Chapter 23 Caelum

• Aria darts out of the office with a shock and anger that take me by surprise; each of her movements seems an instinctive reflex, like a cornered animal. Did she truly not remember me? My camouflage spell from five years ago and the drunkenness of that foggy night could have really made her forget who I was? The thought haunts my memories, digging up doubts I did not know were buried. The delicate yet intricate touch of the spell should have erased her memory of me, but not to the extent of making me a complete stranger to her. Yet, the vacant look and confusion in her eyes upon seeing me, as if I were merely another shadow in her past, leaves me bewildered.
• If that is the case, then fate is nothing more than a cruel jester, laughing at me as it orchestrated our reunion at my own wedding anniversary party, five years later.
• I stare at the office door, still swaying slightly from Aria’s abrupt exit, and notice the presence of my right-hand man, Asher, standing in the hallway a few meters away. A shadow of doubt crosses his face as he observes the scene. Aria rushed by so quickly that she probably did not even notice his presence. Asher, always so observant and attentive, has a furrowed brow, an evident line of concern on his features. He casts a look of confusion in my direction, as if trying to decipher what just happened.