All Chapters of ECHOES OF THE PAST : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The morning after Evan's final obsessive message, I called an emergency meeting at the safe house.Everyone gathered in the main room, the tension palpable as Lena pulled up her latest intelligence on Evan's movements and communications."His obsession with Aria has completely overtaken his judgment," Lena began, displaying intercepted messages and financial transactions on her screens. "He's abandoned any pretense of protecting his remaining assets. Every decision he makes now is filtered through this delusional belief that reclaiming her will somehow fix everything else.""Which makes him vulnerable," I said, standing at the head of the table. "His obsession is his weakness, and we need to exploit it.""What are you suggesting?" Rachel asked, though her expression suggested she already knew."We use me as bait," I said simply. "We draw him out of hiding, force him to make a move in a situation we control. It's the only way to end this definitively."The room erupted immediately. D

Veena led us to the main room of the safe house, gesturing for us to sit while the rest of the team watched with growing concern. Aunty Dora, Lena, and Rachel formed a semicircle around us, their expressions worried but silent."What's happening?" Aunty Dora asked, moving closer to me protectively."The Balance needs to speak with them," Veena said, her voice already beginning to change, taking on that otherworldly quality that marked her as something more than human."What comes next is between them and the force that gave them life."Damian reached for my hand, and I gripped it tightly, drawing strength from the contact. Whatever was coming, we'd face it together.Veena stood before us, her posture straightening, her entire presence shifting. The golden glow in her eyes intensified until they were blazing with light that seemed to come from somewhere beyond this world. When she spoke again, her voice was layered with harmonics that resonated in my chest, echoing with power and a

"Wait," Lena said, frowning at her screen as new data populated. "The signal's moving. He's not staying at the hotel, he's already on the move."I watched over her shoulder as the tracking dot migrated across the map, moving steadily toward what looked like a major transportation hub."He's heading to the airport," Damian said, recognizing the pattern. "He accessed his accounts, saw how bad the damage was, and now he's running.""Running where?" I demanded.Lena's fingers flew across her keyboard, pulling up flight manifests and passenger data. "Give me a second, I need to cross-reference credit cards, known aliases, any recent bookings that match his patterns."We waited in tense silence as Lena worked her technological magic, pulling information from systems that should have been secure but were apparently transparent to someone with her skills."Got it," she announced triumphantly. "Private charter flight, departing in three hours, destination Paris. He booked it under the name Mar

I froze in the entryway, every muscle in my body tensing at Evan's words.But I forced myself to stay calm, to analyze the situation rationally. He couldn't actually see me, I was completely invisible, shielded by powers he didn't understand. This had to be a bluff, a psychological game designed to flush out anyone who might be listening."What are you talking about?" Emma asked, her voice sharp with confusion. "There's no one here.""I can feel her," Evan insisted and I watched as he moved away from the windows, scanning the room with an intensity that made my skin crawl. "Aria's close. I don't know how, I don't know why but I know she's here somewhere."I reached out with my mind, trying to read his thoughts, to understand what he was sensing. And what I found there made my blood run cold.She's here. I know it. The same way I've always known when she was near, that pull, that connection. Even death couldn't break it. Even her hatred can't erase ten years of being attuned to eac

The safe house felt suffocating after the chaos of the Luxembourg Gardens. I paced the living room while Lena worked at her computers and Damian stood by the windows, his posture tense in a way I'd never seen before."We need to talk," he said quietly, not turning to face me."We just survived an ambush," I replied, exhaustion making my voice sharp. "Can't this wait?""No," Damian said, finally turning to look at me. "It can't. Not anymore. There are things I should have told you from the beginning, things I've been keeping from you because I was afraid of how you'd react."Something in his tone made my stomach drop. "What things?"Lena glanced up from her screens, sensing the shift in atmosphere. "Should I give you two privacy?""No," I said immediately. "Whatever he has to say, you might as well hear it too."Damian moved away from the windows and I could see the conflict warring in his expression, the weight of secrets he'd been carrying. "When The Balance brought me back, when I