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Lahat ng Kabanata ng He Left Me to Burn, So I Let the Truth Survive: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

The warehouse reeked of smoke and chemicals. My lungs burned as I dragged ragged breaths through a damp cloth pressed over my mouth and nose. Pain radiated across my belly, sharp and unrelenting, yanking me fully out of the memories of my previous life. I forced myself to move. I did not reach for Enzo Saletta, the man who ran the family’s security; I dialed the family emergency channel instead.Footsteps thundered through the corridor, boots scraping against the concrete. A team of enforcers kicked open the heavy doors and surged inside. Through the thick haze, I saw Enzo. He didn’t hesitate. He scooped Chiara Bellini into his arms and carried her to safety, the flames reflected in his cold, precise eyes. Only when she was clear did I call for help, my voice hoarse and broken.The men around me stared through their masks. One spat. “Again?”A solid wooden beam loosened from the ceiling and smashed onto my stomach. Pain shot through me, sharp and immediate. Blood filled my mouth. No on

Chapter 2

For a long time after everything went black, I floated in and out of a feverish darkness.During the days when my fever refused to break, I kept reliving the first time I met Enzo. It was a family gathering, Enzo and I locked eyes for the first time, and there was an instant connection. It felt as if everything had been set in motion at that moment.Our wedding was flawless. The ceremony was dignified, the vows heartfelt, and every smile reflected the happiness and trust we had built together. At the time, no one could have imagined that our peace would be shattered.Then Chiara Bellini returned. She had been Enzo’s childhood companion, someone he had always cared for and protected. From the moment she came back, everything changed. Gradually, everyone in the family, including Enzo himself, began to see me differently. I became the woman who was selfish, jealous, and desperate for his attention. Overnight, my reputation shifted from devoted wife to someone seen as reckless and graspin

Chapter 3

Enzo’s voice crashed through the line.“You actually called? To see if Chiara burned? Sorry to disappoint you. I saved her. She’s alive and recovering.”“Gia, do you even know whose warehouse you burned? That belonged to the Carmine family. The old man called this afternoon. What was I supposed to say?”“I’m giving you one chance. Come down and face it in front of Chiara. I’ll tell the council you lost control. Otherwise, you handle it yourself.”Before I could respond, Chiara’s soft, trembling voice reached me. “Enzo, don’t scold her. It’s my fault. If she wants to say me set the fire, let her. Don’t argue. She’s pregnant.”Enzo sneered, not at her, but at the situation.“You’re too soft. She burned a family warehouse, not her own home. Step aside.”Then he turned back to me. “Did you hear that? She’s speaking for you. Now come down. I won’t call others to get you.”I waited until he finished.“No need. Prepare the dissolution papers. I’ll sign.”He was stunned. He froze for two secon

Chapter 4

After Enzo hung up, I accessed the hidden backup.The moment the footage played, the warehouse was back before my eyes. Chiara Bellini carried a bucket inside, bent to ignite the fire, stepped back, and turned to leave. She didn’t glance once at the flames shooting up. Then it showed me crawling through blood, the enforcer’s boot striking my leg, Enzo’s face looming close, his palm pressing against my cheek, saying I performed well.I watched it three times. My hands shook, but my face remained calm. Tears wouldn’t help. In my past life, I had shouted until my throat went hoarse, repeating the truth over and over, only for the fire to rush in through the cracks in the door. This time, I would not waste a single drop of emotion.I locked my phone and leaned against the pillow. The clinic lights had gone out, leaving only the hallway bulb spilling a thin line of light under the door. In the next room, someone coughed repeatedly with no one attending. In this building, no one cared to int

