When the door opened, everything felt… familiar. Not much had changed since the last time he spent the night here. The wooden table in the corner was still there, the bookshelf remained full of old collections, even the large bed with gray sheets was the same.
He dropped himself onto the bed with a long sigh.
Finally… rest.
But was it really?
His eyes closed, but his mind stayed busy. Raka's face, Ayla's bitter expression, and Sienna's resentful words kept replaying in his head.
This curse… was really messing up his life.
"Evan?" His mother's soft voice came from the doorway.
He opened his eyes slightly. "Hmm?"
His mother came in, carrying a tray with soup and a warm glass of tea. "Eat first before resting."
Evan smiled faintly. "Thanks, Ma."
Mama Evan sat on the edge of the bed, studying his face. "You know, since that accident… you changed. Papa and I are glad you became more responsible, more serious in life. But now, seeing you like this…"
Evan put down his spoon. "Like how?"
"Like there's a part of you that's not finished yet," his mother said softly.
Evan fell silent.
Actually, he knew that.
The missing part, the cursed part, the part he didn't even remember having…
And now, those pieces were starting to come back.
—
Evan quietly observed his mother's face. The fine lines around her eyes were more visible under the room's light. There were faint wrinkles on her forehead—something he hadn't noticed before.
Time had passed for his mother. For his father. For everyone.
But what about him?
Evan swallowed hard, feeling awkward with his own thoughts. Next year, his mother's lines might deepen. His father's hair might turn more gray. Raka would grow bigger.
And him?
Would his body age too, or would he remain stuck at 25… for the third time?
He glanced at the calendar on his desk. It was still June. Six more months until his supposed 28th birthday.
Six months left to prove whether this curse still bound him or not.
Whether he could finally live like a normal human.
Or remain an anomaly forever.
—
Evan stood on the house terrace, looking at the yard that still looked the same as before. The afternoon sun shone on the row of plants, but his attention was focused on one thing—the blooming moon orchid, elegant as ever.
Beautiful.
For a moment, his thoughts drifted to someone. Nadira.
Back then, he always described Nadira like a moon orchid—graceful, gentle, but strong. He remembered how she smiled, how her eyes sparkled when she talked about something she liked. The memory still existed, even though now it left only a bitter taste.
Nadira was no longer his. Maybe, she had never really been his.
Now, she was Reza's fiancée.
Evan took a deep breath, trying to suppress the tight feeling in his chest.
Since the beginning, Nadira was the only one who made him want to be a better person. But now, he could only see her from afar, like that moon orchid—beautiful, but untouchable.
Maybe this was how the universe punished him.
—
When Evan arrived at the hospital to visit Raka, he didn't enter the room immediately. From behind the slightly open door, he saw someone already sitting on the chair next to Raka's bed.
Damar.
Evan raised his eyebrows, a little surprised. He didn't expect to meet his old friend here. Damar looked relaxed, wearing a black jacket with rolled-up sleeves, speaking softly to Raka who looked healthier than before.
Raka gave a small grin. "Uncle Damar, when I'm healed, we're going to play soccer, right?"
Damar ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "Of course. But you have to promise to eat a lot first so you heal fast."
Evan finally stepped inside, making Damar look over.
"Hey, Evan," Damar greeted casually, though there was something in his gaze that was hard to interpret. "Just arrived?"
Evan nodded, then approached the bed. Raka immediately turned to him. "Uncle Evan!" he said enthusiastically, though his voice was still a bit weak.
"How are you?" Evan sat on the other side of the bed.
"Better now. The doctor said I can go home tomorrow," Raka answered with a proud smile.
Damar leaned back in his chair. "Good. This kid's tough, who does he look like?" he asked, then glanced at Evan with a meaningful expression.
Evan knew there was something behind those words. But he didn't respond, just gently patted Raka's hand.
"I'll visit you often," he said.
