think about Emma! Do you want her to end up like you? Working for others her whole life, bending over backwards for a paycheck?"

Her words hit a nerve.

"Do you think becoming a partner is just sitting passively? Sophia, success isn’t limited to a particular country. If you work hard, you can find success anywhere. The life we have now is the greatest security we can offer Emma and our families."

"Enough!" she snapped, cutting me off again. "If you won’t go, then I will! I never should have married you in the first place. You’re spineless, a coward who lacks even a shred of ambition or courage!"

She screamed as she stuffed clothes into her suitcase, throwing insults as easily as she tossed her belongings.

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard her say things like this. I used to brush it off as her blunt personality, but looking back, I realized that maybe she truly believed I was a worthless loser.

She stormed out, luggage in hand. I followed, worried about her state of mind.

I never saw the crash coming. The driver lost control, and the car veered straight into a river.

I jumped out, desperate to save her, but my ankle got caught in the thick, clinging river weeds. She remained trapped in the sinking car, her cries for help muffled by the rushing water.

When I awoke again, we had both been reborn.

This time, neither of us mentioned continuing our engagement. She left abroad for her studies, defying her parents’ wishes, while I remained at the same company, just like before.

We had both made our choices, and I had no regrets.