Chapter 1

The day Eleanor was recognized by her birth family and returned to their lavish mansion, I was packing my bags.

She saw me and frowned.

"Put that down. I'm only taking Ian and Mia. You can stay in the run-down part of town for now. I'll send you five hundred a month for living expenses, and I'll let you see Mia."

I nodded calmly. After all, I already knew she'd only take her first love and my daughter.

In my previous life, I had clung to her, desperately following her to the mansion, making a scene.

I thought I'd finally have a good life, but Ian, her first love, falsely accused me of theft. Then, my own daughter pushed me from the 18th floor.

Before I fell, Mia screamed at me:

"I don't want a thief for a dad!"

When I opened my eyes again, I was reborn.

My phone buzzed with a text from a top-secret national research agency:

"Alex, congratulations on your recruitment. Please note, you are not allowed to contact anyone outside for five years after joining."

I moved out of our old house and found a hidden apartment.

But that very night, my front door was kicked open.

Eleanor stood in the doorway, her white suit soaked through by the rain, her face dark and stormy.

Behind her stood Ian, holding an umbrella, and my daughter, Mia, whom he held by the hand.

Ian spoke, his voice laced with feigned indignation,

"Alex, I know you're upset, but you can't just steal my mother's keepsake. It's the only thing I have left of her!"

I felt like a lightning bolt had struck me, my blood running cold.

I knew. This was the exact same scenario as my previous life.

Trembling, I tried to stop them, but the bodyguards were already ransacking the apartment.

Soon, a bodyguard pulled a necklace from the bottom of a box.

Eleanor held up the necklace, the disgust in her eyes almost enough to kill me.

A chill ran through me. I understood instantly.

It was Ian again!

Eleanor's voice was sharp.

"Caught red-handed, Alex. We were once married, so I'm giving you a chance to confess!"

Confess?

I looked up, a humorless laugh escaping my lips.

"I'm not guilty. Confess to what?"

Eleanor's anger flared. She shouted towards the door,

"Then help him confess!"

Two burly men entered, gripping me tightly on either side.

One of them pressed hard on the back of my neck, forcing me to bend low before Ian.

"Get on your knees and confess!"

Eleanor's icy voice came from above me.

I clenched my jaw, resisting with all my might.

"It wasn't me! Eleanor, I won't confess!"

But the bodyguard's hand was like a vise, forcing my head down, slamming it into the ground.

*Thud!*

My forehead hit the rough concrete floor, a sharp, burning pain erupting.

Eleanor commanded,

"Apologize."

"I... didn't..."

I struggled to get the words out.

*Thud!*

Another blow.

This time, the force was greater.

I felt warm blood trickling down my forehead.

Mia's tearful voice piped up,

"Dad, just confess, please. I'm scared..."

My daughter's plea twisted my heart in agony.

She didn't know.

Every "Dad" she uttered was a thousand cuts to my broken heart.

In my previous life, when she'd tricked me onto the rooftop and pushed me off, I died never understanding why my daughter, whom I'd loved for ten years, wouldn't believe me, but instead believed a man who wasn't even her blood relative.

Eleanor's voice was full of scorn.

"See? Even your daughter is ashamed of you."

*Thud!* The third blow.

My vision blurred.

Blood and sweat mixed, dripping onto the cold ground.

Ian feigned concern.

"Eleanor, that's enough... Alex might just be confused for a moment..."

"Confused? I say he's stubbornly unrepentant!"

The bodyguard pressed my head down again. I mustered my last ounce of strength, lifting my head to glare at Ian.

"I'm innocent!"

Eleanor was utterly enraged.

"Still talking back! Keep going! Until he confesses!"