All In, No Escape

I never wanted to gamble, yet I could not stop myself from going to the tables. I kept losing, over and over, until I was buried under ten million in debt.

After investigating the cause, I finally learned the truth–my older brother had placed me under a puppet-like control. Every loss was recorded under my name, while all the winnings went straight into his pocket.

My wife was furious. She slapped me, took our son, and divorced me. I tried to explain myself again and again, but she refused to listen.

"Nathan, can you stop making excuses? Did someone hold a knife to your throat? You chose to gamble."

After that, my brother only grew more ruthless, raising the stakes until I lost everything overnight.

With nothing left, my creditors chopped off my limbs and threw me into the sea, leaving me to drown.

Even after my death, they did not spare my wife and child. She was humiliated to death, and my son was sold overseas, his whereabouts unknown.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I first lost control and went to the gambling den.

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."