Chapter 1

I've gotten into an accident.

When my childhood friend, Jason Patel, drops by to visit me, I feel like pulling a prank on him all of a sudden.

So, I ask, "Who are you? I've lost my memory."

He's left feeling stunned for a moment before he reveals the fake smile that he often wears whenever he pulls pranks on others.

"I'm your boyfriend, Jason Patel."

My heart begins pounding wildly in my chest. I decide to go along with this little prank.

That summer of us playing pretend has to be the happiest time of my life.

But when Giselle Ford returns to our lives, Jason immediately clears the air between us.

It turns out that he and Giselle have had a crush on each other during their high school days. Unfortunately, they missed the chance to date each other.

What am I to them, then? So, I can only grant their wish of wanting to stay together.

That's why I laugh and call Jason out for being an idiot because he can't even tell that I faked my memory loss.

Unexpectedly, I get into another accident some time later. When I wake up, I ask Jason who he is again.

Impatience flickers across his expression. "Don't you feel lame for using the same trick twice?"

What he doesn't know is that I've truly lost my memory this time.

Chapter 1

At Giselle Ford's welcome party, Jason Patel made his position unmistakably clear as he tried to distance himself from me.

"Winter was in a car accident and lost her memory. I was just teasing her. How could I possibly be dating her for real?"

As I watched him panic, my heart felt even more sour than the lemonade I had made for him these past few days. It felt like he had gripped my heart and twisted it until all the bitterness was squeezed out, yet even that was not enough for him.

No one knew that I had known Jason for 15 years, or that I had loved him for just as long. I kept that secret tightly hidden, buried deep where no one could see it. Two months ago, after I was in a car accident, I claimed I had lost my memory. At first, it was only meant as a small prank.

I had tilted my head and asked who he was in the most foolish tone imaginable. I never expected him to say he was my boyfriend. The moment those words left his mouth, my heart began to race, followed by an overwhelming rush of joy. I immediately abandoned the idea of pranking him. Instead, I pretended to believe him and obediently went home with him.

I didn't know why Jason had claimed to be my boyfriend that day, nor why he spent that summer acting like the perfect partner, staying by my side through everything I loved.

I thought our relationship had finally moved beyond being childhood friends. I thought we were genuinely in love. I even regretted that my fake amnesia had tainted something that should have been pure.

Just as I was about to confess the truth and begin a fresh start with Jason, Giselle came back. That was when I realized she was the one he truly loved.

I had loved Jason for 15 years, and for five of those, he had loved Giselle. He liked her, yet he feared he was unworthy of the goddess he adored and kept silent. When she went abroad, he buried his feelings, just as I had always buried mine for him.

"You coward. No wonder you've let all these years slip away," I thought bitterly, unable to tell if the blame was his or mine.

I had never seen Jason so tense, laying himself bare in front of everyone with no hope of winning, as if waiting to be judged.

The other guests stayed silent, watching him closely. I cursed him silently, then sighed. It didn't matter. I had planned to confess after tonight's gathering anyway.

Being a few months older, I had always been the one to take the fall for him since childhood. This would be the last time I did.

Chapter 2

Giselle's expression remained skeptical, as if she refused to believe a word Jason said.

I stood up, intending to explain everything, but Jason couldn't wait. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him. "Winter, I lied. I'm not your boyfriend. Just ask your parents if you don't believe me," he said, looking almost remorseful. "Just tell Giselle—nothing happened between us over the past two months."

However, that hint of remorse was nothing compared to how Giselle saw him.

Was it really true that nothing had happened?

The Jason who had always argued with me, who mocked me the moment we met, and who had only ever seen me as a childhood friend, like a brother, had been completely different over the past two months.

No matter what I said or did, he always complied. I felt dizzy, yet he was even more anxious than I was, worried it might be an aftereffect of the accident. For the first time, I spoke gently, like a girl in love, and he responded in a tender tone I had never known from him before.

If that was really nothing, then who had I been to him? My wrist ached where he held it so tightly, and suddenly I felt like crying.

He claimed to be my boyfriend, and I allowed him to toy with me while keeping my feelings secret. When he said he wasn't, I had to pull back, behave as I should, and even help him with someone else's romance.

Our relationship had always been dictated by him.

I took a deep breath and lifted my chin, fighting back tears, and forced the lightest, most casual tone I could muster. "Jason, you're such a fool—you really got tricked. I haven't lost my memory. I was just teasing you."

