-Prologue-

-Prologue-

-POV David Copperfield-

-October 21, 2006-

As I opened my eyes, a flood of memories rushed through my mind, crushing everything in its wake and making me feel, for a few seconds, a pain so intense that I almost believed I was being torn apart.

Memories of my parents came back to me, but not the ones I knew in this life.

The ones from my previous life. Memories of my marriage, my children, my imprisonment.

Everything came back as clear as the first day.

All the memories I had forgotten from my first life appeared in my dreams, and that’s how I realized that I wasn’t David.

Or at least, not the David I thought I was until now.

'I was David, but before that, I was Ronald Samson, a former trader for Goldman Sachs, wrongly accused of laundering hundreds of millions of dollars for cartels, as well as causing my company to lose billions,' I thought, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

A reflection that wasn’t unfamiliar to me, yet one that felt strangely different.

It was odd to know that I had been something I was no longer and that what I was today had absolutely nothing to do with the person I used to be.

'And all of this is part of me,' I thought, unable to piece together the fragile yet intelligent Ronald, that Scottish man who had managed to climb to the highest ranks of trading, with the David of today.

'But now, he was nothing like what he used to be,' I thought, observing my incredibly massive body.

'This is completely insane,' I thought, feeling completely destabilized by this new reality.

'In my previous life, I was taller than I am now, but I wasn’t nearly as muscular,' I thought, staring at my reflection in the mirror, slightly hypnotized by my physical transformation.

'I am now 186 cm and 88 kg, whereas in my previous life, I was taller and slimmer: 193 cm for 73 kg.'

Knock… Knock… Knock…

I turned my attention to the door as it opened, and I saw my little brother peeking his head through the gap to tell me:

"What the hell are you doing? Dad’s already here, he’s going to kill you if he finds you still in bed at this hour!"

'Damn,' I thought, realizing it was already 11 a.m.

I quickly got dressed and went downstairs, where I found my parents, William and Jessica Copperfield, already seated at the table, waiting for both of us.

And judging by their expressions, they were furious.

"You think you’re on leave?" my father asked in a gruff tone.

From his tone alone, I already knew that no matter what I said, this discussion would turn into an argument.

So, I chose to say nothing.

But that didn’t satisfy him.

"You dare ignore me? Maybe it’s because you want to hit me?"

"He deserved it," I said calmly, knowing exactly what my father was referring to.

"It wasn’t your decision to make!" he shouted, slamming his fist on the table.

'Great, looks like I won’t even get to eat before having this conversation,' I thought as I set my cutlery down.

I lifted my eyes and said:

"You know perfectly well that it was, otherwise, you wouldn’t have covered for me."

"I did it because you were my son, and it was my duty as a parent," he said in a tone that unsettled me.

"You’re speaking in the past tense," I noted, narrowing my eyes.

"Because it is in the past," he replied, irritated.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, feeling that it was more David speaking at that moment.

"I want you to leave," he said without actually answering my question.

"Bill…" my mother tried to intervene on my behalf.

"No! I want you gone!! You are the shame of this family, and I never want to see you in my house again!!!" my father shouted, standing up and motioning for me to leave.

I looked at my mother and my brother before shifting my gaze back to my father.

I shook my head, furious on one hand.

(David’s side)

But also understanding, on the other hand, his reaction.

(Ronald’s side, not yet fully integrated)

"At your orders, General," I couldn’t help but say sarcastically before leaving the table and heading upstairs to pack my things.

---

I quickly packed everything I immediately needed into my military bags.

'I’ll come back for the rest later,' I told myself before leaving my room, only to come face to face with my little brother, who, ironically, had the same name as me in my previous life.

"So, you’re really leaving?" he asked.

I shrugged and said, "You heard the Great General Copperfield."

"This is so unfair," he said.

"Life is full of unfairness, but don’t worry, this isn’t the end for me. All of this was too suffocating for my future self anyway," I said before giving him a wink, suppressing the frustration building inside me without being able to stop it.

I had just experienced, in less than an hour, the most unsettling moments of my life.

