The Runaway Mafia Bride

|TEN YEARS AGO|

I'd always been the odd one out of my family. And no, I wasn't talking about how I was the only person who loved to stay in the gardens although father had specifically warned me against it.

I meant how I looked different from my mother and sister, while they boasted of blonde hair and bright blue eyes with model like faces and body structure, I on the other hand, inherited frizzy chestnut colored hair and unnatural grey eyes. Father had always said that they reminded him of the sky when it was overcast but mother had directly told me that it was an ugly and murky color.

Either ways, I looked nothing like my mother and sister. Luckily, people always said that I had a great deal of resemblance to my father, that was the only assurance I had that I was not adopted or picked off from the streets.

"Come here, pompom," I cooed gently at the feline that had wrapped itself around the branch of the large tree in front of me.

Lately, the thought began to niggle at me. What if I was adopted? What if I was an illegitimate child? After all, I'd heard the whispers of the maids and other workers in the manor. They always looked at me the same, with pity.

"Oh, mama! I think this is beautiful!"

I recognized the voice instantly, turning my attention away from the stubborn cat and towards the walkway that led to the manor. I spotted mother and my sister, raising my hand to wave at them when I noticed the array of bags the maids carried as they trailed behind them.

The smile on my face fell slowly and my hands dropped to my side. I watched as my mother cooed and clapped at my sister. I watched as my sister twirled around, the sheer pink ball gown, that was undoubtedly new, she donned shimmering under the soft glow of the sunlight.

"You look gorgeous, my love!" Mother cheered in an ecstatic voice, her eyes filled with adoration for my younger sister, "Absolutely gorgeous!"

I remembered distinctly when I asked mother for a new set of clothes since I'd outgrown the ones I had and I could recall her response,

'If we bought clothes simply because we got too fat for our previous ones then we wouldn't have a roof over our heads, would we?'

Of course, like the good girl that I was, I nodded in agreement but now, watching them as they twirled and rejoiced over their new outfits I couldn't help the pain I felt in my heart.

My eyes slowly fell to the crème colored gown I wore, it was way past my knee, rumpled after having seen too many days and was too tight at the bodice, however it was the only decent wear I had. It was given to me by one of the maids when she saw how small my other clothes appeared on my body.

'You're a growing child,' She muttered with tears in her eyes and bitter frustration in her tone as she searched through her bags for a outfit, 'Of course, you need new clothes. What's Mr. Cruz doing anyways?'

Although she muttered the last part to herself, I caught it but pretended not to hear. I'd stopped wondering why my father never paid me much attention, maybe like mother he couldn't stand the sight of me.

I swallowed the lump that had somehow gotten stuck in my throat, lifting my gaze towards the sky to prevent the tears from falling.

"Pompom?" My voice shook as I called, lifting my arms towards my cat, "Please, come down."

You see, I would have put up with it. I would've ignored their harsh words and cruel treatment. I would've ignored the hitting and getting locked up in the cellar for days on end. I would've ignored everything because I desperately wanted to cling on to my family and because maybe deep inside, I had hope that one day, mother would look at me and smile too.

But it wasn't going to happen. I was never going to get that chance.

'You're getting married.'

My father had broken the news to me last night and the ceremony was scheduled to hold a week from now. I had no idea who the groom was or why I was going to become a wife at fourteen. But when I saw the cruel smirk on mother's face and the joyful grin on my sister's face.

I was convinced then. I didn't belong here, no matter how much I tried. I wasn't her daughter because no parent would treat their child the way mother did me.

"Good girl," I whispered when Pompom managed to untangle herself from the tree, jumping into my arms, "Very good girl."

As I stroked Pompom's soft fur, I decided in my heart then. I wasn't going to get married against my will and I wasn't going to put up with a family that didn't need me.

I was going to leave, run as far away as I can get and never look back. It was the only thing I could do to survive.

I doubted they would even notice my absence if I was gone. The only thing they would feel is embarrassment at having to cancel the wedding because of a missing bride.

"Come on, Pompom," I muttered to the feline and her ears perked in response, "We have a grand escape to plan."

