The next day, after a long day of driving his taxi, Chance returned home exhausted. The relentless city traffic and the demanding passengers had left him physically and mentally drained. As he approached the door of the small apartment he shared with Lisa, he heard laughter from inside.
Opening the door, Chance walked into the apartment and froze. Lisa was in the living room, tightly embraced by her lover, Tony. They were laughing so hard that they didn't notice Chance's presence. The tall, well-dressed man was holding Lisa, and before Chance could react, they were passionately kissing.
A surge of anger and betrayal washed over him.
"What is going on here?" he demanded, his voice trembling with rage.
Lisa glanced back, barely bothering to disengage from her lover.
"Oh, you're back," she said nonchalantly. "Don't get so worked up. This is Tony."
Tony smirked, giving Chance a dismissive once-over.
"Hey, man. Didn't expect you back so soon."
Chance's hands clenched into fists. "Lisa, what is this? How can you do this right in front of me?"
Lisa rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Don't act so surprised. You must have known things weren't right between us for a while now. Honestly, you're just in the way."
Chance felt his heart pounding in his chest. The betrayal stung deeply, but he also felt a strange clarity. "Fine. If this is how it's going to be, I want a divorce."
Lisa laughed, the sound harsh and grating.
"A divorce? Sure, we can do that. But let me be clear: if you leave, you leave with nothing. No money, no possessions. You walk out of here with only the clothes on your back. That's the deal."
Chance stared at her in disbelief. "You can't be serious. Everything in this apartment, everything we've worked for… you expect me to just give it all up?"
Tony stepped forward, a smug smile on his face. "That's right. You heard her. You get nothing. Unless, of course, you'd rather stick around and watch us have fun."
The insult and cruelty of their behavior were too much for Chance to bear. He took a deep breath, feeling a newfound resolve. "Fine. If that's what it takes to get away from you, then so be it. I'd rather start over with nothing than stay here and endure this."
Lisa shrugged, seemingly unfazed by his decision.
"Good. Then it's settled. I'll get the paperwork ready. Don't think about coming back. You're out for good."
Chance nodded, already thinking about what to do next. He turned and walked out of the apartment, their laughter echoing behind him. As he stepped into the cool night air, he felt a strange mix of sadness and relief. He had lost everything, but he was free from the toxic environment that had suffocated him for so long.
Walking through the bustling streets, Chance felt a sense of lightness. He had finally left behind the suffocating environment.
Neon lights flickered on the wet pavement. A light drizzle fell from the sky, and he found joy in running through the rain. However, the harsh reality soon shattered his moment of relief. He realized he had no extra clothes or a place to stay. The prolonged rain made him feel cold.
The lights were bright and glaring against the dark sky. People around him were busy with their own lives, indifferent to his inner turmoil. He wandered through crowded squares and empty alleys, each step feeling heavier than the last.
Eventually, he came to a small park, a rare patch of greenery in the city's sprawl. He sat on a bench, the cold metal piercing through his thin jacket. He stared at the ground, lost in thought as the city's noise faded into the background. His mind was blank, memories that should have been there were an empty canvas.
"How did I end up here?" he muttered, the rustling leaves barely audible over his voice. "What went wrong?"
Sitting there, the void in his mind began to torment him. He couldn't remember anything from before waking up in this strange life. Memories from different times and places were fleeting and blurred, disappearing before he could grasp them.
The sense of loss was overwhelming, but he couldn't even remember what he had lost. Faces, names, places—all were shrouded in a fog that refused to lift. The only constant was the feeling of being out of place, as if he were living someone else's life.
He noticed other homeless people in the park, similarly watching him. As the temperature dropped, Chance gathered newspapers to keep warm. He spread them on the bench and covered himself with the rest. Lying down, he felt the remaining $20 in his pocket and the grumbling of his empty stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten all day.
Unable to sleep due to hunger, Chance got up and took the crumpled $20 to a nearby burger joint. He wanted to order a beef cheeseburger but saw that it cost $21.68. The cashier asked,
"Sir, our beef cheeseburger is a house specialty, and it tastes amazing," the cashier said.
Chance looked down at his $20, realizing he didn't have enough money. He said to the cashier, "I'll have a veggie burger."
"Okay, sir, that will be $9.50."
Chance took the burger and ate ravenously. With only $10 left, he resolved to find a way to survive the next day.
Standing up with renewed determination, Chance looked at the city with a new perspective. What once seemed oppressive now appeared as a place full of possibilities. He would start over, find a way to reclaim his life and identity. The journey ahead was long, but he knew he couldn't stay trapped in the shadows of a forgotten past.
He walked through the park, his steps more determined. The night air was fresh, and the city's sounds echoed in the background.
When he is sleeping, He had recurring dreams of strange images in his sleep, some things of war, some inventions, and some about the royal family, he tried to desperately hold on to these fragments of memories.
Then woke up and couldn't remember anything, chance opened his eyes to the hard park bench that made his back ache, he needed to find a job as soon as possible to get through the day.