"Wake up, sir. The bar's closing."
The bartender's voice dragged me back to reality.
I blinked slowly and lifted my head from the sticky counter. My neck ached. My mouth tasted like cheap whiskey and regret.
I checked my phone.
6:00 AM.
When I looked around, the place was already empty. Just me… and the cleaning crew wiping down tables like I was the last stain of the night.
"Sorry," I muttered, rubbing my face.
I paid the tab and stumbled out of the bar.
The morning air was cold. Too cold for someone who hadn't slept.
The walk back to my apartment felt longer than usual. Maybe because I knew exactly what was waiting for me there.
Nothing.
Just a cramped, run-down apartment that smelled faintly of old takeout and bad decisions.
I didn't even bother washing up.
I dropped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
For a long time.
"What the hell are you doing with your life, Chris?"
A month ago, things were different.
Then everything went to hell.
My fiancé cheated on me with my coworker.
I punched the bastard.
Lost my job the same day.
And thanks to the stories they spread online afterward, nobody wanted to hire me anymore.
Just like that, I became the office psycho. The unstable guy. The problem employee.
A social leper.
"Everything's falling apart," I muttered to the empty room.
"Nothing ever goes the way I plan."
I let out a dry laugh.
"This life is a complete mess."
For the past month, I'd been applying everywhere.
Companies. Startups. Retail jobs. Anything.
Every application ended the same way.
Rejected.
Ignored.
Or ghosted.
The rumors had already spread further than my résumé ever could.
So instead, I spent my nights like this.
Bars.
Clubs.
Anywhere loud enough to drown out my thoughts.
But even that was starting to feel pointless.
"This is stupid."
I knew it.
I wanted to turn things around, but how the hell was I supposed to do that when every door slammed shut the moment I touched it?
I turned my head and stared at my phone.
A stupid thought crept into my mind.
"…Maybe I should try my luck."
The idea sounded ridiculous even to me.
But still…
"If I hit it big…"
A crooked smile pulled at my lips.
For a moment, I imagined it.
Climbing back up.
Making real money.
Becoming someone important.
Someone successful.
Someone those bastards would regret messing with.
Then reality came crashing back.
I opened my banking app.
$597.83
I stared at the number for a few seconds.
"…Not even six hundred dollars."
I scoffed.
"Perfect."
Silence filled the apartment.
Then I suddenly sat up.
"Ah, screw it."
If life wanted to ruin me, I might as well ruin it back.
"I'll try my luck tonight at the casino."
Looking back on it now… I still don't know if that decision came from desperation or something else.
Fate.
Bad judgment.
Or just a man with nothing left to lose.
Either way, I was done playing safe.
"Let's bet it all," I muttered.
"And see what happens."
I slept most of the day.
When I woke up that evening, I put on the best clothes I still owned and headed straight for the casino.
The place was bright, loud, and filled with the kind of people who pretended they weren't throwing money away.
The moment I stepped inside, an attendant approached me with a polite smile.
"Welcome, sir. Would you like a drink? Or perhaps I could recommend a game?"
I gave a small nod.
"Is there something easy to play… but with a high payout?"
The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.
The attendant gave me a look.
You know the one.
The look people give someone who's about to do something incredibly stupid.
But she recovered quickly and pointed toward a table across the room.
"That one is quite simple, sir."
"Thank you."
My pride stung a little, but honestly?
She wasn't wrong.
I was betting on a miracle.
I exchanged my remaining money for chips.
The stack felt heavier than it should've.
Because it wasn't just money.
It was everything I had left.
"All or nothing," I muttered under my breath.
I walked over to the table and sat down.
For a while, I just watched.
People winning.
People losing.
People pretending they weren't losing.
My life was sitting in those chips.
I needed to understand the game first.
"It's just luck," I whispered.
The rules were simple.
Guess the number on the dice.
Place the bet.
That was it.
No skill.
No strategy.
Just luck.
Which meant I was probably screwed.
Still… I started playing.
Minutes turned into hours.
My stack slowly shrank.
Then shrank again.
Then again.
Until there was barely anything left.
Soon, I was down to my last hundred dollars.
I stared at the final chip in my hand.
"…Is my luck really this bad?"
My fingers tightened around it.
One more.
Just one more bet.
"If I win this…"
My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might break through my ribs.
"…everything changes."
I placed the chip down.
"The goddess of luck better be on my side this time."
Across the table, the dealer looked completely calm.
He'd probably seen people like me a thousand times.
Desperate.
Hopeful.
Already halfway to ruin.
Without saying a word, he rolled the dice.
The cup landed on the table with a dull sound.
My throat felt dry.
"Nine," I said.
My voice came out louder than I expected.
The dealer lifted the cup.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then I saw it.
Nine.
"YES!"
I shot up from my seat.
"IT'S A NINE!"
My shout echoed across the table, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
"Lucky bastard," someone muttered.
"Who the hell did he pray to?"
"Are you kidding me?" another guy cursed. "That should've been me!"
The murmurs spread around the table.
But I barely heard any of it.
I leaned back in my chair, a slow grin spreading across my face.
For the first time in a long while…
Something had actually gone my way.
I looked down at the pile of winnings in front of me.
Then I thought about all the people who had looked down on me.
All the ones who laughed.
All the ones who turned their backs.
My smile sharpened.
Their time was coming.