The cat meowed in response, swinging her furry tail this way and that. I smiled at the reaction, stroking her fur and she snuggled closer to me.

"Where do you think we should go, Pom?" I whispered in a tone low enough for only our ears.

Pompom meowed again, stretching her back and then curling into a ball in my hands. My lips quirked and I looked upwards, gazing at the horizon in the distance.

"Well, I know where," I continued in a soft voice, my eyes drifting faraway, reminiscent of the place that I constantly marked on the globe back in my room, "America. Let's go to America, Pompom."

Pompom made a quiet sound and I took that as an agreement, my smile growing wider. It was settled then,

America, it is.

The loud crackle of the thunder caused the earth to rumble in response. It wasn't even up to a second when the sky opened up, releasing torrents of rain unto the ground. The trees swayed with the heavy winds and some of the rusty aluminium sheets on the roof of a few houses on the row pulled off, drifting into the distance.

The small narrow street in the town of Ostashkov was devoid of people, everyone having escaped into their homes to shield themselves from the angry burst of the weather. But it was of no use to some, especially those who had their weakened roofs removed by the wind.

Inside the dark, grungy street there was a particular house at the end of the road and in the house, a small room. Two women stood inside the dimly lit room, both of them sharing the same expressions of concern as they watched their friend struggle for air on the bed.

"Come on," Andrea, one of the women, urged, her head buried in between Natalie's legs, "I can see the child's head now, just a little more. Push!"

Natalie grabbed onto the fingers of Lyanna, squeezing harshly as she forced her back away from the bed and screamed in agony, "Arrgh!"

Natalie fell back down on the bed, her chest rising and falling rapidly, cold sweat rolling down her forehead, Lyanna moved quickly dabbing a wet towel against her face.

"I can't," Natalie cried, shaking her head from side to side, "I can't."

Andrea's head popped up from between her legs, "You have to, Natalie! Your child's life depends on this!"

"Yes, Natalie," Lyanna nodded in agreement, pushing away the soaked strands of hair away from her face, "You have to do this."

Natalie nodded and Lyanna placed a small horizontal rag into her mouth for her to bite on. Natalie sucked in a sharp breath and bit on the rag, pushing with all her might.

As she screamed, the sky echoed with her, thundering and crackling with so much force that the roof above their heads shook with the effect.

The sound of a crying child brought so much relief to her ears. She panted, spitting out the rag from her mouth and falling against the plush mattress. Her fingers dropped from Lyanna's hand and she worked to regain her breath.

"Oh, Khristos! It's a girl," Lyanna cooed, her heart swelling with joy as she watched Andrea wrap the child in a white blanket.

Andrea marched forward, rocking the mewling banay girl in her arms. She stopped beside Natalie, smiling softly as she presented the child,

"She's beautiful, Nat."

Natalie smiled shakily and with the help of Lyanna was raised to a seating position. Andrea gently placed the baby in her mother's arms, watching as her friend's face instantly lit up with joy.

"Look at her nose," Natalie spoke softly, rubbing her thumb against her child's cheek, "She's going to be very pretty, I just know it."

The baby crooned quietly and Natalie rocked her, shushing her with her lips. Lyanna and Andrea watched their friend with sympathy.

Natalie didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve the life thrown at her and yet, she had to suffer for it. Andrea moved to speak but Lyanna held her hand, shaking her head.

Andrea blew out a frustrated breath, her eyes flickering to the mother and child. She knew that she couldn't just keep quiet.

"You don't have to do this, Natalie."

Natalie froze, the smile on her face instantly dropping. Natalie slowly lifted her head, grey eyes falling on the two females.

"I have to," She looked back down at the angel in her arms, "For my child's survival, this is the only thing I can do."

Andrea made to speak but she gave her look and then passed the child to Lyanna who quickly accepted the bundle of joy.

"Get me a paper and pen."

"But you-"

"Andrea," She threw her a stern look and the female sighed, walking away towards the corner of the room and returning with a piece of paper and pen.

Andrea placed it on her palms, giving her a disapproving stare, "We have to stitch you up, you're badly wounded."