Then I turned to Giselle. "We are just ordinary friends. Don't worry."

"Winter, you little liar!"

Jason hadn't expected to be the one deceived. He jumped up and down in frustration, while Giselle looked at me repeatedly, as if confirming the truth of my words.

I gave her a small nod, signaling that she could relax.

She reached out, took Jason's hand, and lightly flicked his forehead with her finger. "We weren't together before, so I ignored your nonsense. Don't ever pull that again."

Jason went suddenly quiet, as if he had evolved from a mischievous monkey into a civilized man. He clasped her hand, holding it as reverently as if it were a sacred relic. "It won't happen again, I promise."

Only then did the tension finally ease. Cheers erupted around us. I gently rubbed my sore, red wrist and took a step back.

After closing the private room door, the tears I had been holding back finally slipped free, striking the doorknob with a sharp, shattering plop, breaking just like my heart.

Chapter 3

Jason had finally gotten what he wanted and was as deliriously happy as a mad dog. He posted endless sweet couple photos on social media.

Giselle made him look far better than he did in real life. It was a complete contrast to the old days with me, when he would boss me around to take his photos, always stuck in the same stiff, victorious poses.

Lately, his photos were filled with silly, relaxed smiles, seemingly influenced by Giselle's cheerful spirit. In each one, he grinned broadly, as if to say, "I've never been happier."

In his most recent post, Jason and Giselle were wearing matching rings. "Guys, don't invite me to hangouts anymore. I'm focusing on my career. I want to give Giselle the future she deserves."

After seeing that, I blocked him.

Jason had always struggled with commitment. After graduating, he flitted from one company to another. He couldn't handle the pressure of a big corporation, and the pay at smaller companies never impressed him. I had followed him through it all, changing jobs alongside him.

Last month, he quit without even telling me, leaving me alone at our small company. Now he was working at the big corporation he once despised, and the complaints were gone.

That was fine with me. I no longer had to wander from job to job, only to be scolded by my parents when I got home.

I decided to open a flower shop. Software engineering had never been what I wanted to study. When I hesitated back then, Jason simply took the mouse and made the choice for me.

"Winter, what's there to hesitate about? You can survive without me, can't you?" he said, smiling in a way that made my teeth itch. "I made the decision for you—same school, same major. I've got your back from now on."

Back then, I had gritted my teeth and studied a subject I didn't like, all for a crush I had carried for years. Fate had a way of turning the tables. Now, Jason was forcing himself into a class he didn't enjoy for love, and I was free.

In fact, I had quietly taken floral design classes alongside my job. If I couldn't be with the person I liked, at least I could do something I loved.

I rented a small shop in the old neighborhood. It was simply decorated and barely cost anything. Each day, I took photos of my arrangements, posted them online with clear prices, and slowly gained a small but steady following.

When orders picked up, I was so busy I forgot the smell of coffee that had once filled the company, or the tears that had fallen on the doorknob months ago.

One afternoon, Susan Pierce, a former colleague I barely spoke to, reached out to me to order flowers. She sounded thrilled. "I found a flower shop online called Bellefleur, and it was gorgeous. I went to add the owner as a friend, and that's when I realized it was you."

I hadn't expected such a coincidence. Though we had barely interacted before, we were reconnecting through flowers. It made me feel unexpectedly warm. "Since you're my first customer, I'll send you a bouquet," I replied.

Susan grew even more animated, as if a floodgate had burst open. "You're so nice. It's just that we always saw you with Jason before, so we didn't know how to get close to you. To be honest, we all assumed you were a couple. I never thought his social media post would be about another woman."

A beat later, she deleted her message and added an apology. "Sorry. You've already left the company, and we're still bringing this up."

Her words made me pause. "Why did you think…"

I chose my words carefully. "Why did you think Jason and I were a couple?"

Her response came right away. "Felicity Martin from the administrative office once confessed to Jason. When he turned her down, he said you were his girlfriend."

Chapter 4

That one message threw my mind into chaos. Distracted, I pricked my finger on a rose thorn I had been trimming, and blood immediately welled up.

The sharp pain brought me back to reality. I couldn't bear to look at my phone, so I hurried to clean the wound. When I returned, the phone was still buzzing nonstop with messages from Susan.

"It's because Felicity got rejected that she kept messing with you afterward. To deal with the mess, Jason worked late every night for a week, often until dawn. Didn't you know?"