Chapter 5

Enzo did not come on the day I was discharged. He sent an enforcer to deliver the dissolution papers. The man stood at the door without entering, placed the documents on the nightstand, and tapped twice with his finger. “Mr. Saletta wants you to sign and leave the city.”I picked up the papers. Nothing for compensation, no right to stay in Carmine territory, no discussion of Enzo or Chiara. Every line said the same thing: you are nothing.I signed. The pen scratched lightly across the paper, audible in the quiet room. The enforcer froze, surprised at how quickly I complied. “Take it,” I said. He glanced at me, gathered the papers, and left, his shoes clicking down the corridor, fading into the distance.I set the pen down on the nightstand, next to the cold meal left untouched. My things were few: a small bag with two changes of clothes, charging cables, and the keychain holding the USB. I paused at the door. I had spent days in this room, seen the night view countless times, but there

Chapter 6

I didn’t witness the council meeting firsthand, but Leo had sources. He had worked in the Carmine family’s tech department for over a decade. He knew far more people than I could imagine.The next afternoon, he returned with a different expression. He hung his coat on the chair, sat slowly. “The old man handled it himself,” he said. “Nobody told anyone. They called the meeting right after.”I was in the kitchen heating a can of tomato soup. I stirred it quietly, not looking back.“Enzo went?”“He did.”“What did he say when he came out?”Leo paused for a moment. “Not a word.”I turned off the heat, poured the soup into two bowls, and set them on the table. Leo kept watching. “You want the details?” he asked.“You tell me.”He sipped from his bowl, then set it down. “The old man projected the footage on the wall. Everyone was there. Chiara setting the fire, Enzo rescuing her, you crawling in the blood, the enforcer kicking you, and Enzo slapping you.”I picked up a chopstick and slowly

Chapter 7

I didn’t leave the apartment for days. Leo went to the tech department by day and brought news back at night. When he came in, he’d remove his shoes, hang his coat, sit, and report calmly. Facts only, no judgment, no comfort. I liked it that way.“One day he went to the warehouse,” he said one evening. “He reviewed the scene again.”I was peeling an apple. The skin came off in long ribbons, one slice at a time.“He noted the gas cans, the ignition point, and the mismatched timeline.”I set the apple slices on a plate, picked one up with the tip of the knife.“He asked the enforcers who were on duty. Checked everyone.”“Did anyone tell the truth?”“One young one did. He said he saw Bellini enter alone and leave alone, before the fire.”I bit the apple. Crisp.“He asked why the enforcer didn’t report earlier. He said he didn’t dare. Enzo only listened to Bellini at the time.”I put the apple down. Not because it hurt, but because the words were familiar. In my previous life, I tried to e

Chapter 8

I moved again. It wasn’t because someone came looking for me after leaving Leo’s place. I decided it was time. Leo had done too much for me already. I didn’t want to drag him into this. He had work in the family and a life to live.He found me a place. An old widow’s house on the edge of the old district, far enough from Carmine family territory. She didn’t ask my name or where I came from. She only had one rule.“No men allowed.”“I won’t.”She handed me the keys after a brief look.The house was small: one bedroom, a tiny kitchen, and a living room with just enough space for a table. The windows faced north. The light was dim but it was quiet. I set down my belongings, still just the small bag.News still reached me, fragmented. That’s how the family network worked. Even if you didn’t want to hear it, you would. People talking at the market, the corner store owner taking calls openly, even whispers in taverns.“Saletta went to his wife’s old apartment, the café she liked, the office

Chapter 9

When the council released its final verdict, I was in my workshop installing a security camera. Not family business, just a small client. A corner store owner had asked me to install two cameras. Small job, little money, enough for a few meals.Leo called while I was on a ladder tightening screws.“The result is out.”“Go ahead.”“Enzo Saletta has been permanently demoted. No longer head of security, reassigned to inventory.”I tightened the last screw and climbed down.“And?”“His team was disciplined too. The enforcer who kicked you lost half a year’s pay. Others who knew and didn’t report were warned.”“Did he appeal?”“No. He accepted it.”I crouched to put away my tools one by one. This wasn’t like him. Enzo never accepted punishment quietly. He argued, deflected, shifted blame. I had learned that in five years. But this time he didn’t. Perhaps he finally understood that some things aren’t won by fighting. Perhaps he was just tired. I didn’t care to know.“One more thing,” Leo sai

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