Tale of a Hedonistic wizard Chapter 380 His mother, his woman - 4

Twenty feet of cleared ground separated both of them, but the distance felt imasurable.

Even though it had only been a year since they had seen him, Jaegar had changed a lot—his broad shoulders, his hair, and there was a subtle change to his appearance.

Now, with his new ponytail and handso appearance, he barely resembled the fresh-faced boy who had vanished without a trace.

As he stood there, gan, their next-door neighbour, was the first to approach him. Her eyes widened as she took in his transford appearance.

"Jaegar! Your hair!" gan exclaid, reaching out to touch his ponytail. "I must say, it suits you. You look... different. More mature." There was an undertone to her voice, a hint of concern masked by forced cheerfulness.

His eyes, however, remained fixed on his aunt, Diana. At thirty-eight, Diana was significantly older than Jaegar.

As a non-magical person, Diana had entered Jaegar's world with wide-eyed wonder, but now, watching her with another man, he wondered what else had changed in his absence.

Diana's initial reaction was a complex tapestry of emotions. Her smile seed genuine enough, but Jaegar could see sothing beneath it - relief? Guilt? Fear? She excused herself from her companion and made her way toward him, her movents hesitant.

As Jaegar observed the man she'd left behind, recognition hit him like a stunning spell.

Thomas, Diana's ex from the past. The man who'd proposed to her years ago, only to be left when Diana chose to be with Jaegar and him alone.

What was he doing here?

Irritation building, Jaegar turned abruptly and walked into the house, letting the heavy door swing shut behind him.

The warmth inside did nothing to thaw the cold feeling spreading through his chest.

He made his way to the kitchen, where several bottles of whiskey sat on the kitchen island - evidence of the ongoing party. He grabbed one, conjuring a glass with a flick of his hand and pouring himself a generous asure.

Diana entered monts later, after instructing gan to begin wrapping up the party. "What's wrong, Jaegar?" she asked, her voice soft, tentative.

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"Nothing," he replied, not eting her eyes. "I'm just happy that I returned ho." The sarcasm in his voice was barely concealed.

Diana moved to embrace him, but Jaegar smoothly sidestepped to the other side of the kitchen island, maintaining the distance between them. The hurt in her eyes was visible, but he couldn't bring himself to care at that mont.

"It seems like you were having a party," he said, taking another sip of whiskey. The unspoken question hung in the air: 'With him?'

Through the kitchen window, Jaegar could see the guests starting to disperse, their voices carrying through the glass. Thomas remained by the fire, his eyes fixed on the house.

The sight made Jaegar's hand tighten around his glass.

The kitchen fell into an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the tick of the clock on the wall and the occasional clink of Jaegar's glass against the marble countertop.

A year's worth of questions, accusations, and explanations stretched between them like an invisible barrier. Jaegar felt like he was betrayed at the mont; he knew he needed to ask her, but his mind was preventing him from speaking, thinking the worst.

Jaeger stood with a determined look on his face, fighting to keep his emotions in check as they threatened to overwhelm him. The unexpected situation had shaken him to the core, as he had never anticipated his aunt being capable of such actions. However, he realized that everyone is fallible, even those we hold in high regard.

"It was just a neighbourhood gathering; gan insisted I host one, so I did," she said, taking in his appearance. He seed to have changed a lot since she had last seen. Her eyes stayed on him, never leaving his face.

Diana then asked him, looking at him, "Where were you? Are you all right?"

"I am. But it seems that my absence went unnoticed," Jaegar said, in a low tone, looking at his glass. He knew he was being petty, but the situation made him like a jealous husband and narrow-minded person.

"No, Jaegar, how can you say that? To of all people," Diana couldn't believe he was saying such things to her.

Her sadness turned into anger, seeing Jaegar's actions and his words. Clearly, he was accusing her of cheating on him, though she wasn't sure of their relationship. Never really thought about it past the nephew and aunt, and he was keeping her happy both physically and ntally. She knew their relationship was taboo and wouldn't be able to say anything to anyone about them. She didn't really think about such things in the beginning.

She didn't really think of marrying as long as he was with him. But these past few months, the whole situation got her thinking.

"I didn't know where you were. I didn't know what happened to you. I didn't know when - or if - you were coming back," Diana finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "No one did."

"And so you invited him back into your life?" Jaegar interrupted, finally eting her gaze.

"That man, Diana? Really?"

Diana's face flushed, a mixture of anger and embarrassnt colouring her cheeks. "It's not what you think. He's been... helping ."

Jaegar laughed, a hollow sound that held no humour. "How convenient for him."

Outside, the last of the guests were leaving, their automobiles sputtering to life in the winter air.

The sound seed to emphasize how much the world had moved on during his absence. Yet here he was, feeling like a stranger in his own ho, watching his past and present collide in ways he never could have anticipated.

A year ago, he had been kidnapped. Now, standing in his kitchen, holding a glass of whiskey and staring at his aunt across an island of polished marble and unspoken words, Jaegar realized that coming back might be even harder than disappearing had been.