Raka nodded eagerly, while Damar was silent, looking at Evan with a gaze that suggested they needed to talk.
—
Evan could feel Damar's look as if it pierced through him. He knew Damar must have many questions. But not in front of Raka.
"Have you eaten?" Evan asked the boy, trying to lighten the mood.
Raka nodded. "Yes! Mom brought chicken soup."
"Good." Evan ruffled the boy's hair, then glanced at Damar. "So, Dar? Do you come here often?"
Damar shrugged. "I stopped by a few times. Coincidentally, I had work nearby today, so I visited."
Evan nodded understandingly, though still puzzled. Why was Damar so concerned about Raka?
"If that's the case, I'll go first," Damar said, standing up and straightening his jacket. He patted Evan's shoulder briefly. "We'll talk later."
Evan didn't stop Damar. He knew that conversation would happen sooner or later.
After Damar left, Evan focused back on Raka.
"You can go home tomorrow, right?"
"Yes!" Raka smiled widely. "Uncle Evan will pick me up tomorrow?"
Evan was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Of course."
But inside, he knew tomorrow was not just about picking Raka up from the hospital. Tomorrow, he also had to face the fact that Damar knew something—and he had to prepare for a conversation that might not be easy.
—
Damar sipped his coffee slowly, looking at Evan with a scrutinizing gaze. They sat in a small café near the hospital, a quiet place for an unusual conversation.
"I just found out from Ayla," Damar finally said, his voice calm but sharp. "She said you had an accident at the end of 2015?"
Evan exhaled slowly, leaning back in his chair. "I just found out too."
Damar frowned. "What do you mean?"
Evan stared at his coffee cup, as if searching for answers in the dark liquid. "When I got the reunion invitation, I didn't recognize any of my friends, including you, Mar, and the women who claimed to be my exes." He smirked, more in self-mockery. "Then Ayla appeared at the office as a vendor. I saw her profile photo—it had a little kid who looked like me as a child."
Damar was silent, not interrupting Evan's story.
"Ayla told me about being pregnant, about pills—" Evan stopped briefly, his voice nearly trembling. "I don't know Ayla, Mar."
Silence enveloped them.
"So?" Damar finally asked, his voice softer.
Evan looked at him with confused eyes. "I rummaged through my old room, found photos, videos of me with Ayla on an old laptop. That's when Mom told me about the accident. She said part of my memory was lost."
Damar was quiet. His face was unreadable.
Evan wiped his face, as if trying to understand it all himself. "The problem is, I don't even remember having an accident."
Damar leaned forward. "So you're investigating?"
Evan nodded. "I checked my medical records at my usual hospital since I was a kid. It turned out, there was a record of an accident at the end of 2015."
Damar didn't respond immediately. He stirred his coffee slowly, as if giving Evan time to digest his own words.
"What are you thinking now?" Damar finally asked.
Evan chuckled bitterly. "I don't know, Mar. It's like… something that doesn't make sense. Like a part of my life was stolen, but I don't understand how."
Damar looked at him deeply. "You really don't remember anything about Ayla?"
Evan shook his head. "Nothing at all."
Damar leaned back in his chair, exhaling deeply. "This is more complicated than I thought."
Evan looked sharply at him. "You know something I don't?"
Damar didn't answer right away, but his gaze made it clear there was something he hadn't told. Something that might change everything.
—
Evan walked into the office confidently. Nothing had changed—his room was still the same, his desk still tidy, and the office atmosphere was filled with keyboard sounds and faint conversations among coworkers.
He didn't come earlier than his leave schedule, nor did he delay going home. Following the rules. Following his quota.
Once seated, Evan took a deep breath. The computer in front of him displayed the login screen, while beside it lay a pile of documents to review. Everything was as usual, as if the last two weeks had never happened.
But inside, everything felt different.
His hands moved to open emails, checking the list of pending tasks. Project reports, follow-ups with vendors, budget revisions—all the things that used to feel boring, now became the distraction he needed.
