Chapter 1

After marrying Valerie, I earned a six-figure salary but lived like a beggar.

She always said, "Babe, let's sacrifice now so we can achieve financial freedom sooner."

My closet was full of ten-year-old suits, and my lunch was always clearance gas station sandwiches.

Friends laughed, saying I married a penny-pincher, but I just felt bad that she was enduring hardships with me.

Until I was dying of late-stage stomach cancer and needed surgery, and she cried, claiming all our money was locked in long-term fixed deposits.

Right before I took my last breath, I heard her speak tenderly into the phone: "Hey Holden, I just wired the down payment for your house."

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day she asked me to sell my gaming account for cash.

The familiar login screen glowed on the monitor as Valerie stood beside me. "You can sell this account for a thousand bucks. That'll cover our groceries for three months."

I smiled.

In my past life, I pinched every penny until I died, only for my money to end up in someone else's pocket.

In this life, to hell with saving.

With a simple click of the mouse, I deposited a hundred and fifty thousand dollars directly into the game.

Instantly, a golden-red meteor shower swept across the server's sky. A server-wide announcement scrolled across the screen in bold, shimmering gold:

"Player 'Abyss' has lavished a fortune, inviting all beauties across the realm to form a romantic bond! Head to the Celestial Realm now―a hundred-thousand-dollar bride price awaits the one who is true!"

1

"Caleb! Have you lost your damn mind?! How could you spend that much money on a stupid game?!"

"A hundred and fifty thousand dollars! That's real money!"

Valerie's screech nearly shattered my eardrums.

Her chest heaved violently as she glared at the scrolling announcement, looking as if her own life had been set on fire.

"Contact customer support right now! Tell them you clicked by mistake! Make them refund it! Hurry up!"

I looked at her, my voice completely calm.

"It's my money. I earned it, and I'll spend it however I want."

Valerie froze, choked by my words, her twisted expression locking in place.

A second later, she took a deep breath and forced a tight smile.

"Honey..."

Her tone softened into a careful, coaxing purr.

"Are you mad at me? Are you upset because I asked you to sell your account?"

She gently tugged at my sleeve, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I'm doing this for us. Didn't you always say your job was exhausting and that you wanted to retire early to give us a good life?"

"Didn't we promise each other? A little hardship and frugality now is all for our future."

"You work so hard that your stomach is always acting up. It breaks my heart to see you in pain..."

With that, she turned quickly into the kitchen and came back carrying a white porcelain bowl with a smile.

"Look, I remembered you've been feeling bloated lately. I asked a holistic doctor and made this special chicken wellness broth for your stomach." She held the bowl out to me eagerly. "Drink it while it's hot, okay?"

The broth looked clear, with dried berries floating on top.

Deep in my gut, a dull cramp flared up.

It was just like my past life.

She had always been this gentle, telling me to endure a little more and save a little more for our shared future.

She brewed tonics for me, pinched pennies, and tightly controlled every cent of my hard-earned money.

Every time I asked, she told me the money was locked in high-yield certificates of deposit, working toward our "financial freedom."

And I believed her.

I made hundreds of thousands a year, yet I lived like a pathetic bum.

I handed her all my trust and my paycheck, and what did I get in return?

She left me to die in agony on a cold hospital bed.

That stomach-soothing soup she made countless times now smelled of sheer hypocrisy.

Looking at the fake concern and sweetness in Valerie's eyes, I let out a low chuckle.

It was a cold, bitter sound that felt foreign even to me.

"Sure," I said, taking the bowl. "You're right."

I set the bowl on the desk and locked eyes with her, piercing straight through her forced composure.

"My money... I'm going to get every single cent back."