As Luca Moretti… My life was, well—not easy.
I wasn't an orphan. But I might as well have been.
My mother died giving birth to me. And from the moment I could understand words, my father made sure I knew exactly what that meant.
"You took her from me.""You shouldn't have been born.""Monster."
He never raised a hand to me. Oh no, that would've required effort. What he did was worse—he abandoned me in plain sight. A roof over my head, food on the table, money for school… But not once did he hold me, comfort me, or call me his son with any warmth.
I was a ghost in his house. A mistake with a pulse.
Then came high school. And her.
His new wife. Polished, elegant, with a sweet voice and eyes that passed through me like I was dust on her windowsill. She brought her own children, and suddenly, there wasn't enough room in that house for the ghost-like me anymore.
I wasn't thrown out violently. That would've implied someone cared enough to fight me.
