Second Chance: I Can See the Future

"Mrs. Walker, this is the surgical consent form for your husband's surgery. He was severely injured in the car accident, and if you don't sign it soon, he may not make it. Please think it through and sign it as soon as you can." The doctor handed a document to Ashley and left. Ashley's gaze settled on Anthony Walker, who lay on the hospital bed, barely alive. A wave of sadness flashed across her face, but it was quickly replaced by unexpected relief. "Someone like you doesn't deserve to be saved." Ashley took a deep breath, her mind flooding with the pain Anthony had inflicted on her and their daughter over the years. After a long pause, Ashley spoke, her voice steady and devoid of emotion. "You don't deserve to be a husband, let alone Emily's father. We should have built a happy family, but you destroyed it. The doctor said there's a 50% chance of a successful surgery, and a family member needs to sign for it." She glanced at the surgery confirmation in her hand, a flicker of sarcasm in her eyes. Her hand shook slightly as she tore the document into pieces, watching them flutter to the floor like snowflakes. "Even if the chances were 100%, I wouldn't sign it. Just give up." Ashley's voice rose suddenly, filled with hatred, "Because you should have died long ago." The pain Anthony had brought to her could ruin anyone's life. She remembered their wedding day when she defied everyone's warnings and married him. She had believed love could change everything, but that belief had been naïve. "Right after we got married, you took our last 100 thousand dollars in savings and gambled it away. I was pregnant and starving, waiting for you to come home. But you lost all the money and finally stumbled back drunk, beating me with a belt to vent your anger." She continued, "The day Emily was born, I collapsed at home from malnutrition. If our neighbor hadn't rushed us to the hospital, Emily and I might have been dead." Tears streamed down Ashley's face as she recounted Anthony's past mistakes. Her words struck him like a whip, landing heavily on his heart. Though he lay unable to move or speak, each word felt like a heavy blow, forcing him to confront the truth. He closed his eyes, overwhelmed by pain; he felt totally ridiculous and pathetic because of Ashley's words. He never imagined that after years of marriage, he had become the person his wife despised most. 'If I hadn't been such a jerk all these years, maybe things would have turned out differently. If only I had a chance to start over...' "My biggest mistake was marrying you." Ashley stood by the bedside, her eyes cold as ice. "Your existence will only bring more suffering to Emily and me; your death would be a blessing." With that, she turned and walked away as if shedding the weight of her burden. Anthony's consciousness faded as flashes of his failed life danced before him. The memories locked in his mind froze at the moment of the car accident just two hours ago. He had taken a taxi with Ashley to the courthouse to file for divorce, just as they had planned. Afraid of the divorce, he hesitated, choosing to stay in the car. Just as Ashley stepped out, he slammed the door shut and ordered the driver to leave, not expecting to crash at the next intersection. When he regained consciousness, he was in the hospital. In the spacious hospital room, the mechanical beeping filled the silence. He had always thought he could fix things, but now he realized it was far too late. He had crushed Ashley's love for him, pushing her into the abyss of despair. "Is this my destiny?" Anthony whispered to himself, a bitter smile creeping onto his lips. His life was slipping away, a sensation both strange and oddly familiar. His body felt like a piece of burned flesh, scalding his consciousness endlessly. The accident had shattered his chest and pelvis, tearing through his insides. 'Anthony, you ask for this. You don't deserve to live, and you are not worthy of Ashley!' Anthony condemned himself inwardly, regretful tears tracing down his cheeks. He wanted to say sorry to Ashley, not to seek forgiveness but to wish her a happy life free of hatred. 