EPISODE 2
1650 Words
The Fence Between Two Worlds
“You are,” Matteo insisted. “You’ve been staring at it all day.”
Lorenzo glanced up from his wine glass. “Matteo, leave your sister alone.”
Matteo raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine.”
But Isabella wasn’t listening anymore.
Her thoughts drifted back across the road.
The boy with the dark eyes, the one who didn’t smile, the one who had smiled back for just a second.
“Do you think they eat dinner together?” she suddenly asked.
The table went quiet for a moment.
Sofia exchanged a look with Lorenzo.
“Of course they do,” Sofia said carefully.
“But are they happy dinners?” Isabella asked.
Lorenzo hesitated before answering. “Happiness isn’t always something you can see from the outside.”
Isabella frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“It will when you’re older,” Lorenzo said softly.
But Isabella wasn’t satisfied with that answer.
Later that night, the estates grew quieter.
Lights dimmed across both houses.
Alessandro lay on the unfamiliar bed in the guest room, staring at the ceiling.
Marco was already asleep in the bed beside him, breathing evenly.
But Alessandro couldn’t sleep.
His mind kept returning to the window, To the girl, To the smile.
He sat up slowly, moving back toward the balcony.
The night air is cooler now. Across the road, most of the De Luca house was dark.
Except for one room.
A soft light glowed behind a curtain, Alessandro squinted slightly.
Then he saw her.
Isabella stood by her window, holding something in her hands, her sketchbook.
She turned suddenly and looked straight across the road.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then, slowly, Isabella lifted her hand. She waved.
Alessandro hesitated.
His chest tightened again, like he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do.
Then, awkwardly, he lifted his hand too.
A small wave.
Almost uncertain.
Isabella smiled wider this time.
But before either of them could react further.
A shadow appeared behind Isabella inside the room.
She turned slightly, lowering her hand quickly.
The curtain shifted, and the light went out. Alessandro stood frozen by the balcony, something about that moment felt important.
Like it had just ended too soon.
The first rays of sunlight spilled across the Moretti estate, washing the marble walls in a warm golden glow.
From the outside, the mansion looked magnificent.
Inside, it remained as cold as ever.
Alessandro stood quietly by the bedroom window, fastening the last button of his shirt. Across the road, the De Luca estate was already awake. The kitchen windows were open, and the faint sound of laughter drifted through the morning air.
He couldn't hear the words.
But somehow, he wished he could.
A knock sounded on the bedroom door.
Before either brother could answer, the door swung open.
A housekeeper stepped inside with a polite bow.
"Good morning, young masters," she said. "Mr. Moretti requests your presence in the dining room."
Marco nodded.
"We'll be down in a moment."
As soon as the door closed, Alessandro looked at his brother.
"Do you think today will be different?"
Marco paused before answering.
"I don't know."
It wasn't the answer Alessandro had hoped for.
The brothers walked downstairs together, their footsteps echoing through the endless hallway.
When they entered the dining room, Vittorio Moretti was already seated at the head of the table, reading a newspaper.
Elena Moretti sat beside him, pouring coffee into a porcelain cup.
Three younger children laughed together at the other end of the table.
None of them looked older than Alessandro.
The youngest boy accidentally knocked over his glass of orange juice.
"Oh, Matteo," Elena said with a soft laugh. "You're getting clumsier every day."
She wiped the spill with a napkin before gently brushing his hair back into place.
Vittorio folded his newspaper just long enough to smile faintly at the boy.
"Be more careful next time."
"Yes, Father," the boy replied.
Alessandro slowed to a stop.
It was a short moment.
So small that no one else seemed to notice.
But he did.
He had never seen his father smile like that.
Not at him.
Not at Marco.
Marco rested a hand lightly on Alessandro's shoulder, silently urging him forward.
They took their seats without a word.
Vittorio glanced up briefly.
"Eat while the food is hot."
"Yes, Father," Marco answered.
Breakfast passed in near silence.
The younger children chatted happily about riding horses later that afternoon.
Elena listened with interest, asking questions and laughing at their stories.
Vittorio responded now and then, his voice calm and measured.
When Alessandro reached for another slice of bread, no one noticed.
When Marco thanked a servant for refilling his tea, no one responded.
It was as though the two brothers occupied seats that belonged to strangers.
After breakfast, Vittorio stood.
"I'm leaving for a meeting."
Elena rose with him.
"We'll be waiting for dinner."
He gave a short nod.
As he walked toward the entrance hall, Alessandro watched him disappear through the front doors without looking back.
