บททั้งหมดของ My Family Never Respected Me, I Walked Away: บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

On the day of the first round of bidding for the new European route, the project teams from both New York families showed up.Marco and Luca took the seats at the head of the table. Sophia came in carrying a coffee, but before she could sit down, Salvatore stopped her."Ms. Moretti isn't on the project list. She can't sit in."Sophia's eyes went red, and she tugged at Marco's sleeve."I just want to be here for you. I won't say a word."The old Marco would have made an exception without a second thought. But the Moretti elders and the Romano representatives were all watching him."Wait outside."It was the first time he hadn't bent the meeting rules for Sophia.A few minutes later, the big screen connected to the venue in Palermo.Emilia stood behind the project lead. Her badge read "European Market Development Manager."Not an heir, and not a decision-maker.She started with the market data and explained why the first phase would only open a cold-chain route from Palermo to New York,

After the briefing, Sophia braced herself against the wall and called out to Dante, who was about to leave. "I can't breathe. I'm so scared."The old Dante would already have been carrying her to the hospital.This time, he just called the driver over."Take Sophia to the hospital."Sophia grabbed his cuff."You're not coming with me? Where's Marco?""He's with the family council."Her tears spilled over. "Now that Emilia's gone back to Sicily, you two don't want me anymore, do you?"Dante pulled his hand away."She didn't go back. We drove her away to a new place where she could finally do her job."With that, he turned and went into the records room.Sophia waited until he was far away before slowly letting go of the handful of skirt she'd been clutching.That night, Dante went back to the estate to look for an old hard drive.Bruno unlocked the storage room for him.As they moved things around, a first-aid kit fell off a shelf.Inside were stomach medicine, painkillers, bandages, an

A week later, Emilia's lawyer, Daniel, sent the Moretti family a formal statement setting boundaries.She had no authority to give the family orders, and she wasn't using their cargo as leverage. She only wanted them to stop making decisions for her. They had to formally acknowledge that the engagement was over, restore her name to the European project, and pay her the standard rate for three years of unpaid work. They also had to return everything their mother had left her: her keepsakes, two properties, and her education fund.When she got to the last item, the tip of Emilia's pen stopped on the word "mother." Her throat ached, and she waited for the sting to pass before she went on signing."No one may ever again invoke the last wishes of Emilia's mother or the family's honor to demand that she take care of Sophia."At the same time, Daniel handed the call records, the inheritance list, the altered credits, and the estate's security footage to the Moretti family council. The old men

That night, Luca submitted a meeting request through his lawyer and waited for me in the lobby of my hotel.The moment I stepped off the elevator, he came toward me."Let's talk. Ten minutes."I checked the time."Fine."He visibly relaxed.We sat down in a corner of the café.Luca set the wedding ring on the table."We'll redo the wedding. This time we do everything your way. Sophia won't be there."The ring clinked against the saucer. My stomach dropped with it, as if my body still remembered all those nights I'd spent wearing it and waiting for him."What else?""I can buy the apartment. You can choose whether we marry in New York or Sicily. Emilia, I've done this much. Isn't it enough?"I laughed at the question. "You think I left because the wedding wasn't good enough?""Isn't that it?""Then listen carefully."I pushed the ring back."On the anniversary of my mother's death, you promised to go to church with me."Sophia said she was feeling down, and you took her to the opera."L

Sophia followed me all the way to Sicily.She stopped me in the hotel lobby.The moment she saw me, she dropped to her knees.A crowd gathered around us in seconds."Emilia, I was wrong. Please don't give up on Marco and Dante. They haven't been able to eat or sleep for days. If you come back to New York, I'll leave the Moretti family right away."Luca and my two brothers arrived just then.Sophia cried even harder. "I'm the one who took Emilia's place. I'd give her my life if that's what it takes."As she said it, she suddenly threw herself at the corner of a nearby table.Dante caught her.Sophia let herself fall into his arms, but Dante only steadied her and let go right away."Stand up straight."Sophia's crying faltered.I had my coworker open the laptop."Since everyone's here, let's settle all of it once and for all."The first clip was the security footage from the garage on the wedding day.The so-called death mark was just where a utility truck had scraped off the paint and e