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Chapter 2

Auteur: Eternity
By dessert, my parents were back to circling Sofia.

Mom wanted to hire her a better private college consultant. Dad insisted his consultant had stronger connections. They argued over who would pay as if the loser might miss a chance to prove their love.

Neither asked which school I had entered on my application.

I had watched this routine for ten years.

They knew the name of Sofia's consultant, the deadlines for her summer programs, and which admissions officer had admired her riding videos. If she mentioned a campus once, brochures appeared on both their desks by morning. I had spent the fall building my application list with Ms. Harper because neither parent could remember whether I wanted to study engineering or literature.

Sofia had once been a Moretti, just like me. During the divorce, Mom demanded that she become a DeLuca. Dad said no child of his would surrender the Moretti name. Their lawyers fought for an entire afternoon while even the security detail stayed outside the conference room.

Eight-year-old me cracked open the door. "Mom, I could take your name."

I thought I was helping.

She looked at me with irritation rather than anger. "I don't need you to prove anything for me."

In the end, Sofia got both names: Sofia Moretti-DeLuca.

The name appeared on equestrian club plaques, gala place cards, and monogrammed luggage. It was two powerful families stamping their claim on her.

I remained plain Emilia Moretti.

After dinner, Mom personally settled Sofia's coat over her shoulders. "Let's go see your new room. Your father chose curtains that are much too cold for a girl."

I stopped her at the door. "My graduation fee, AP exam fees, and college application account still haven't been paid."

She kept walking. "I covered all of Sofia's school expenses. Ask your father about yours."

Dad scowled. "She's with you this year. Why does every bill land in my lap?"

"Because you're her father."

"Only when she needs money?"

They were winding up for another fight. I stood in the lobby holding the school's payment notice while two cars and four guards waited outside. The manager himself opened Mom's door.

The names Moretti and DeLuca could clear a path through all of Belleview Harbor. Somehow they couldn't cover their daughter's basic school fees.

Dad finally transferred the money into my student account. "Why are you paying so many application fees? Being good at books and bad with people won't get you far in the real world."

Then he added, "Are your grades even good enough for college? Don't waste my money on schools that won't take you."

I watched the payment notification appear and didn't answer.

The week before, St. Gabriel had posted senior rankings. I was first in my class, held the highest marks in every subject, and had earned top scores on six AP exams. The headmaster had personally handed me Westbridge's scholarship packet.

I hadn't hidden any of it. I had messaged both parents when the rankings came out and sent the awards invitation to their private accounts and their assistants.

Mom replied, [Send this to your father. School matters aren't mine this year.]

Dad never answered.

Until now, they had chosen not to know me.

From now on, I wouldn't need them to.
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  • Three Thousand Miles Away   Chapter 10

    Three years after the care agreement took effect, Dad was admitted to intensive care with a pulmonary embolism.The care manager called Sofia first. She didn't answer. As the second emergency contact, I heard from the physician at two in the morning.I authorized the necessary tests, obtained Dad's medication history, and contacted Mom and the family attorney. Once his condition stabilized, I took the earliest flight to New Jersey.When Dad woke, I was outside his room reviewing the rehabilitation plan.He watched me for a long moment. His first words weren't a complaint that I had come too late."Sofia didn't answer, did she?""The care manager will keep trying."He closed his eyes and seemed to age years. "Don't bother."Sofia finally appeared on discharge day. Wearing dark glasses, she stayed for twenty minutes before explaining that money was tight and asking Dad for the down payment on another condo.He didn't shout. He only asked security to escort her out.When the car door clos

