Celeste's POV
My magic is eating me alive.
Purple sparks shoot from my fingers. The candles explode into tall flames. The chalk symbols on the floor burn so bright I can barely see.
Stop, I gasp, trying to pull my power back inside. Stop, stop, stop.
But it won't listen. My magic has never disobeyed me before. Never. And now it's raging like a storm, and all because this man this stranger is standing in my shop.
Damian watches me with those broken eyes. He doesn't look scared of my wild magic. He looks... sad. Like watching me struggle hurts him more than the danger.
Celeste. My name on his lips makes my heart skip. Breathe. Just breathe.
Don't tell me what to do. I slam my hands together and force the magic down. It fights me, but I'm stronger. Finally, the sparks fade. The candles shrink back to normal. My hands stop glowing.
I'm shaking. I'm never shaken.
Sit down, I order, pointing at the spell chair. My voice comes out harder than I mean it to. If you want my help, sit.
He moves to the chair like he's walking through water. Slow. Painful. When he sits, he grips the armrests so tight his knuckles turn white.
I stay on the other side of the room. Distance. I need distance from him.
You said you need to forget someone, I say, keeping my voice professional. Who?
You.
The word punches through me. That's not funny.
I'm not joking. He looks up at me, and God, the pain in his face is unbearable. Three years ago, you were my wife.
My laugh comes out sharp and mean. I've never been married.
Yes, you were. To me. For one year, we were everything to each other. And then they took you away from me.
They? Who's they?
The Arcane Council. The people who run the magical world. They erased your memories and made you forget me. Forget us. Forget everything we had.
I should throw him out. Call him crazy. Call security except I don't have security because I'm the most powerful memory witch in the city and I've never needed it.
But I don't throw him out. Because something inside me is screaming that he's telling the truth.
That's impossible, I whisper. I would know if someone erased my memories. I'm a memory witch. I would see the gaps
They made sure you wouldn't. His voice cracks. They built walls in your mind so perfect you'd never notice. They gave you fake memories to fill the holes. Your aunt Aurora? She's not really your aunt. She works for the Council. She's been watching you for three years, making sure you never remember.
My stomach twists. You're insane.
I wish I was. He stands up, and I back away. He notices and stops moving. I've spent three years watching you live your life without me. Watching you walk past me on the street like I'm nobody. Watching you smile at other people and knowing you used to smile at me like that. It's killing me, Celeste. Every single day, it's killing me.
Stop. My hands are shaking again. Just stop.
I came here tonight because I've finally accepted the truth. You're never going to remember me. The Council made sure of that. So the only way I can survive is to do what they did to you I need to forget. I need you to erase every memory I have of you so I can stop hurting.
Tears burn in my eyes. I don't know why I'm crying. This man is a stranger. He has to be.
But then why do I see flashes when I look at him?
His hands holding mine. His laugh. The taste of champagne on his lips. A wedding ring. His voice saying I love you over and over like a prayer.
The flashes come so fast I gasp.
What's wrong? He moves toward me.
Don't! I throw up my hand. Don't come closer.
He freezes. You see them, don't you? The memories. They're trying to come back.
I don't see anything. You're making this up
Your wedding dress was purple because you said white was boring. You hate coffee but you drink it anyway because you like the smell. When you're nervous, you twist your hair around your finger exactly like you're doing right now.
I drop my hand. I was twisting my hair.
How does he know that?
On our wedding night, he continues, his voice breaking, you told me you were scared. Not of marrying me, but of being happy. You said you'd never been happy before, and you were afraid something would take it away. And you were right. They did take it away.
Stop it. I'm full-on crying now. Please stop.
I can't do this anymore, Celeste. I can't watch you not know me. I can't keep loving you when you don't even remember that I exist. So please. Please just erase me. Make me forget so I can finally let you go.
He pulls something from his pocket. A photograph. He holds it out to me.
I don't want to take it. Taking it feels like jumping off a cliff.
But I do.
The photo shows me and him. We're both smiling, dressed fancy, and I'm wearing a purple dress. My arms are around his neck. His arms are around my waist. We look... happy. We look in love.
And I don't remember any of it.
That was taken at our wedding, Damian whispers. You kept it in your wallet. When they erased your memories, they took everything from your apartment every picture, every gift, every piece of proof that we existed. But I kept this one. I've carried it for three years.
My hands shake so badly I almost drop it.
I don't remember you, I say, but my voice sounds weak.
I know. That's why I'm here.
He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a business card. He sets it on the table between us.
I can't force you to do the spell, he says quietly. But when you're ready to know the truth when you're ready to see what they took from you call me. I'll tell you everything.
And if I don't call?
Something dies in his expression. Then I'll find another memory witch. And I'll forget you. And we'll both be strangers forever.
He walks toward the door, and panic explodes in my chest.
Wait. The word bursts out of me. How do I know you're not lying? How do I know this is real?
He turns back. Look at your wrists.
Automatically, I pull up my sleeves. The scars are there. Two pale circles like bracelets.
Binding marks, Damian says softly. From the spell they used to hold you down when they erased your memories. You fought them, Celeste. You fought so hard. You were screaming my name when they did it.
The room spins. I grab the table to stay standing.
Check your own memories, he says. Try to remember anything before you turned sixteen. Really try. I think you'll find something very wrong.
Then he's gone. The door closes behind him, and I'm alone with his business card and a photograph of a life I don't remember.
I don't sleep that night.
I lie in bed staring at the ceiling, and the flashes won't stop. Damian laughing. Damian kissing me. Damian whispering I love you against my skin.
They feel so real.
At 3 AM, I give up. I get out of bed and sit cross-legged on the floor. My hands are glowing before I even think about it.
I'm going to do something dangerous. Something I've never done before.
I'm going to read my own memories.
I close my eyes and let my magic dive into my mind. It's easy at firstI can see yesterday, last week, last year, everything clear and sharp.
But when I reach for anything before I turned sixteen, my magic slams into a wall.
Not an empty space. A wall. Solid. Deliberate. Built with magic that isn't mine.
Someone did this to me.
Someone erased my memories.
And suddenly, I know Damian was telling the truth.