All Chapters of Burned Out of the Moretti Name: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

On the other end of the line, my mother went quiet for a second, then I heard something like relief in her voice.“Sofia,” she said, almost smiling, “you’ve finally decided.”“I’ll have your father start on the papers tonight. It should take about ten days. Wait for my call.”After I hung up, I went home.When I walked into the villa, Lorenzo was already sitting in the living room.There was a tension in his face I did not see often.“You’re late,” he said. “Where were you?”I lifted the pharmacy bag in my hand and answered evenly, “Nowhere special. My stomach was bothering me, so I went to a clinic. They ran a few tests and gave me some medicine.”My health had never been particularly strong, and this pregnancy had come hard enough that the doctor had warned me to be careful and prescribed something to help.When he saw nothing unusual in my expression, he finally asked what he really wanted to know.“You came by to see me today, didn’t you?” he said. “Why did you leave as soon as you

Three days later, I stood in the villa we had shared for seven years and felt something inside me go quiet.Along the wall were the photographs of our life together.I took the photographs down one by one, and cut myself out of every frame.Then I packed the things that were mine.Anything we had once shared, I left divided.vI had also arranged for the screenshots of Bianca’s messages and Instagram posts to be sent to Lorenzo’s email at a set time.I had just sat down when another message came through.It was from Bianca.The time. The address for Christie’s.And one line beneath it.Dare to come, Mrs. Moretti? Lorenzo says tonight he’ll buy the final lot at any cost for me.That evening, I arrived at the auction exactly on time.I had not planned to go.By midnight, the arrangements my mother had made would already be in motion. Soon, Sofia Moretti would be dead. What did it matter if a younger woman wanted to provoke me one last time?But Bianca had sent me the catalogue too.The fi

As Lorenzo walked out of Bianca’s apartment, an image of Sofia at eighteen flashed through his mind.She had been stubborn then too, but never with him.She had always known how to steady him, how to soften the edges of his temper, how to make room for his moods without ever asking for much in return.Only now did he understand how much of that had been love.He left without looking back.He would go home, find Sofia, and make this right.He had neglected her. That was the truth of it. But if she would still have him, he could fix the rest. He could give her more time, more attention, more of himself.As for Bianca, he would send her away. Paris. Geneva. Somewhere far enough to restore some distance. Let her study. Let her grow up. If, later on, she still wanted the life he could offer, he could give it to her. If not, he could make sure she was taken care of.By the time he had arranged it all in his head, he was already driving through the gates of the estate.And still, the unease i

Lorenzo went straight from the coast to Bianca’s penthouse.When the door opened, she looked relieved to see him.“Lorenzo, I knew you’d come back.”He cut her off by shoving her against the wall.The smile vanished from her face.“Lorenzo.”“Why?” he said.She stared at him, confused for half a second, then frightened.“Why did you keep going after her?” His voice was low and deadly calm. “The looks at the auction. The little comments. The way you made sure Sofia saw just enough. Why?”Bianca’s eyes filled at once.He tore the phone from her hand and opened it. It took him only moments to find what he needed, the saved stories, the filtered audience list, the pattern he had been too willing to ignore.Sofia had not imagined any of it.Bianca had curated it for her.When Lorenzo looked up again, there was nothing left in his expression.“You wanted her humiliated,” he said. “You wanted her pushed out.”Bianca was crying now, reaching for him and stopping herself halfway.“I was jealous

I moved into the company housing.My manager was heading north for a new project and wanted me there to learn the process, so I went with her.I had barely checked in when my mother called.“He came to see me.”I stood in the hotel corridor, keycard in hand, and said nothing.“He didn’t ask where you were. Not directly. He asked about the fire. About the days before it. Whether you’d ever mentioned leaving Naples. Whether I’d noticed anything unusual.” She paused. “He still hasn’t gone back.”I looked down at the card between my fingers and felt only a dull flicker of irritation.What did it matter?Only after I was gone had he learned how to value me.My mother told me to keep my head down for a while. I told her I would.That evening, my manager took me to a hotel by the lake to meet the project team.Before we went in, I stepped out onto the terrace for air.The wind coming off the water was cold.I had just tucked my hair behind my ear when I heard a familiar voice behind me.“...s