The soft chime of a WeChat notification pulled Seven from sleep. He blinked groggily, the faint glow of his mobile screen cutting through the darkness around him. It was the wee hours of the morning, and there was nothing but silence, save for the occasional creak of settling wood. He reached for it, squinting at the text that had just come in. It was from his master in China:

  [Yes, she’s Nine, your junior.]

  [What’s the matter?]

  Seven sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He wasn’t surprised by the confirmation, but the weight of Etana’s predicament pressed heavily on his mind. He typed out a reply, his fingers moving quickly over the screen:

  [Master, Nine was kidnapped and suffered head trauma.]

  [She has amnesia, but she recalls her medical knowledge.]

  There was a short pause before Master Ling’s text came through:

  [I see. Tell her to come to Ling Hall. I’ll see what I can do to help her.]

  Seven exhaled slowly, the faint hope in his master’s words mingling with the frustration of Etana’s circumstances. He quickly sent her an update:

  [Etana, my master just confirmed that you are his disciple.]

  [And he called you Nine.]

  [He said he’d try to help you regain your memories if you visit him in China.]

  [If you want, I can take you to see him.]

  He set his phone down, staring at the ceiling as the quiet enveloped him. Thoughts of Etana—her strength, resilience, and the fragments of her past that still eluded her—lingered in his mind. He wondered how she would respond, whether she’d seize the opportunity or let it slip through her fingers.

  It wasn’t until around 8 a.m. that Seven’s phone vibrated again. He picked it up, his heart skipping a beat as he saw a string of messages from Etana:

  [Thank you, Seven.]

  [I would have liked to go. But I can’t.]

  [I have no ID, no visa, no passport.]

  [Eli is my sponsor, and it’ll take time to sort out my legal status.]

  [Until then, I’m stuck here.]

  [Hopefully, I’ll regain my memories before the paperwork is sorted.]

  A moment later, she continued:

  [Besides, I won’t leave Eli until he’s regained full mobility.]

  [Hopefully, I’ll recover my memories before he can walk again.]

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Seven read the response, his brow furrowing. Then, his fingers danced on the screen.

  [I understand.]

  [But don’t wait too long.]

  [The sooner we act, the better.]

  There was no further response, but his thoughts were churning. He knew Etana’s loyalty to Eli was part of the equation. He had become her anchor in a world where she had no past to cling to. But the real barrier was her lack of legal status. Without it, she couldn’t even leave the country, let alone seek help in China. As a medical practitioner, the urgency of her plight gnawed at him. Every day without her memories was another piece of her identity slipping further away.

  ……

  In a quaint duplex on Staten Island, Etana sat by Eli’s bedside, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. The soft glow of the screen illuminated her face, casting shadows across her features. She read Seven’s messages again and again, her heart heavy with conflicting emotions.

  Of course, she wanted to go to China. More than anything, she hoped to reclaim the pieces of herself that had been stolen. But how could she? Without an ID, passport, or visa, she was trapped, her predicament held hostage by red tape.

  And Eli had become her rock, her protector, the one person who had given her a semblance of security in a world that had taken everything else. So how could she leave him? The thought of abandoning him, even temporarily, felt like a betrayal.

  Eli stirred in his sleep, his handsome face relaxed and peaceful. Etana reached out, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. “I won’t leave you,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Not yet.”

  But the weight of her lost memories pressed down on her, a constant reminder of the life she had left behind. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. For now, she would stay. But she couldn’t ignore the pull of her past forever.

  ……

  Back at The Cliffs, Seven leaned back against the plush sofa, his mind spinning. He had promised to help Etana, but her lack of legal status complicated everything. There was nothing he could do to get her to go to China, yet he also couldn’t stand by and watch her lose the chance to reclaim her past.

  He picked up his phone again, this time messaging Master Ling:

  [Master, Nine can’t go to China right now.]

  [She’s caring for someone who’s recovering from paralysis.]

  [She also has no legal status.]

  [She’ll be stuck here until her immigration paperwork is sorted.]

  The reply came quickly:

  [I see. Let me know when she’s ready. Time is of the essence.]

  Seven sighed. He knew Master Ling was right. Etana’s situation was beyond her control, and there was nothing he could do to speed it up.

  Ten minutes later, Master Ling sent another one:

  [I just spoke to Yu.]

  [If Nine can’t come over, Yu can go over after the Lunar New Year.]

  As the morning light filtered through the curtains, Seven stared blankly at the slightly obscured Potomac landscape. He knew Etana’s decision wasn’t final, but it was a step forward, a small breakthrough in the tangled web of her plight. He sent a text to relay the latest news:

  [Etana, if your memory is not restored by mid-February, my senior will fly up to meet you.]

  Then, he stood, stretching as he prepared for the day ahead. He still had a lot on his plate. It was starting to feel overwhelming between Etana’s predicament, dealing with Talon Cloche, and the looming launch of Sevana Group. And time and tide waited for no one.