'If I could start over, I wouldn't ruin my life again...' He reached out his hand, watching Ashley's silhouette blur in the distance. He observed the heart rate monitor quietly as it began to level off into a straight line. At his final moments, a bright ray of light appeared before him. A mysterious old man stepped out of the glow, his face obscured. He handed Anthony a notebook. "If you truly want another chance, use this notebook that can predict the future. Don't let your family down again." The next second, everything faded to black as if he had lost all awareness. When Anthony opened his eyes again, he found himself in the backseat of a taxi, with Ashley sitting next to him, an arm's length apart from him. "I... I'm still alive?" Anthony struggled to grasp the reality of his situation. The hospital room felt strikingly vivid in his memory, and the heavy pain in his chest seemed to cling to him. "Ashley..." he whispered, reaching out to take her hand. "Don't touch me! And don't pretend to care!" Ashley pulled her hand back without hesitation, her voice sharp and cold. "Anthony, you know why we're here for the divorce today, right?" Anthony felt a jolt of realization. 'Everything that just happened wasn't a dream. She had said the same thing before the car accident!' Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. He fumbled around and found a notebook. When he opened it, he noticed that it was completely blank at first. Then, to his shock, words began to appear on the empty pages as if by magic: [In 20 minutes, this taxi will turn right at the intersection before the courthouse and be struck by a dump truck, resulting in the deaths of both the driver and passenger.] This matched perfectly with his memories. 'Could that old man be God? Have I gotten a second chance? This notebook might be the key to starting anew!' "This... This is my second life?" Anthony murmured in disbelief. "I apologize on Eric's behalf for what happened yesterday." Seeing Anthony's strange behavior, Ashley hesitated before continuing. "After we finalize the divorce, I'll take you to the hospital for a check-up. I'll cover all the medical expenses." She was worried that Anthony might have sustained a brain injury during his scuffle with her younger brother, Eric. "It's fine, honey. I don't want anything, as long as I can stay by your side," Anthony said sincerely. But Ashley remained unmoved. "You've said similar words like a thousand times. I've forgiven you again and again, yet each time, you beat me even harder," Ashley replied wearily. She was heartbroken. How could she forgive him just because of his sweet talk? The driver chimed in, "Sir, how could you hit a woman?" Anthony ignored the driver's comment but made a silent vow, 'I will prove it with my actions.' A few minutes later, the taxi pulled up to the courthouse. Just as Anthony was about to get out, he hesitated and pulled the notebook from his pocket, reminding the driver, "Sir, please don't turn right at the next traffic light... Ah!"  The moment he finished speaking, a sudden sharp pain shot through his head, causing the original text in the notebook to fade. New words took shape: [The driver doesn't turn right but chooses to turn left, yet the taxi is still struck by a dump truck, leaving both the driver and passenger injured severely. Anthony corrected himself quickly, "Oh... Wait, you can't turn left either! Remember, don't turn left, and don't turn right. Just go straight!" "Are you crazy? Go to the psychiatric hospital if you're off your rocker, man! Get out of the car! What bad luck to meet a madman like you!" The driver dismissed Anthony's warnings and kicked him out of the taxi. "If you turn left, you might not die, but you could still have an accident," Anthony insisted, still uncertain about the notebook's accuracy. He just wanted to warn the driver. "I was trying to help you, and you curse me? No wonder your wife is leaving you!" The driver thought Anthony was cursing him intentionally and ignored his suggestion. He saw the intersection ahead and turned left toward a shopping mall, hoping for more passengers. Just as the driver completed the turn and drove into the middle of the road, a dump truck came barreling out from the right lane. With a loud crash, the great impact flipped over the taxi. At that moment, Anthony didn't follow Ashley into the courthouse but stood frozen at the entrance, watching the chaos unfold at the intersection. He muttered to himself, "This is really happening!" Just then, Ashley's voice broke through his thoughts, urging him to come inside. He shook his head briskly and walked into the building. Ashley looked worn, her expression cold as she faced Anthony. "Anthony, I've calculated everything. You now owe a total of 820 thousand dollars. According to the law, I won't be responsible for any of it after our divorce. But, I'm willing to take on half of the debt, but I have one request." Anthony paused at her words and asked instinctively, "What is it?" With a hint of fear in her eyes, Ashley replied, "I want custody of our daughter, Emily, and I need you to stop interfering in our lives, please. Can you do that?"