She added, "I've gone and said too much. Don't let anyone know it was me! Thanks for the flowers!"

I stared at the phone, lost in thought. Could that really be true? I only remembered that last year, there was a period when Jason had indeed worked extra shifts for several days.

During that time, he broke his usual habit of leaving the office with me. Every day, he insisted I go home first because he had to work late. I couldn't leave him on his own, so I went down for some instant food and returned to sit beside him while he kept working.

He typed so fast it was like the keys were on fire. Between bursts of furious typing, he muttered complaints about his boss without pause. The strange rhythm of his swearing and tapping was hypnotic, and I soon found myself dozing off next to him.

When I opened my eyes, Jason's jacket was draped over me. The sun was just appearing over the horizon outside the huge windows. He was still typing, though now with a softer, slower rhythm.

His swearing had stopped, and his gaze was fixed on the screen. In the reflection, I saw a rare seriousness on his face, so unlike the carefree Jason I usually knew. For some reason, it made him look kind of handsome, and I couldn't tear my eyes away.

With my brain in a fog, I reached out and tapped his face. That poke seemed to cut through the pretense he had so carefully built.

He grabbed my hand quickly, paused for a second, then flung it away with mild annoyance. "You promised to stay and work with me! You just sat for a bit and fell asleep. Buddy, that's not fair of you."

His usual animated, chaotic self was back. For once, I didn't argue with him. Instead, I held my finger in front of his eyes, pointing straight toward the window. "Look, the sunrise."

He slowly turned his head, as if afraid my finger might touch his cheek.

The moment he turned, the sun fully emerged over the horizon.

"Damn it," Jason muttered under his breath.

Chapter 5

I remembered every detail, even the warmth of Jason's cheek, as if it were still pressed against my fingers. Yet Susan said he stayed late because Felicity had made things difficult for me.

Why hadn't he told me? And why had he secretly dealt with all those problems without a word?

A ridiculous thought wormed its way into my head. Could it be that he had once liked me as well?

Before I could get lost in such daydreams, a new delivery order popped up. I recognized the number immediately—it was Jason.

It was the same number we had chosen together, differing only in the last two digits.

The pink fantasy I had been spinning was abruptly shattered by reality. I took a deep breath and splashed cold water on my face twice.

Once I had calmed down, I checked the order notes. "Please put this on the card: 'Giselle, happy 100 days together, and to many more years with you.'"

It was so cheesy that I almost felt like scribbling something ridiculous on the card just to mess with it.

At worst, he could leave me a bad review, but in the end, I let it go and began carefully putting together the bouquet.

My name was Winter, yet I had always had a soft spot for passion and color. The flowers I picked were lively and bright, capturing a summer feel that suited Giselle perfectly. I imagined she would like them.

Just as I was about to call for a delivery, the doorbell rang. "Welcome."

I looked up and met Jason's eyes across the room.

"You actually opened this place?" he asked, clearly surprised. "Not bad, Winter. Flying solo at last!"

It was the first time we had met in person since they got together.

Jason wore a striking white suit, his hair perfectly styled, and his dark eyes gleamed as if they could set anyone's heart on fire. I could tell he had an important date tonight.

I passed him the flowers. "Yeah, whoever wants to do this menial work can have it. I'm free from the grind."

With a teasing grin, I added, "Oh, right—you're still a corporate lackey at that big firm, aren't you?"

Jason immediately jumped, holding the flowers in one hand and reaching to tap my head with the other. "You don't get it! I'm Giselle's husband, and that's what matters. Being a lackey outside for a while doesn't take away an ounce of my dignity!"

My playful grin froze for an instant. Realizing my lapse, I looked down, then back up with a mischievous smirk. "You're getting married? So soon?"

I didn't even know what I was expecting inside.

Jason wore that infuriatingly smug grin. "I'm getting a whirlwind wedding! You've been single forever—you wouldn't understand!"

I didn't understand. How could he say things like that so casually in front of me?

At that instant, I could no longer keep up the act. It had taken too much out of me. When Jason saw the shift in my expression, his smile faltered ever so slightly.

A flicker of something complicated passed through his eyes, and I didn't catch it in time.

Just as I wanted to stubbornly ask something for myself, Jason suddenly turned serious. "Winter, you'll meet someone better one day."

He ruffled my hair, hugged the flowers, and turned to leave. I stood there in a daze, savoring the words he had left me.

"Someone better."

Better than whom?