Viels of Power: A Tapestry of Love and Vengeance

him, his brow furrowed in thought. The papers held no answers, just the same dead-end paths he had encountered repeatedly. He leaned back, frustration boiling beneath hi

ng brief memories of an orphanage. To most, her past might have seemed unimportant. But to Ethan, something felt off. In the world

bsolutely nothing. There was no record of her family, no official paperwork linking her to anyone. It was as though Petra had appeared out of th

e generic entries of donations, the faded pictures of smiling children, and lists of staff members whose names he didn't recognize. Still, Ethan felt a chill each time he tried t

was its own

esence not more frequent but his eyes more distant whenever he visited. The way he watched her at times, as if trying to pi

in her head. There had been a moment, just a fleeting one, where she had seen doubt in his eyes. It was as if he was wrestling

entral Park. She hesitated for a moment, her thumb hovering over the screen. There was something about Ethan's invitation th

he took toward the meeting place, she wondered if she

Petra made her way toward the fountain. She spotted Ethan leaning against a lamppost, his si

Ethan said, his voi

as a slight breeze swept through

nflict in his eyes. "I've been looking into

d, a hint of apprehensio

a reaction. "There's no trace of your family, no reco

ut hearing Ethan confirm it out loud made it all feel more real, and more unsettling. "I d

s gaze intense. "Does

r of doubt in her eyes. "I've never questioned

dn't place, and the smell of rain on concrete. They were fragments of a life she couldn't remember clearly, like a

she said firmly, more to

ts telling him otherwise.

meet his gaze. "What are yo

art of her wanted to press him, to demand answers, but she was afraid of what she might u

of urgency. She stopped, her back to him, waiting. "If there's

threatened to overtake her. She wanted to trust Ethan, but there were to

ore walking away, leaving Ethan alone w

etra's past remained a frustrating enigma. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone had deliberately erased her history, leaving no trail to follow

t let it g

bbing inconvenient records. The man, a grizzled ex-detective named Ferris, owed Ethan more than a few favors and had a r

she stayed off the radar," Ferris said, scribbling notes on

e," Ethan replied. "

ee what I can find. But if someone high u

o find something simple-a missing family member, perhaps, or an overlooked piec

ns with Petra becoming more strained as he struggled to conceal his growing doubts. Petra, sensing the distance bet

ketch. The quiet of the gallery was soothing, a refuge from the chaos of her thoughts. But as the hours passe

ery was empty, the only sound the distant hum of traffic outside. Petra shook her head, chi

ughts that she didn't hear

ing for Ferris's call. When it finally came, Ethan ans

t did a d*mn good job. There's no trace of her family, no records of

e had suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed felt lik

her found," Ferris replied. "And if I were you, I

but he couldn't back down now. There were too many questions, too many loose end

ed, telling herself it was just the stress from her recent conversations with Ethan. The dimly lit hallways

g mundane to calm herself down. But as she walked through her small living room, s

adn't looked at in years. A photo she had no memory of taking, but one that she had always kept, hoping it might hold a key to her past. In the photo, she was a child, standing

nage. But now, the image seemed to mock her, daring her to ask questions she wasn't sure she wanted the answers to. She wondered if

. Her instincts screamed that someone had been here, searching, and it wasn't Ethan

tal was missing from Petra's history. He had seen all kinds of erasures and cover-ups within the mafia world, but this was different. Wh

sequences. He needed to see her face, to gauge if she knew something more than she let

ce carrying a wary underton

softening in an attempt to put her at ease. "You

im into her small living room, where she picked up the pho

" she asked, her voice

't trigger any immediate recognition. But something about the photo felt off, as if there was a message hidd

you get thi

ing her words. "It was with my things at the orph

ing deeper, something Petra's memory had obscured. He could sense her fear and confusion, and for a moment, he considered tellin

d, his voice firm with convicti

the shadows in the room seemed to deepen, and the s

even Ethan's most trusted contacts within the mafia couldn't find any leads. Petra's past was a ghos

tire history from the world. It gnawed at Ethan, fueling his obsession. Every dead end only made him more deter

s penthouse, a thought struck him: What if this

n-it was a glaring void, an intentional erasure that screamed danger. If he wasn't careful, pu

go. Somewhere in the silence of Petra's past, he felt certain there

ing that refused to fade. The truth, it seemed, lay hidden in t

bo-caught between what little they knew and the looming uncertainty of what lay ahead. Nei

only ju