Aerric took another sip of his whiskey as his manservant left the room. His thoughts had distracted him from the truth of the moment…. His mate, his love, and how she had betrayed him. He wasn’t sure if he could find his way back, no matter how much he loved her. Aerric waved his hand and the fire in the hearth died out. He sat in his pitch-black office, hoping the memories of her and their love would become like the room… perfect darkness.

Meaning: Distance may weaken a mild attachment while making an intense one feel stronger. The contrast between cooling and inflaming describes different possible responses to absence, rather than a dependable rule for measuring love or deciding how relationships should work.

Meaning: The saying contrasts idealised expectations during courtship with everyday experience in marriage. It invites attention to ordinary responsibilities before a commitment, but its gendered and absolute framing should not imply that marriage inevitably disappoints or that affection is merely illusion.

Editorial context: This metaphor criticises refusal to consider evidence. Visual disability is not unwillingness to understand, and disagreement alone does not prove refusal.

Meaning: Someone who refuses to consider available evidence may resist understanding more than someone who lacks information. The saying criticises deliberate avoidance, but its sight metaphor must not equate visual disability with unwillingness or ignorance.