Chapter 2

"Help... please, someone help me..."

Faint cries for help echoed through the parking lot late at night.

I heard the commotion and followed the sound.

In the distance, I saw a luxury car parked in the corner, its body shaking slightly.

In my previous life, it was in this very car that I witnessed Lily Snow, the campus queen I had a crush on for three years, being pinned down in the backseat by Brandon Chase.

Back then, I had rushed over and yanked open the car door, punching Brandon in the face and kicking him hard in the groin.

While Brandon was writhing in pain on the ground, I helped the disheveled Lily to the police station to file a report.

Little did I know that the next day, Brandon would show up in class with his arm around Lily, accompanied by the police.

Lily tearfully accused me of attempting to rape her in front of the entire class.

Everyone chose to believe Lily.

After all, who in our class didn't know that I, Connor Quinn, was Lily's doormat, chasing after her for three whole years?

Lily sobbed as she made her accusation.

"He's been harassing me for so long. I saw through him a long time ago, which is why I rejected him."

"I never thought he'd be so despicable. Knowing I would never accept him, he... he... in the parking lot..."

"Thankfully, Brandon arrived in time to save me."

Lily buried herself in Brandon's arms, sobbing.

Brandon patted her back gently, but his eyes shot a cold glare at me.

The crowd buzzed with chatter as the police handcuffed me, not even giving me a chance to explain.

Through the back window of the police car, I saw Lily and Brandon exchange smiles, their eyes full of triumph.

My parents, however, never stopped believing in my innocence.

They ran around trying to get justice for me.

They were turned away when they tried to meet with school officials, and when they tried to access the security footage, they found it had been deliberately deleted.

In just a few days, my parents, both in their fifties, had aged visibly from the stress.

On their final attempt, as they were driving to the police station, a large truck suddenly lost control and crashed into them head-on.

A month later, Lily and Brandon came to visit me in prison.

Brandon sat in the chair, his eyes filled with hatred.

"You deserved this! If it weren't for that kick of yours, I wouldn't be impotent now."

It was then that I finally understood why they had gone to such lengths to destroy me.

Back in the present, I watched the rocking luxury car in the distance and took out my phone, hitting record and aiming it at the car's interior.

The car windows were wide open, clearly showing Brandon on top of Lily.

In my previous life, I had rushed in hot-headedly to play the hero.

This time, I've learned my lesson. I won't make the same mistake again.

As I was leaving the parking lot, I heard someone approaching.

Soon, there was a commotion behind me.

I guess that person had stumbled upon their little tryst, and now others were running towards the parking lot.

I quickened my pace, swiftly leaving the scene of trouble.

Back in my dorm room, I saw my parents' video call on the screen, and my eyes instantly welled up.

The last memory I had of them was how haggard they looked.

Seeing them now, still healthy and well, filled me with overwhelming emotion.

My dad used to be a businessman, always dressed in a suit and tie, looking sharp and energetic.

But in my previous life, when he visited me in prison, his face was unshaven and his eyes were heavy with dark circles.

My mom had always taken good care of her appearance, but back then, her brow was furrowed with worry and her hair had turned gray.

In just the few days I had been in jail, they both seemed to have aged a decade.

My mom noticed something was off and asked with concern:

"Connor, are you just getting back to your room? Is the coursework very stressful lately?"

"Stop revolving your life around that Lily girl. You only have two months left, focus on getting into grad school," my father paused, then added, "After that, you can start getting involved in some of the company's business."

Fighting back tears, I promised, "Yes, Mom and Dad, don't worry. I won't let you down."

"By the way, Dad, I think I could start helping out with some business matters now."

"You cheeky boy!" My father laughed as he hung up the phone.

I smiled as I ended the call, but my expression immediately turned cold.

In this life, I was determined to make those two animals pay for what they'd done.

I opened my phone and carefully reviewed the video I had just recorded, smirking as I said:

"You like to play games, huh? Well, let's play then!"