Your Name After Novels & Stories

He then said, "Hey Mez, since we're a team now? erm... are we? hahaha, I just got too excited!" "Haha yes of course! I wouldn't have it any other way, so Julian, what sort of name do you want?" "Hmm... something that rhymes with yours, you know, so we sound like this dashing team! basically, something less formal than Juuulian you know?" "Hey, your name is nice! what do you mean less formal?"

"Do you think little L.D. will make it?" "Little L.D.?" Trey looks to me with an up turned eyebrow. I try to play it off cool, but my face turns red at being outed in my car naming game. "Yeah, I named him Lemon Drop, but it was too long so we're going with L.D." I shrug and try to wear my best "no big deal" expression. He laughs anyway. "Are all your names after food or is it a recent thing?"

“Do you come here a lot?” “Quite a bit.” “Crowd seems cool and the bar, too.” “It’s a cool bar and we tend to watch out for one another around here. We don’t like trouble and are welcoming as long as the person isn’t a problem.” “That’s good.” This guy is giving me a weird vibe. “I’m David, what’s your name?” “Ashton.” “That’s a nice name.” “Thanks, got it for my birthday.” At that David busted out laughing. “You’re funny.”

They were accompanied by joyful captions about shopping for baby supplies together. After that, I silently deleted all his contact information. My last day in this world happened to be my wedding anniversary with Elijah, and it was also Abigail's birthday. I ignored Elijah's instruction to attend Abigail's birthday party and instead sat alone at home. I wiped down a vase with my bare hands. It was the last gift my parents had left me and the last thing I had in this house. I held the vase and imagined talking to my parents while waiting for midnight to arrive.

Late that night, I dragged my dying body back to the empty villa alone. I did not turn on the lights. By moonlight, I found paper and a pen, then calmly began writing my farewell letter. In the letter, I did not accuse her of anything. I only wrote in detail about the choice the system had given me seven years ago. I wrote about how I had given up a billion-dollar cash reward, and how I had drained every last luck point from my own system account to exchange for the chance for her to stand again after the car accident that had paralyzed both her legs.

Three days later, I entered the closed research facility under Professor Shaw’s name. The building stood on the coast, behind glass gates and a security system that did not care who Dante Russo was. My phone was replaced with an institute device, my schedule was set by medical recovery and research hours, and every outside message passed through the legal team. For the first time in years, my name appeared on a lab door instead of a hospital chart. Aria Vale. Doctoral Candidate. I stared at it for a long time.

My sister had sharp eyes and found the letter under the old pillow. Dad wiped away his tears and unfolded the paper with trembling hands. "Mom, Dad, and Heidi. By the time you see this letter, the countdown should have ended. I'm so happy I get to live with all of you. Thank you for your hard work in the last 18 years. I hope we can still be a family in my next life! Oh, right, use the money in the piggy bank to buy a toy for Heidi! Consider it an early birthday gift."

"But you still decided to name him after his father." "I didn’t name him after his father. I just love the name Cole a lot." Mary kept quiet as she realized what she had just said, and she stole a glance at her roommate, who was watching her intently. "I meant that Nicholas and Cole are two different names." Amy rolled her eyes. "Keep telling yourself that, and maybe you will believe it." Mary couldn’t reply because she knew Amy was right but couldn’t bring herself to agree with her. "Anyways, goodnight."

Three months later: Irina’s point of view: “Change her diapers already.” My mom instructed me. “I will.” I told her. She said it like ten times already. Our children were being discharged two months ago from the hospital and we named them anya and aton. You must be wondering why we named them those names. Roman named our son after my father’s name because of the ultimate respect he has for him and I named our daughter anya so that roman’s mom won’t be forgotten.

PEACE’S POV: I hate my name. I might have failed to mention that in the past, but it’s something I can’t change. Not because I couldn’t just go to a law firm and get my name changed, but because my parents named me after something I could never have. Peace. How ironic.