Shattered Stars; Forced to marry the Mafia boss

Elena's breath came in short, sharp gasps as the cold rain hit her face like tiny needles. She crouched under a broken shop awning, trying to stay out of the downpour. Her old, worn coat clung to her thin body, soaked through and heavy with water. Every step she had taken since dawn was painful - not just in her legs, but in her heart. Each step carried memories she wanted to forget.

She was only fifteen the last time her guardian hit her. Not because he was angry - this time, it was punishment.

It had started with a simple question at breakfast.

"Why can't I go to school or learn a trade like the others?" she asked, voice quiet.

Her guardian's spoon clattered against the plate.

"School?" he scoffed. "What for? So you can run off and leave me behind?"

"No," she said, swallowing hard. "So I can make something of myself, like chasing my dreams."

His eyes narrowed. "You think you're better than me, huh?"

"I didn't say that."

"But you meant it," he snapped, standing up suddenly. "You little brat."

Just then, the next-door neighbour, Miss Rosie, poked her head in through the open window. "Everything alright there?"

Elena started to answer, but her guardian beat her to it. "Mind your business, Rosie."

Miss Rosie frowned. "She's just a child. You shouldn't talk to her like that."

"She's my problem," he muttered. "Not yours."

Elena's eyes met the neighbour's for a brief second. Miss Rosie's face softened. She gave a small nod as if to say I see you. Then she disappeared.

But her guardian turned back to Elena, voice low and dangerous. "Don't speak to me like that again."

"I wasn't trying to-"

His hand struck her cheek, fast and hard. She stumbled back, biting her lip to hold back tears.

That was the moment something inside her changed. Not the pain. Not even the words. But the truth: he was never going to let her go unless she left on her own.

Now, crouching under the awning, soaked and cold, Elena clutched that memory like a reason to keep moving. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper - an old train schedule Miss Rosie had given her months ago.

"I hear you talk about leaving," Miss Rosie had said one day when they met near the water pump. "If you ever do... take this."

Elena had taken it with trembling hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Now, the schedule was faded and wet, but it was still legible. It gave her something to hold on to - a path, however unclear, toward freedom.

A siren wailed in the distance. Somewhere nearby, a dog barked. The city was alive - messy, loud, and full of danger. But it didn't scare her like home did.

The wind picked up again, making her shiver. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked up at the flickering city lights. She didn't know where to go or what she would find. But she knew what she had left behind.

The silence. The pain. The constant feeling of being unwanted.

"Just keep going," she whispered to herself, voice shaking. "Don't go back."

She stood up, legs stiff, and looked around. Her shoes squished with every step, but she didn't stop. Every step forward was a step away from him. Away from fear. Away from the house that never felt like home.

The lights ahead glowed brighter, and with them, a strange feeling filled her chest - not fear this time, but hope.

She didn't have a plan. No money. No family. But she had something more powerful than all of that - the will to survive.

And she had dreams.

Dreams they told her to forget.

Dreams that had kept her alive.

Tonight, Elena wasn't just running away.

She was running toward herself.

Toward a life waiting to be lived.