  • Three Thousand Miles Away   Chapter 9

    The year I completed my doctorate, Dad underwent rotator-cuff surgery.The procedure was routine, but for two weeks he couldn't drive, shower alone, or lift his right arm. Sofia had promised to stay with him. The day before surgery, she flew to Ibiza because her oceanfront villa was nonrefundable.Mom sent word through Maya asking me to return to New Jersey.I didn't go.Instead, I contacted the hospital discharge coordinator and arranged a licensed home-health aide and medical transportation for follow-up visits. His insurance and private account covered the bills, while his physician received the schedule directly.He recovered without complications.Dad texted, [Thank you.]I didn't use the opening to demand an apology.[If the incision feels hot, call the nurse. Don't wait.]Months later, Mom suffered a retinal tear on a business trip to Chicago and needed laser treatment within twenty-four hours.Sofia said she was too tired for a night flight and told Mom to ask a hotel employee

  • Three Thousand Miles Away   Chapter 8

    Five years after leaving Belleview Harbor, I joined Westbridge's doctoral program in medical robotics.My days ran on experiments, papers, and prototypes that failed more often than they worked. The hours were brutal, but the work was mine.Riley became family. Maya stayed on the East Coast and sent news from home now and then, but she never carried messages asking me to return.At Westbridge, people noticed when I missed dinner because a test ran late. Riley left food outside the lab and complained that my robot got more of my time than she did. My adviser remembered my birthday without an assistant prompting him. None of it was grand, which was exactly why it mattered.At first, my parents called constantly and mailed expensive gifts. I sent back every luxury item that tried to stand in for an apology. I ignored the demands and accusations.After two years, the calls faded, not because they had learned to respect my boundaries, but because Sofia had joined the family businesses. They

  • Three Thousand Miles Away   Chapter 7

    On my first day at Westbridge, I spent two hours assembling my dorm-room desk.As I tightened the final screw, my roommate Riley leaned around the door. "We're going to dinner. If you're not done, leave it. Come with us."I stared at her. "You're waiting for me?""Obviously. Leaving your roommate behind on day one would be a pretty lousy move."Our other two roommates stood in the hall. One held four meal cards. None was missing.For a second, I couldn't answer. People who cared didn't need reminders or calculate whose turn it was.We had barely reached the lobby when Student Services called. Family members had contacted the school claiming an urgent matter.I asked whether anyone had been hospitalized or hurt.No.My parents had simply decided they wanted to speak to me.They had called my dorm, the dean's office, and campus security, leaning on the Moretti name until someone passed along a message. It was the most effort they had ever spent reaching me, and it came only after I had m

  • Three Thousand Miles Away   Chapter 6

    On the last Sunday of every August, La Serata reserved its innermost dining room for the Morettis.For ten years, I had always arrived first. I made sure Mom’s sparkling water was room temperature, reminded the kitchen to go easy on Dad’s salt, and removed every dairy-based sauce from Sofia’s meal. I changed the subject before my parents’ arguments caught fire and delayed the first course whenever Sofia ran late.No one had asked me to do any of it.They had simply come to regard my care as part of the restaurant’s service.So when Mom entered and found unopened menus and untouched place settings, she stopped short.Dad and Sofia came in through the opposite door.“Where’s Emilia?” Dad asked. “Why hasn’t she ordered?”Mom set down her purse. “Her bags were gone when I woke up. I assumed she had sent them to your house.”“I haven’t seen her.”Sofia checked the time and opened a menu. “Can we just order? I’m meeting friends to test-drive my car.”My parents summoned the waiter. The first

  • Three Thousand Miles Away   Chapter 5

    Before Christmas, the Moretti and DeLuca business circles gathered for their annual dinner at the Aurelia, Mom's flagship hotel.Beneath the crystal dome sat port directors, hotel investors, and lawyers who had worked with both families for decades. Everyone knew Victor Moretti and Celeste DeLuca had been divorced for ten years and could still turn any room into a battlefield over their younger daughter.That night, they were fighting over whether Sofia should spend the summer at an art program in London or intern at Dad's logistics company."She loves art. You can't shove her into some port office," Mom said.Dad scoffed. "Six weeks learning to choose flowers for galas isn't a resume. She needs real business experience.""Learning to threaten contractors from your people?""Better than smiling at clients while plotting to swallow their hotels."The nearby tables fell quiet. Mom set down her champagne hard enough to make the glass jump. One of Dad's guards stepped forward, and the hote

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