'Or at least, in this one… and even in my first life, if you count reincarnation,' I thought as I quickly left the house without saying goodbye.

I had just been excommunicated from the Great Copperfield Sect by its own leader.

---

-3rd POV-

David quickly loaded his bags into his Land Rover Range Rover, then drove away from the family home, which he had never left except for his missions abroad.

He was so distracted by his anger that he didn’t even notice the mist forming from his breath with every exhale.

---

"Sorry, man, but I’m really busy, so… And besides, my wife is looking after her nephews and nieces, but… you know I would have let you stay otherwise."

"No, don’t worry, it’s fine, I understand… Yeah, no problem, we’ll catch up soon," I said to Anders, who kept stammering, trying to find the right way to tell me he couldn’t let me stay at his place.

I hung up, shaking my head.

I had saved his ass multiple times in Afghanistan.

I had even taken a bullet for that bastard, and now letting me crash at his place for a few days was an issue.

'I’m sure he’s afraid of repercussions on his career. He’s well on his way to making Colonel, as long as he doesn’t take a bullet first,' I thought, sighing deeply before calling my best friend, Ryan.

It had been a while since we last talked because I was often on long missions, but every time I had leave, we would meet up for unforgettable nights.

'Just like in high school,' I thought, reminiscing about the epic parties we used to throw at his parents’ mansion, as well as my uncle’s.

'I was such a rich kid in this life,' I thought, remembering how wealthy my mother’s family was and how much her connections had helped my father’s career.

Even though, for some reason, she didn’t like us interacting with our cousins, I had a great relationship with my uncle Everett.

"Hello, who’s this?" Ryan said, yawning sleepily.

"Guess," I said, knowing that if he hadn’t recognized my voice yet, he wasn’t awake enough for this conversation.

"Who is it?" Ryan repeated, clearly still half-asleep.

"Dude, it’s 1 p.m., make an effort," I said, checking my watch.

It took him a few seconds before he grumbled:

"Fuck off, I barely got two hours of sleep. I had to put in some work last night."

I rolled my eyes at his excuse and said:

"I don’t care who you had in your bed, I just need to know if you have space for me. I need a place to crash."

"I already have two extra people in my apartment, so it’s a no-go," he said before hanging up.

'Asshole,' I thought, rolling my eyes, about to call someone else when my phone rang. 

I didn’t even have time to pick up before I heard Ryan mocking me on the other end of the line:

"You really thought I was going to leave you hanging, huh?"

"Go fuck yourself," I replied with a smile, because he had actually got me.

"So, should I head over?" I asked again, just to be sure.

"Yeah, you can come, but you still can’t stay," he said flatly.

"Is this a joke?" I asked, feeling like I had just been doused with a bucket of ice water.

"No," he replied, completely serious.

I summed it up:

"So you called me back just to tell me you weren’t actually going to let me stay?"

"Yeah, I guess when you put it that way, it does sound like a dick move, but don’t w—"

I hung up before he could finish his sentence.

But he called me back immediately.

I declined his call three times before finally answering on the fourth.

"What do you want?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed.

"Whoa, whoa, you won’t even let me finish my sentence?" he said, taking his time before adding:

"I can’t let you stay at my place for reasons that seem pretty obvious to me, but I do have a hotel room I rent year-round at the Four Seasons."

I frowned before saying, after a few seconds of silence:

"Wait… You’re seriously one of those guys who rents a hotel room all year just to bring girls there without getting caught by your girlfriend?"

"Dude, actually… that’s not what we were talking about," he said, trying to change the subject.

I burst out laughing and said:

"So, not only do you rent a hotel room year-round to avoid getting caught, but you also bring the girls home with you?"

"Hello? Dave? Can you hear me?" he said, pretending the connection was bad before quickly adding:

"Room 198, under the name Ryan Westerling, and the password is 'Ryan is the best.' Bye."

'Narcissistic asshole,' I thought to myself, though I didn’t really mean it.

Once he hung up, I felt like all the frustration I had built up had evaporated.

And then…

'Wait, what the hell is that?' I thought, noticing small crystals on the steering wheel, melting rapidly.