Home / The Fire Died, So I Chose the Sea / Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

All Chapters of The Fire Died, So I Chose the Sea : Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

With 7 days left until my departure, I started packing.While sorting through my wallet, I came across a photo of Vittorio Salvetti and me.Three years earlier, I had rescued Vittorio after an avalanche. At the time, I was leading my sled dog team alongside the villagers in search of survivors.Dolly, the sled dog I had raised from a puppy, caught the scent of blood. She stopped in front of a snowdrift and tugged hard at the hem of my pants, refusing to let go. That was how I dug a blood-soaked Vittorio out from under the snow.I brought him back to the village and treated his wounds, and he began three months of recovery.At first, we only exchanged a few words whenever I changed his bandages. Later, I started telling him about my adventures in the snowy mountains, the village legends of the polar night and the Snow God, and the warm ocean I had longed to see ever since I was a child.In return, he told me about the world beyond the ice and snow. He described his family, a harbo

Chapter 2

The next day, I was feeding the sled dogs when Amelia dragged me out the door.“Vera, quit moping around the house all day. Come skiing with us!”Vittorio stood in the yard and handed me a set of gear. “Don’t be upset anymore. I’m taking you out to clear your head.”Once again, Vittorio and Amelia’s gear matched like a couple’s, the same style in the same color. Their skis were covered in scratches from use. The brand-new skis in my hands looked out of place by comparison.Before I had even finished putting on my gear, Amelia grabbed Vittorio’s hand tightly.“Vittorio, you’d better stay with me out there. What if I fall?”“Got it. Don’t worry.”Vittorio shook his head, resigned.I was taken aback. Just last winter, Amelia had excitedly told me how she flew down the black diamond runs. Now she was acting like a beginner who could not manage without Vittorio.The sight of them so close together sent my thoughts back three years.Back then, once Vittorio’s injuries had improved,

Chapter 3

I braced myself against the table, got to my feet, and went back to packing.Amelia leaned against the doorframe and eyed my open suitcase with disdain. “Vera, are you planning to run away from home? You think this is going to scare Vittorio?”“No. I just want to see the ocean.”The next second, someone shoved the suitcase aside.Vittorio wore that familiar look of exasperation and disappointment. “Vera, you can’t threaten me like this every time you’re unhappy.”“I told you, this isn’t a threat.”I stopped looking at him and lowered my head to sort through my wallet.Vittorio snatched it out of my hand and yanked it open, and my ID and cards scattered across the floor.“I’ve spoiled you, and now you don’t know where to draw the line anymore!”I crouched down to pick them up. “Vittorio, let’s end this.”“What do you mean?”A flicker of panic crossed his eyes. “Vera, don’t say things you don’t mean just because you’re upset. Once you calm down, you’ll regret it.”“I’m not sa

Chapter 4

When I handed the keys to the sled dog kennel to the villager taking over, he gave me a complicated look.“Vera, you haven’t been online lately, have you?”He showed me a video that I knew all too well.The month before, Dolly had gone through a difficult labor while the vet was stranded at the foot of the mountain by a blizzard. I had no choice but to deliver the puppies with my bare hands. Quite a few people had filmed it, and some had posted the footage online.When the video unexpectedly started getting attention, Vittorio offered to handle it for me. The next day, when I searched for it again, the only video left online was one where my face could not be seen.Then Amelia claimed to be the rescuer in the video.She opened a new social media account and started with the story of saving a sled dog. Step by step, she built an image as an animal lover who cared deeply about charity work. That volunteer image earned her a place in the family’s charity foundation events.Once the

Chapter 5

(Third Person POV)At the banquet, Vittorio could not seem to focus.Every message he had sent went unanswered. He had called seven times in a row, and no one had picked up.Amelia tugged at his sleeve, sounding certain. “Vittorio, stop worrying. Vera’s obviously ignoring your messages because she’s sulking. Don’t you know her by now?“She acts like a kid. You spoil her too much.”Vittorio frowned, ready to argue before he even thought about it.He knew Amelia was smart, capable, and ambitious, and that she had always wanted to make a name for herself in the family. He had always admired that about her and was happy to give her chances.Vera Lombardi was different.He had never expected Vera to understand the complicated affairs of the family. She cared less about his achievements and his career than about whether he was eating properly and whether he had gotten hurt on a job.She loved every peak and every river in the far north, and she had given him that same pure, wholehea

Chapter 6

Vittorio had no idea how he had left the banquet and made it back to Vera’s house. By the time he came to his senses, he had already burst through the front door.Every one of Vera’s belongings was gone. Her everyday safety gear, the sled dogs’ food bowls, and the flowers she had carefully tended on the balcony had all disappeared.For the first time, the place felt like a stranger’s.A few cardboard boxes sat in the corner. He opened them with trembling hands and found them filled with every gift he had ever given Vera.On top was a diary.He opened it to the first page.[Vittorio said that from now on, he’s my family. I’m so happy.]The familiar handwriting made his heart clench.Further in, many of the pages were marked with dried tear stains.[The bonfire went out, and he still didn’t come. He promised he’d be here next time, though, and I believe him.][Today Vittorio took Amelia to a family dinner. I waited forever before I finally got a single message from him. He said

Chapter 7

(Vera’s POV)After my plane landed, I went straight to the apartment I had rented ahead of time.It was small, but it was close to the beach. When I pushed open the window, the salty sea breeze rushed in, and the coastline rolled away into the distance.My first night there, I lay in bed listening to the waves. To my surprise, the sound did not bother me at all. It only felt as though I was starting my life over.I did not have to wait for anyone to show up anymore, nor did I have to spend years clinging to someone else’s promises.As it turned out, going to see the ocean alone was easy.Before I left the village, I had gathered all the evidence and posted a statement to set the record straight. At first, no one believed me, and the comments were still full of abuse.A few days later, Vittorio publicly admitted that he had let Amelia take credit for what I did, and that he had leaked my identity to protect her. He issued a formal apology to me and promised to take full responsib

Chapter 8

After that day, Vittorio was always around.I had no idea how he kept finding me. Even when I moved to another city, his face would show up again the very next day.I never unblocked him, yet he still appeared outside my building like clockwork every day. In the mornings, he reminded me to eat breakfast, and in the evenings, he walked me home.Most of the time, I walked right past him without a glance and pretended he did not exist.He used to be so busy with work that whenever he finally came home, I wanted to be glued to his side every second. Now he was with me every single day, and all I felt was annoyance.Then one day, I got up early to watch the sunrise, and the moment I stepped outside, I saw a figure that was both familiar and strange.“Vera.”Amelia looked pale and worn out. In just one month, she had lost a lot of weight.“Vera, I came to apologize. I know I treated you terribly.“Ever since I was little, I refused to settle. I didn’t want to accept that I was just

Chapter 9

Three days later, I met Andrea D’Aquila.He was the heir to the D’Aquila family, and four years earlier, I had saved his life in the snowy mountains. That year, he had gotten separated from his guide and had been trapped on the mountain by a blizzard. Dolly and I were the ones who found him and brought him back to the village.Before he left, he gave me his contact information and told me that he would help me once, no questions asked.I never expected that promise to actually come in handy.The D’Aquila family was the most powerful mafia family in the region, and Vittorio’s family was no match for them.After hearing what had happened to me, Andrea was quiet for a moment. “That’s easy enough to handle. What I’m more curious about is what you plan to do next.”I thought about it. “I’ve seen the ocean now, and I’ve been to a lot of places. But I’ve realized that I still love the snowy mountains and the ice fields more.“Maybe I’ll go back to being a mountain guide.”All these ye

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