My name is Azul.
To the world, I'm just another high school student—ordinary, unremarkable. I have a childhood friend, Sienna. She's the bright, cheerful girl everyone adores, the kind of person people naturally gravitate toward. If you asked anyone, they'd say she's the type of girl you'd be lucky to date.
But not me.
Sienna and I grew up together. Our parents were best friends, so we were always around each other, inseparable since childhood. When her parents divorced, neither of them wanted custody of her. She was abandoned, left to fend for herself. Now, she's my neighbor, living alone.
That's what everyone thinks, at least.
What they don't know—what I can never tell them—is that I remember everything from my past life.
I wasn't always Azul.
Before this, I was Lilac, a 27-year-old man who had finally found happiness. I had just proposed to the love of my life, a woman named Jade. She was older than me—29—but that never mattered.
I met her on the worst night of my life. I had hit rock bottom, disowned by my family, failing out of college, drowning in alcohol to numb the shame. I stumbled out of a bar, barely able to stand, and that's when I saw her. Or rather, she saw me.
Jade brought me home that night, let me sleep in her apartment, made sure I was okay. The next morning, she cooked for me, took care of me, and before I knew it, she became my entire world.
We got engaged. I thought my life had finally turned around.
But then, on the way home from our engagement party, it happened.
The road was wet, the tires skidded, and before I could react—
Darkness.
When I opened my eyes again, I was a child. A new life. A second chance.
And now, here I am, standing next to Sienna. The girl who reminds me too much of Jade.
Because deep down, I know the truth.
She is Jade.
She just doesn't remember.
A pair of arms suddenly wrap around my neck, pulling me backward.
"Hey, Azu! What's wrong with you?"
I shake off my thoughts. Sienna grins at me, her eyes bright with mischief.
I force a smile. "Nothing. Just thinking about the math exam."