Chapter Thirty–Eight
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Evening came early that day. The fading sunlight stretched long shadows across the hotel room as Adrian arranged the sketch on the coffee table, waiting. He had spent the day trying to make sense of the fragments now crowding his memory flashes of faces, voices, and moments that once seemed lost forever.
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts.
“Come in,” he said.
The door opened and Isabella stepped inside, composed as always. Her hair was neatly tied back, and the faint trace of perfume followed her as she crossed the room. “Young Master,” she greeted, her tone warm but formal. “You said you finished the drawing?”
Adrian nodded and gestured to the sketch. “Yes. Take a look.”
She approached the table, heels clicking softly against the floor. The moment her gaze fell on the drawing, her expression shifted — her eyes widening before she drew in a sharp breath.
–
“This man…” she murmured. Her voice faltered, the steadiness in her tone giving way to quiet disbelief.
“You recognize him,” Adrian said, watching her closely.
Isabella hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Yes, Young Master. I know this face.”
Adrian leaned forward, his jaw tightening. “Who is he?”
She lowered herself into the seat opposite him, her eyes still fixed on the portrait. “He came to the mansion,” she said finally, her voice steady but distant, as if she were pulling the memory from somewhere deep. “It was not long after your accident – about five days after you disappeared. Your mother was still searching for you. Everyone thought you were gone, that maybe you hadn’t survived. Then this man appeared, asking to speak with her privately.”
Adrian’s brow furrowed. “What did he say?”
“I wasn’t allowed to listen in,” Isabella said. “But before he left, I overheard him mention something about the Elder Pavilion – a place where people who understand both medicine and magic reside.”
Adrian’s gaze darkened, his mind turning sharply to Elder Vaughn’s words at the Medical City. “Those who blend sorcery and medicine walk a dangerous line.”
“Elder Vaughn mentioned that too,” Adrian muttered, almost to himself. “The Elder Pavilion. He said only a few people in the world can balance both powers.
Isabella’s brows drew together. “Do you think this man could be connected to him?”
“I don’t know,” Adrian said, shaking his head slowly. “But if this person really knew the Pavilion, then he’s not just some stranger. He knew about the old ways – and he had the power to seal memories. The question is why.‘
He pushed the drawing aside, his expression tightening as another thought surfaced. “The seal wasn’t the only thing that happened,” he said quietly. “My memory loss wasn’t just magic – it started with that accident.”
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Isabella booked up, eyes sharp. “You remember the crash?”
“Yes,” he said grimly. “Every detail”
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He stood and walked to the window, his hands in his pockets as his voice grew quieter. “It wasn’t an accident, Isalsella. The car didn’t just lose control it was hit deliberately. I saw the truck weer toward us from the opposite lane. And when the car turned, I caught a glimpse of the driver. He wasn’t panicking Smirking, like he knew exactly what he was doing.”
he was smiling
He paused, his jaw clenching. “After the crash, I was still conscious. I heard one of them say, “They’re all dead. But I wasn’t. I managed to crawl out of the wreck. I tried to run, but another car came out of nowhere and hit me. Everything went black after that,”
Isabella’s hand covered her mouth, her composure faltering for the first time, “Young Master…”
“When I woke up,” Adrian continued, turning to face her, “I was in the hospital. Elena’s father was there- and Elena too. But I didn’t remember who I was or what had happened. Everything before that moment was gone. The next thing I knew, I was living someone else’s life.”
He sat down slowly, his voice lowering, “You said that man came to see my mother five days after the crash?”
She nodded. “Yes. Just five days,”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed in thought. “According to the doctors, I was in a coma for almost a month before waking up. That means the sealing couldn’t have happened right after the accident. It happened later I was already unconscious.”
Isabella frowned. “So you think that man came back? That he sealed your memory himself?”
sometime after
“It’s possible,” Adrian said. “And that means he knew I was alive. Someone must’ve told him – or he found me himself. But why hide me from my family? Why erase everything?”
The room went silent for a long moment.
Finally, Isabella spoke softly. “Do you think he was protecting you?”
Adrian looked up, his eyes steady but distant. “If that’s protection, it’s a strange kind of mercy. Because whoever wanted me dead didn’t stop with the crash.”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Someone planned it. Someone wanted to erase me either from the world or from memory itself.”
Isabella’s gaze hardened. “Then we find out who it was.”
Adrian nodded slowly. “Start with him,” he said, gesturing toward the drawing. “You said you saw him only
once?”
“Yes,” she replied. “That was the first and last time. I haven’t seen him since.”
“Then try looking for him again,” Adrian said, his tone calm but firm. “If he’s connected to the Elder Pavilion,
someone must have heard of him.”
“I’ll start tonight,” Isabella said, already reaching for her phone.
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Adrian leaned back, his mind still racing, “Good. Because if what I’m remembering is true… then the people who caused that accident didn’t just want my mother gone.”
He paused, his voice dropping to a quiet certainty.
“They wanted me erased too.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