Reza passed by his desk, glanced briefly before returning to his room. No reprimands or comments.
Evan just smiled faintly. This was his life now. Not as the son of the company owner. Not the man who once lived without burdens.
Just an ordinary employee living each day as it should be.
—
Evan watched Ayla's back as she almost reached the door.
"Just the biological father," Ayla added without turning, her voice flat but firm.
Evan sighed, staring at the table in front of him with a blank expression. Those words pierced deeper than they should have. Just the biological father. Not part of Raka's life, not someone important. Just a DNA donor.
Damn.
Evan rubbed his face, then leaned his head back on the chair. He could have argued, but what for? From Ayla's point of view, he really was nobody to Raka. Ayla raised him, Ayla was there every step of Raka's growth. Meanwhile, Evan? He only found out about the child's existence a month ago.
But could he just accept it like that?
Ayla had already left the room completely, leaving him alone with his scattered thoughts.
—
Evan had just closed his laptop when, through the glass window, he saw someone walking past the office lobby. A figure he knew very well—and had tried to avoid all this time.
Nadira.
She wore a simple white blouse with cream trousers, looking graceful as usual. Her long hair flowed freely, giving a casual impression, although Evan knew well her visit wasn't just a casual walk.
She must be looking for Reza.
Evan averted his gaze, trying to focus back on his work. But it didn't take long before the sound of Nadira's heels echoed through the corridor. The next moment, she stopped right in front of his office.
They made eye contact.
"Hi, Evan," Nadira greeted with a small, slightly awkward smile.
Evan just nodded, trying to stay calm even though his feelings were raging. He still loved her. And that was the problem.
"I'm here for garden maintenance," Nadira continued, explaining something she really didn't need to.
"There should be a gardener for that," Evan replied expressionlessly.
Nadira sighed, smiling sadly. "Yes, but I also want to see Reza."
Of course. Reza. Her fiancé.
Evan clenched his fingers under the table, hiding the feelings about to explode. "He's in his room," he said briefly.
Nadira looked at him for a moment, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, just nodded. "Thank you."
Then she left.
Evan closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. It was going to be a long day.
—
After Nadira disappeared down the corridor, Evan leaned back in his chair, letting his mind wander. His chest still felt heavy.
He couldn't have Nadira anymore. But if giving something from afar… maybe that was okay, right?
The moon orchid in his parents' yard suddenly came to his mind. Beautiful, rare, and elegant—just like Nadira.
Evan immediately opened his phone and typed a message to his mother.
Evan: Mom, where did you buy the moon orchid in the yard?
It took a few minutes before his mother replied.
Mama Evan: Oh, the white one? I bought it from a plant collector outside town. Why, Van?
Evan bit his lip. A collector, huh? It must not be easy to find again. But he still wanted to try.
Evan: I want to find one for a friend.
No immediate reply from his mother. Maybe surprised. Or maybe thinking if she needed to ask more. But after a moment, another message came.
Mama Evan: If you want, I can ask the person if they still have stock. Or do you want to look yourself?
Evan quickly typed.
Evan: Just give me the contact, Ma.
He stared at his phone screen for a moment before putting it back on the table.
Nadira might not know who sent her the flower. But at least, he could do something… even if only in silence.
—
Evan stared at his phone screen, rereading the chat from the flower seller confirming the moon orchid he wanted was still available. Without hesitation, he immediately gave Nadira's office address for delivery.
After all the details were settled, he typed a short message to the seller.
Evan: Please send this card with the flowers:
To: Nadira
From: Evan
No additional message. No explanation. Let Nadira guess.
Done.
Evan leaned back in his chair, exhaling deeply. He expected nothing. Maybe Nadira would throw the flowers away. Maybe she would wonder. Or maybe… she would understand.
But whatever her reaction, that moon orchid was no longer his. Just like Nadira was no longer part of his life.