Chapter 1 Night of Rosa's Birthday

May4th

On the night of her 20th birthday, Rosa sat on her bed, her fingers tracing the sides of a photograph. A picture of her and her parents from a time when things were easy. They were smiling, she sighed, brushing her hand over the surface.

"I miss us" she whispered

The sound of raised voices echoed through her room.Her parents were arguing again, She didn't need to hear the words to know it was bad

Rosa glanced out the window, watching the

daylight fades, It was supposed to be a joyful night..a celebration of the years behind her, the woman she was becoming.

Her father had never been like this. He had once been the soft-hearted man who would joke with her at the dinner table, who would spin her around the living room in a dance whenever her favorite song came on. But that was before the business failed, before the gambling took hold, before everything unraveled. She had been sixteen when it started.

Now, it felt like her family, her home and her life was just a shadow of what it had been. She pressed the photo to her chest

Suddenly, her mother's scream cut through the

night.

Rosa's heart lurched. She knew that scream. It meant things had gone too far, she didn't think, just reacted. Her legs carried her out of the room.

When she reached the living room, her mother was laying on the floor, hands pressed against her face. Her father stood close.

Rosa's fists clenched as she moved to her mother, blocking her from view. She stood between them, her voice low but fierce "Dad, you've done enough"

He turned "Shut up, you brat.

Now you have the guts to talk back to your father?"

Rosa didn't flinch. Words with him were useless now. She bent down beside her mother, her hands gentle but urgent as she helped her up "Let's go to my room, Mom" she said, her voice steady despite the fear bubbling inside.

" where do you both, think you are going?" Fabio's voice rose

Rosa straightened, meeting his glare with a defiance that burned hotter than her fear "To a place where we don't have to see your face."

Without warning, Fabio's hand cut through the air, and a sharp sting exploded across Rosa's cheek. Her head whipped to the side, her hair flying, blocking the tears that had welled up.

"Fabio!" Hana screamed, she rushed forward, shoving him away then wrapped one arm around Rosa, pulling her close. Her other hand shot out, pointing a trembling finger at Fabio "Don't you dare lay a finger on my daughter!"

Fabio sneered "Teach your daughter some respect, then. Never speak to me like that again"

He then strode to the small couch and pulled out a cigarette.. lighting it with deliberate slowness. The thick smoke curled up in the cramped room.

"Are you okay, Rosa?" Hana's voice cracked as she leaned down, her fingers brushing Rosa's face.

Rosa nodded silently, but her eyes moved to her father and she felt a pang in her chest, before she could stop it.. the tears began to fall, hot and unstoppable.

How had it come to this? How had the man she once loved turned into a stranger she feared?

She wrapped her arms around her mother and together they turned to leave. But Fabio's next words froze them both in their tracks.

"Get your daughter ready. Tomorrow, Silvio Romano's men are coming to get her. He and I made a deal" his voice cold and detached like the words were casual as any other

Rosa and her mother turned slowly, the weight

of Fabio's words still hanging in the air, Rosa opened her mouth but the words stuck in her throat.

"What deal?"

Fabio's smile was cold, a flash of something

dark behind his eyes. "A deal that's going to

change everything for you... for us"

Hana took a step forward, her hand trembling

at her side. "What deal did you make with

that monster of a man?"

Fabio's eyes flicked to her with a sharp, calculating glance "She's been sold to him" he said, "The contract's already signed and by tomorrow, Silvio's men will be here to take her."

Rosa's stomach twisted, the ground seemed to disappear beneath her feet,

Hana's face contorted in disbelief. In a flash of rage, she lunched herself at Fabio, her fingers gripping his shirt "You are despicable."

Rosa stood frozen, she couldn't tear her eyes away from her father, the man she once trusted. She couldn't process the words he had just spoken, the cold finality in his voice. He had sold her.

Was this a nightmare? She had seen things like this happen in movies, heard about it in whispers... but this was her reality.

Her breath came in shallow gasps as the tears finally came again. She wiped them away but they kept coming, each one heavier than the last.

Fabio peeled Hana's hand from his collar with a lazy ease as if nothing had happened. He straightened his shirt, then took a long, deliberate drag from a cigarette.

"Go pack up her things" Fabio's words cut through the air like a knife "By morning, Silvio's men will be here"

Hana's knees buckled and she pressed a trembling hand to her mouth. Her eyes darted from Fabio to Rosa, disbelief freezing her in place. This couldn't be the same man she had married--the man she had fallen in love with. He was a stranger now, a monster in a man's body.

"You have to kill me first before I let my daughter live with such a man"

Fabio's cold laugh echoed through the room, but his eyes never left Hanna's. "You really think I care about your opinion? This is the moment Rosa pays me back for everything I've given her. I gave her the best life, didn't I?"

Rosa's voice tremble with a fury she could no longer contain "pay you back?" She took a shaky

step forward, her hands balled into a tight fist "I don't owe you anything. Not even Mom owes you"

Her words landed like a slap but they didn't stop Fabio. He smirked, stepping closer to Rosa with slow, strides. Hana's heart squeezed as she watched him, fear creeping up her spine

Rosa's breath hitched, waiting for the sting of his hand.But when it came, it was not a slap-it was something worse. Fabio's fingers curled in the air

His hand crashed down onto her hair, gripping it with merciless force. Rosa gasped, pain shooting through her scalp.

She struggled to pull away but he yanked her head back, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"Look at me Rosa." he growled

Rosa's vision blurred with tears, but she refused to look away.

Hana lunged forward, her hands reaching out, desperate to pull Fabio off. Before she could get close.. he shoved her aside with a force that sent her stumbling to the ground.