Natalie nodded, her body weakening with each movement, "Later, we have to do this now."

Her fingers moved hastily against the paper, each stroke and letters were smooth and curled. Her signature handwriting that people always complimented. When she was done, she handed the paper to Andrea.

"This letter has the power to save my child's life," Andrea clutched it in her palms and squeezed, "And I'm leaving it with you, help me."

Andrea swallowed the tight lump in her throat and nodded, her watery gaze falling on the child that was no eagerly suckling on her mother's breast.

The three women worked swiftly, well only two of them. While Andrea moved to clean up and stitch Natalie, Lyanna arranged the child, wrapping her up in a warm blanket.

Once they were done, Andrea shrugged on a large raincoat and boots to match. Lyanna walked over to her, child in arms and Andrea sighed, her gaze flickering to Natalie who was watching them with sad eyes.

Andrea cocked a brow, asking silently if she was sure of this and Natalie, having understood, nodded once and looked away, towards the window. Andrea caught how her lower jaw trembled, her fingers balling into a tight fist.

She shook her head in disappointment and took the child from Lyanna.

"Be safe," The female told her softly and she smiled in response.

Andrea turned towards the door and unlocked it, the sky was still pouring outside which would mean that nobody was going to be on the streets. It was the perfect opportunity. With a heavy sigh, she squared her shoulders and held the child tightly before taking the first step out.

Natalie was barely able to see with the wind whipping at her face and the rain slapping at her. The poor child kept crying in her arms and she did her best to shield the baby from the cold rain.

She remembered the address Natalie had told her, after all they'd snuck in a few times to watch the glamorous family. The moment she spotted the large house, she breathed shakily.

As expected no soul was in sight and she hastily climbed up the stairs leading to the grand doors. Luckily, the area was dry and protected from the harsh weather so she was assured that the child would be safe.

"Shush now, child," She cooed softly, her voice trembling as she spoke, "You're right where you belong."

Andrea crouched down, placing the wrapped baby at the foot of the door. The child wailed even more, stretching her tiny fingers towards her and Andrea fought to hold back her tears.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, placing the card that Natalie had previously given her on top the baby's stomach.

Andrea apologized again, raising to fingers to her lips and placing it on the child's forehead.

"Be safe."

As if the child knew what was going to happen next, her lips parted wider and she released a very loud wail, causing the sky to echo with her. Andrea looked away, tightening her hold on the coat and standing straight.

Without another word, she marched forward and sped into the street, running without looking back.

"I'm really sorry that it had to end this way, Lola."

I smiled wryly, shrugging my shoulders as I adjusted the strap of my bag properly. I glanced at the building that used to be my work place for the past four years and smiled in nostalgia.

"It's fine," I told my boss, or should I say ex-boss now, "It's a shame that this happened."

Simon nodded, his chubby cheeks bobbing along with the motion. He looked towards the building as well and I caught a light mist in his eyes.

Was he...crying?

I sighed and moved forward, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and that seemed to do it for him. He bursted into full tears, shoulders trembling and chest heaving. I felt awkward just standing there as I patted his back, the people walking past kept throwing us skeptical looks.

Simon Douglas was my boss and had been the CEO of a small finance business cooperation in Illinois. The hub, as we used to call it, was really a rundown building that was on the verge of collapsing. However, we did well. In fact, we did too well and it sparked jealousy amongst the other fintech companies. In the end, it resulted in a long drawn out fight leading to the dissolution of Doug and Co.

Simon had no other option but to let all his employees off, including me. His trusted secretary. Of course, he had to pay us our salaries so that must be the reason for his tears. Or he just really cherished the company.

I had seen this coming anyways, I'd warned him about it and advised to relocate to a much better building where we would have a better standing against the lawsuits thrown in our faces. He didn't listen and now, I was the only left to console his broken heart.

After a lot of patting, which took about twenty minutes, he suggested that I leave since it would be too heartbreaking for me to watch him leave. I definitely didn't understand what that was about but nodded in response. I boarded a taxi with my box, which was filled with all my work items, in hand as I headed home.

