In the Next Life, Remember to Marry Me

The day before the wedding, my fiancé received an urgent mission.

He promised he would return in a few days to marry me.

However, that mission took a tragic turn, and everyone perished.

My fiancé, Lucas Gray, was declared dead, but I refused to believe it and frantically searched for him.

For five long years, I searched.

Then, Captain Johns called to inform me that Lucas had been found.

He was alive, but he was getting married—to my younger sister, who had been missing for 18 years.

***

On my way to the South City, I kept rubbing the simple ring on my finger.

I was not ready to give up. I was the one he cherished for seven years; he would surely come back to me after completing his mission.

How could he forget me? How could he marry someone else?

Eventually, I arrived at a quaint little bookstore called "Lucia." It was tucked away in a serene corner, filled with flowers and featuring a double swing with thick cushions in the yard.

My heart ached at the thought of Lucia.

The name was a lovely blend of his, Lucas, and mine, Mia.

Lucas and I had dreamed of opening a bookstore together, naming it "Lucia," with flowers in the yard and a swing where I could bask in the sun.

Recently, this bookstore gained popularity due to a viral video featuring its handsome owner, garnering a large following.

Captain Johns had warned me repeatedly, "He doesn't remember anything..."

As I pushed open the door, the bell chimed softly.

A plump golden retriever lifted its head, glanced at us, and then returned to its nap.

Suddenly, a tall figure emerged from behind a bookshelf.

He wore a clean white t-shirt and had a strikingly handsome face.

The moment I saw him, my blood ran cold, my mind blanked, and my legs trembled as if I would collapse.

I steadied myself, staring at the man before me.

His skin was paler than I remembered, his features more mature, with an added air of coldness.

"Hello! Feel free to sit anywhere. You can scan the code on the table to order. Just call me if you need anything!" he greeted us with a slight smile.

His face, his voice—they had appeared in my dreams countless times.

The small mole beneath his lip and the thin red string on his wrist made my heart race.

He was my Lucas Gray, the man I had waited for over the past five long years...

"Lucas... Gray..." I managed to choke out his name through tears.

He looked at me, confusion and distance in his eyes.

"Excuse me, miss, what did you just say?"

He called me "miss."

Even though Captain Johns had told me he wouldn't remember anything, hearing him address me so formally felt like a knife to my heart.

How could he not remember me?

We were each other's lifelines.

Johns quickly pulled me aside. "I'm sorry, we'll just order ourselves."

Lucas scrutinized me for a moment before turning away to tend to the bar, not sparing me another glance.

I had naively thought that once he saw me, he would remember everything.

But the look in his eyes was so foreign and guarded, as if I were a stranger intruding on his life.

The distance and wariness he showed cut deep, leaving me breathless. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.