Marco let out a quiet breath.
"Come on."
"Where are we going?" Alessandro asked.
"Outside."
"For what?"
"To remind ourselves that the world is bigger than this house."
For the first time that morning, Alessandro smiled.
A small one.
But real.
The brothers wandered through the gardens until they reached the old stone fence bordering the road.
Beyond it, the De Luca estate stretched out beneath the bright summer sky.
A familiar bark broke the silence.
Bruno came racing across the lawn, his tail wagging furiously.
Alessandro laughed in surprise as the golden retriever stopped at the fence, panting happily.
"Well," Marco said with a grin, "looks like someone remembers you."
A few seconds later, Isabella appeared behind the dog, slightly out of breath.
"There you are!" she called, kneeling beside Bruno before looking up.
Her eyes met Alessandro's.
She smiled.
"Good morning."
Alessandro hesitated only for a moment.
"Good morning," he replied.
It was the first conversation they had ever shared.
Neither of them knew that this simple greeting would become the beginning of something neither time nor distance could erase.
Bruno barked happily and pushed his nose between the iron bars of the fence, wagging his tail so hard that his entire body swayed from side to side.
Alessandro couldn't help but laugh.
"He's friendly," Alessandro said, crouching to scratch the dog's head through the narrow gap.
"He likes everyone," Isabella replied with a proud smile. "Well... almost everyone."
Marco folded his arms with a grin. "Almost?"
"He chased our gardener all the way to the fountain last week."
Marco chuckled.
"I don't think it was Bruno's fault," Isabella continued. "Mr. Ricci accidentally stepped on his favorite toy."
As if he understood every word, Bruno let out a proud bark.
The three children laughed together.
It was the first genuine laugh Alessandro had shared since arriving at the estate.
"I'm Isabella," she said, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "My father says it's rude to keep talking to someone without introducing yourself."
"I'm Alessandro."
She repeated his name softly, as though trying to remember it.
"Alessandro..."
Then she looked at Marco.
"And you're his brother?"
Marco nodded.
"Marco."
"It's nice to meet both of you."
There was something effortless about the conversation.
No awkward silence.
No forced smiles.
No feeling that anyone needed to impress others.
For a little while, they were simply children talking across a fence.
"So..." Isabella asked curiously, "Are you staying here forever?"
Alessandro shook his head.
"No. Just for the summer."
"Oh."
She looked genuinely disappointed.
"I thought maybe we'd become neighbors."
Marco noticed the change in her expression and smiled kindly.
"We're neighbors for now."
"I suppose that's true," Isabella said, brightening again.
Bruno suddenly sprinted away after a butterfly dancing across the lawn.
"Bruno!" Isabella called, laughing as she chased after him.
She stopped halfway across the garden and turned back.
"Don't disappear before I come back!"
"I won't," Alessandro answered.
She smiled before running after her dog.
Marco watched her go before looking at his younger brother.
"You've known her for five minutes."
"I know."
"And you're smiling."
Alessandro touched his own face as though he hadn't realized it.
"Am I?"
Marco nodded.
"You haven't smiled like that in a long time."
Before Alessandro could respond, the sound of heels clicking against stone echoed from behind them.
Elena Moretti.
She approached with graceful steps, her expression calm, though her eyes lingered on the De Luca estate longer than necessary.
"There you are," she said pleasantly. "I've been looking everywhere."
Marco straightened.
"Is something wrong?"
"Not at all," Elena replied. "Your father simply doesn't like members of this family wandering near the perimeter."
Her gaze shifted toward the road.
"And it isn't appropriate to disturb the neighbors."
"We weren't disturbing anyone," Alessandro said quietly.
Elena offered a smile that felt strangely empty.
"I'm sure you weren't."
She rested a gentle hand on Alessandro's shoulder.
To anyone watching, it would have looked affectionate.
But her fingers tightened just enough for him to feel the pressure.
"Come inside," she said softly. "Lunch will be served soon."
Alessandro glanced once more toward the De Luca estate.
Isabella was still trying to catch Bruno, laughing as the playful dog darted around the flower beds.
For a brief moment, their eyes met again.
She lifted her hand with a cheerful wave.
Alessandro smiled and waved back.
Elena noticed.
The pleasant smile on her face didn't change.
Only her eyes did.
Cold.
Calculating.
As the brothers followed her toward the mansion, Elena looked over her shoulder at the estate across the road.
A friendship, she thought.
That won't last long.
She had worked too hard to build the life she wanted.
She would not allow two unexpected visitors to complicate it.
Not even children.
- Writer