The moment I stepped into the apartment I shared with my roommate, I shrugged my shoes off and placed the box down before heading inside. I wasn't too shocked when I saw my roommate and best friend, sitting cross-legged on the couch, her face in tight concentration as she stared at the canvas.

"What are you doing?" I asked, flinging my bag towards the corner and then, plopped down on the single seater across from her.

Leticia didn't respond, her gaze still fixed on the canvas in front of her. I frowned, leaning forward to snap my fingers this way and that.

Still nothing.

When I stood to sit down beside her, only then did she tip her head backward, eyes widening in slight shock. I smiled and waved in greeting, my gaze falling on the earbuds tucked into her ears. I pointed at them, mouthing at her to take it off.

"Sorry," Leticia chuckled apologetically as she took the airpods off, dropping them on the sidehandle of the board.

I took a look at what she'd been busy with and frowned upon seeing it,

"You haven't drawn anything."

My friend nodded, blowing out a breath in despair, "I can't think of a single thing, Lols. Nothing!" She clutched curly locks and tugged at it, screaming in frustration, "I need something before this Friday, otherwise my gallery opening will be a huge flop."

"I'm sure you'll think of something, I could be an inspiration, you know."

Leticia's head snapped up, "You? An inspiration?" She scoffed, "As if."

"Look at me and tell me that you don't think I'm a work of art," I placed the back of my palm underneath my chin and tilted my head to the side in a cheeky manner, "Everyone tells me so."

Leticia simply rolled her eyes and then shifted to face me, "How did your last day at work go?"

The smile on my face fell and I blew out a breath, "Terrific, I had to console my sobbing boss right in the middle of the road for twenty minutes."

"Yikes, and I thought I was having the worst day."

I couldn't help but smile at the comment. Somehow, Letty was one of the few persons that was able to coax multiple smiles from me. I remembered the day we stumbled into each other, I'd just recently moved away from home and was fresh in the city, looking for a roof over my head. She was the first and only person available, also new into the city and just like me, who wanted a combined apartment in order to split the bills. I'd instantly disliked her on sight and she didn't fancy me much either but we were desperate enough to take the lease.

Four years past and a lot of yelling and arguments later, we'd managed to stick together, even better than glue and are still waxing strong. I couldn't imagine sharing this part of my life with anyone else and at this point, I considered her a sister.

"Ah, before I forget, blue eyes dropped something for you."

I knew who she was talking about but I frowned nonetheless,

"What is it?"

"Don't know," She shrugged, shifting to face her empty board, "It's in your room, I dropped it on your bed."

I thanked her and headed into the adjacent room, locking the door behind me as I meandered forward. True to Letty's words, there was a brown package on my bed. I picked it up, examining as I turned it from side to side.

This was strange. Cole usually called me beforehand if he was going to drop off anything so this was a surprise.

Intrigued but still cautious, I plopped on the bed and gently unraveled the package. When I was done, I noticed it still had another wrapping and rolled my eyes.

So typical of Cole, he was the only one in my family who double wrapped everything.

The more I tore into the wrapper, I noticed that it was a familiar object and held back a gasp. Now, I was excited and worked faster. I couldn't hold back the laughter when I saw what it was.

How did he even get it? I wondered aloud, pulling the stretchy headband in my hand.

It was an exact replica. My eyes fell on the tiny card sitting inside the wrapper and I smiled beforr picking it up.

In Cole's overly dramatic handwriting were the words scribbled in dark ink,

'Today makes it ten years since you walked into our lives. Ten years since you made our incomplete family complete. You might not know it but your entrance into our lives brought so much joy and happiness. You made mom smile again. You made dad love again. And you gave me the gift of having a sibling. Thank you for everything and even if your real identity is some other person. You will always remain my baby sister, Lola Smith.'

Underneath was his messy signature with a small heart beside it. I didn't even notice I was crying until the first drop hit the paper and I tipped my head back up, sniffling softly.

I looked back down at the headband, the original was long gone now. It was burnt by flames along with the rest of my former belongings, everything that reminded me of who I truly was had been burned down to ashes.

I was no longer Estella, that girl was long gone and dead. All that remained was who I was now,

Lola Smith.