Chapter 56

• I knew deep down that Ethan was truly confused about my added strength and the way the Moon Goddess had just given it to me, like she decided one day to grant me extra power for the sheer chaos of it. He would never say it outright, but I could see it in his eyes whenever he looked at me during training or when he thought I was not paying attention. He had trained me for months, pushing me to get stronger and faster, but now, after what happened, I barely needed that training anymore. I could feel the difference inside me like it was stitched into my bones. And even though I could sense Ethan’s confusion, I knew a part of him had to be proud. Maybe even a bit relieved. One less thing for him to worry about when it came to keeping me safe.
• I had spent hours in the office that day, hunched over the desk with the soft glow of the computer screen illuminating my tired eyes. I dug deeper into my father’s companies, every hidden asset and every strange connection he tried to bury under layers of false names and shell corporations. Most of what I found was what I expected: shady businesses, remote properties, and some that were so old they probably did not even have electricity anymore. But then my eyes landed on something that made me stop.
• It was just a simple block of woods on the screen, a patch of forest marked under my father’s name. But what caught my attention was how odd it was. This piece of land had nothing on it, at least above ground. There was no house, no outbuilding, and no sign of any legitimate reason why my father would spend money to buy a stretch of forest in the middle of nowhere. I leaned in closer, my fingers tapping the edge of the desk as my mind started racing with questions.