After My Husband Denied Me At His Victory

Reign and I grew up together in an orphanage, without family or friends—just the two of us. When he was fifteen, Reign came home one day, bruised and muddy, his eyes were red with anger, fists clenched tightly by his sides.

Reign shared how a classmate had sneered at him for being parentless, making fun of his worn-out clothes and asking which dumpster he'd found them in.

"Ivanna," he said intensely, locking eyes with me, "I refuse to be looked down upon forever."

The orphanage was barely able to cover our basic needs, let alone offer us better opportunities. Determined to prevent Reign from being mocked again, I made the tough choice to leave school and start working early. I was just seventeen at the time.

During the day, I worked at an auto repair shop, and at night, I played video games professionally for cash. I lived on scraps, saving every penny to support Reign. It wasn't that I didn't want to continue my studies; it was because Reign excelled academically. The orphanage's support ended at eighteen, so we had to figure out how to pay for college and living costs ourselves. With Reign's outstanding grades, it made sense for him to have the chance to attend college.

Sacrificing for Reign didn’t really feel like a hardship to me.

At seventeen, I slept in a shared room with five others, falling asleep to the hum of a fan during hot summer nights. Yet, I never felt despair or regret. Every time I closed my eyes, I imagined Reign, joyfully running to me with a college acceptance letter in hand.

But that dream was shattered.

At eighteen, my gaming skills and strategic prowess caught the attention of a rising eSports team, pulling me into the professional gaming world. The following year, our team dominated a major tournament, propelling my career into the spotlight. After securing the win, the prize money secured my future, and after covering my essentials, I handed the rest to Reign.

That day, while sharing amusing stories from my training with Reign, I failed to notice the hungry and ecstatic look in his eyes as he glanced at the bank card.

Determined, I continued training hard as the date for Reign's college entrance exams drew near. On the day of his exam, I took time off from the team to meet him after school.

Reign came out earlier than expected, looking thrilled to see me. "Ivanna, show me your team!"

Thinking he was just curious about my life, I didn’t think much of it and took him out for a lavish meal at the mall.

But when the exam results came out, Reign's poor scores left me speechless. I was stunned. Only then did I realize that Reign had become obsessed with gaming.

We argued fiercely—our first and only confrontation.

I couldn't grasp why he chose not to pursue education and instead wanted to follow my path. Throughout the exhausting days of team training, I often longed for my school days, imagining crisp uniforms, clean books, and the vibrant buzz of classroom activities. I missed those days but never regretted leaving school because I believed Reign would fulfill my share of dreams.

But now, he told me he envied me.

"You're just gaming and making money! I want that life, too!"

"Ivanna, did you ever ask for my opinion before urging me to go to college?"

Reign exclaimed, triumphantly showing me his high-ranking international server account. "Look, I'm among the top ranks!"

"This proves I'm capable! Ivanna, I can earn money from gaming just like you!"

He was brimming with confidence. Yet, I remembered how, when another boy from the orphanage had to drop out because of financial problems, Reign had held my hand tightly, telling me he wanted to study.

And now, he said he wanted to play games.

But Reign, you don't know.

You don't understand the sleepless, relentless grind of training within a team.