Evan stepped into the venue, his eyes scanning the crowd of guests already gathered. Crystal chandeliers hung elegantly from the ceiling, dresses and suits fluttered past amidst laughter filling the air.
Amidst the bustling noise, his gaze landed on a familiar figure. Ayla and Damar were standing near one of the tables, chatting casually and laughing from time to time. Without hesitation, Evan walked over to them.
"Ayla, Damar! You guys were invited too?" he greeted, trying to sound casual even though his chest felt tight.
Damar turned first, slightly surprised to see Evan. "Ayla was invited. She's a vendor for Reza's company," he replied lightly.
Evan didn't have time to respond before Ayla chimed in confidently, "Of course, Dam. Evan works for Reza."
Evan froze.
Works for Reza.
In the past, those words would never have left anyone's lips. Back then, Reza was beneath him. But now? Now Reza was the star, while Evan had returned to square one, back to being just an employee.
He swallowed hard, trying to dispel the bitterness creeping up his throat. But there was something else bothering him more.
Ayla didn't mention Raka.
Not even once, not a hint that the name meant anything to her.
Wait...
Evan stared at Ayla intently, as if trying to find answers in her expression. Finally, unable to hold back, he asked, "Ay, aren't you curious about Raka?"
Ayla frowned, genuinely confused. "Raka who?"
Evan's world seemed to come to a standstill.
Ayla's shoulders didn't tense, her eyes weren't hiding anything. Her tone held no hesitation.
She truly… didn't know who Raka was.
—
Suddenly, it all made sense. Maybe in this 2018, Raka never existed.
His face remained calm even though it felt like his heart had been hit hard. He took a quick breath and forced a small smile. "Oh, sorry. I guess you really don't know Raka," he said lightly, as if he had merely misspoken.
Ayla still looked puzzled, but didn't dwell on it. "Yeah… maybe," she replied softly, turning back to Damar.
Evan averted his gaze, swallowing with difficulty. His throat felt dry, his head throbbed slightly.
So it was all truly gone.
Raka didn't exist. His relationship with Ayla had never happened. Mindamas had fallen into Reza's hands.
And him?
He had become the old Evan again. As if a whole year of struggle and transformation had never taken place.
—
Evan frowned, trying to digest what he had just heard. "Wait, if only Ayla was invited, why did you come along?" he asked Damar casually, trying to distract himself from the earlier shock.
Damar and Ayla exchanged glances and chuckled. "We're married," Ayla said, wrapping her arm around Damar's affectionately. "Of course we come as a package!"
Evan froze again. His heart felt like it had stopped beating. "What?" he almost whispered, not sure he'd heard right. His eyes shifted between Ayla and Damar, searching for signs that this was a joke. "Married?" he repeated, as if the word was too much to comprehend.
Damar nodded with a smile. "Yeah, Van. We've been married for a while now."
Evan was even more confused. "But… when? How come I didn't know?"
Ayla looked at him in surprise. "You forgot? Damar and I started dating in senior year of high school, you were in your second year back then. Then we went to college abroad together. When we got married, it was just a small, private ceremony for close family."
Damar added, "We wanted to tell you, but you seemed super busy with your own stuff at the time. So… sorry if it felt like we didn't let you know."
Evan's stomach churned. This was more than just a surprise. It was tangible proof that everything he had experienced over the past year had truly vanished.
Ayla and Damar were always together?
They got married with no Evan in their story?
That meant… there was never a Raka? No feelings had ever developed between him and Ayla?
Evan swallowed hard, trying to hide his shock. With effort, he forced a faint smile. "Oh… congratulations. I really had no idea."
"But now you do, right?" Ayla patted his arm lightly. "Thanks, Van!"
Damar smiled too. "Yeah, bro. It's good to see you again."
Evan just gave a small nod. His smile stayed, but inside, he felt more and more hollow.
—
Evan took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. But his mind kept spinning. If he was 25 years old now, that meant…
Damar and Ayla weren't just peers anymore. They were now his seniors.
Even though, before, he had been two years older than them.
Now, in this timeline, he had become their junior.
Evan felt a wave of nausea. All his accomplishments, all the experiences he should have had as someone older and more mature, now felt like they had been erased.
He glanced at Ayla and Damar, still smiling, completely unaware of the shock unraveling inside him.
"When… did I start college?" he asked suddenly, needing confirmation.
Ayla giggled. "Well, right after we graduated high school, obviously! You were class of 2011, right?"
Evan could only nod, though his chest tightened further. It was true. He was now born in 1993. That meant he started college in 2011, while Ayla and Damar had graduated high school in 2010.
He hadn't just lost Raka. Not just his achievements in the company—he had lost his very identity.
And the most painful part: no one noticed anything was wrong.
It all felt real to them.
Only Evan knew that it was never supposed to be this way.
—
Evan squinted, making sure he wasn't seeing things.
Sennia?
The little girl he once knew as the only daughter of the late Hendra?
Now she was fifteen, her features beginning to show the beauty of adolescence. But what truly stunned Evan was her outfit—she was wearing a catering server's uniform.
Why was she working here?
After the acquisition of Hendra's company, her family should've still lived comfortably. True, Evan hadn't been deeply involved in Hendra's personal affairs, but he clearly remembered they still had enough assets to get by.
So why was Sennia like this now?
While Evan was still frozen, Sennia, carrying a tray of drinks, turned toward him. Their eyes met.
For a second, hers widened—recognition? But in an instant, her expression went blank. Without a word, she bowed politely and walked away.
Evan instinctively wanted to stand and go after her.
But before he could move, Damar's voice broke in, "Hey, Van, where are you going?"
Startled, Evan came back to reality, still sitting at the table with Ayla and Damar.
He shook his head quickly. "No, nowhere. I just thought I saw someone I knew."
Ayla followed his gaze. "Oh, one of the catering staff? You know her?"
Evan hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Not sure. She just looked familiar."
Damar chuckled. "Maybe an old ex?"
Evan chuckled lightly too, though his mind remained fixated on one thing:
What had really happened to Hendra's family… and how had Sennia's life changed so drastically?