Chained By the Italian Mafioso

I never asked for this life.

Sometimes, I wonder how it all spiraled out of control. One moment, we were a family. My mother, my father, and me. The next, she was gone, and it was just him and I-drifting in the undertow of his addictions, of his mistakes.

I was never supposed to be the one to hold everything together, but when your father sinks to the depths, you learn to carry the weight of his failures. I never expected to drown with him.

I stare at the cracked mirror in the cramped apartment we've been living in for what feels like an eternity. My reflection seems almost foreign to me. A shadow of the girl I once was, a girl who had dreams of escaping this hellhole, dreams that now feel so distant. A girl who believed that one day, maybe, I could have a life outside of this chaos.

But life doesn't care about dreams. It never does.

I adjust the black dress that clings to my body, a reminder of the last pieces of my mother I have left-her taste in clothes. I've been trying to keep it together, trying to look like I belong in this world where nothing makes sense anymore. But it's harder each day.

The door creaks open, and my father stumbles in, his body swaying. His eyes are bloodshot, his face pale. I can smell the alcohol on his breath even before he speaks.

-"Did you hear from him?"- His voice is thick, slurred. He's not asking for comfort, not asking for answers. He's just... talking. It's the only thing he does anymore.

I don't reply. I just nod. His gambling debts are far too high to be ignored now.

His eyes flicker to the floor, where the pile of bills and threats from loan sharks is scattered like confetti. He doesn't seem to care anymore.

-"I fucked up,"- he mutters, more to himself than to me.

I know you did.

I've known for a long time that we were already living on borrowed time. But I never imagined it would come to this-the deal my father struck with the devil.

The door slams shut again, but it's not my father. I jump slightly, my breath catching in my throat.

A tall figure stands in the doorway. His shadow falls over me like a dark cloud, and my pulse skips a beat. I know who it is before I even see his face.

Máximo.

The Capo di Tutti Capi. The man my father sold me to.

-"You didn't think I'd forget, did you?"- His voice is smooth, calculated, like the hiss of a snake preparing to strike.

My stomach twists. I stand up, my legs unsteady beneath me.

-"I'm not going anywhere with you."-

He smirks, stepping further into the room.

-"I'm not asking, Suzete."- His eyes are cold, merciless. He looks at me like I'm nothing more than a pawn in his game.

I take a step back, but he's already closing the distance between us.

-"You don't have a choice. Your father made sure of that."-

My heart pounds in my chest. I feel the walls of the room closing in on me, the suffocating reality of my situation settling in like a heavy weight. There's no escape.

-"You'll marry me,"- Máximo continues, his voice low and dangerous. -"It's the only way you'll survive. You can't fight it. You can't run."-

I want to scream. I want to fight back, to claw my way out of this nightmare. But I know I can't. I've seen what happens to people who cross him, who defy him. They disappear.

-"Why?"- I ask, my voice trembling. -"Why me?"-

He steps closer, his breath brushing my cheek.

-"Because your father owes me. And now you owe me, too."-

I want to hate him. I want to spit in his face and tell him to go to hell. But there's something in his eyes-something cold and calculating-that makes me freeze. I know better than to challenge him.

-"You'll be my wife,"- he says, his tone final. -"Whether you like it or not."-

I want to run. I want to scream and claw my way out of this. But I don't. I stay silent, my body frozen in place, as the man who owns my fate walks toward the door.

-"Get ready,"- he says over his shoulder. -"The wedding will be soon."-

As he leaves, the air in the room feels heavy. I can't breathe. I can't think.

My life is no longer mine. It belongs to him.

I allow myself a deep breath when the door closes behind Máximo. The sound of his heavy footsteps echoes in the hallway, and the emptiness he leaves in his wake seems to consume the air around me. The silence that follows is almost worse than his presence. My father doesn't say anything, as if he knows there are no more words left to change what has already been done.

My fingers tremble as I lean against the table. The world seems to spin around me, but I can't afford to break. Not now. I have to... what? Run? Where could I go? Máximo controls everything. Everyone.

- "Suzete..." - My father's voice scrapes the air like broken glass. I turn slowly to face him, trying not to show how much his words cut into me.

- "Don't say anything, please." - I almost don't recognize him anymore. He's no longer the man I once knew. He's a hollow shell, a man who traded his dignity for promises of easy money and an escape from what haunts him.

He shakes his head, visibly defeated. - "I had no choice... You... you don't have a choice, daughter." - His voice falters. He won't look me in the eyes. He knows he can't. Not after everything he's done. Not after selling me to Máximo.

I look at him with a mix of rage and fear, but I don't say anything. He has nothing left to offer. And what he's telling me is no longer a surprise. I knew this day would come. Since the moment I first met Máximo, I knew my life was going to become a shadow of what I once dreamed it could be.

- "He... he's going to... use me, isn't he?" - My voice trembles, but I manage to hold back the tears. I won't cry. Not anymore.

My father closes his eyes, trying to hide the pain he feels, but it's useless. Regret will never be enough to redeem him. To save me.

- "Yes... Yes, he will. But... you... you have no idea what you're facing, Suzete." - His voice becomes a whisper.

I look at him, angry but empty. - "I know what I'm facing. I know what you did. You don't have to remind me."

He's silent, his head hanging, as though the weight of his actions has finally broken him. But I'm beyond caring about his guilt. I'm beyond hoping for his help. He can't save me. He never could.

Another knock at the door interrupts my thoughts. Three sharp raps, rhythmic, almost like a warning. The next part of this nightmare is about to begin.

I slowly move toward the door, hesitating. My body reacts with fear, but my mind already knows what I have to do. There is no turning back. I'm not Suzete Manhiça anymore. I'm just property. And he's coming to claim me.

When I open the door, I see two men in black suits standing in the hallway, their faces impassive, like they're just doing their job. There's no kindness in them, only the coldness of those who are used to doing whatever is necessary to maintain power. They don't look at me like I'm a person. I'm just a pawn in their game.

- "Are you ready?" - The taller one asks, his voice harsh as steel.

I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. I just nod. My stomach is a tight knot. There is no choice. Not anymore.

- "He's waiting for you." - The other man's voice is softer, but the tone is still an order. They won't give me a choice. Not now.

I step out of the apartment, and the two men follow closely behind. The sensation of being watched, controlled, intensifies with every step. I feel like an animal being led to slaughter, but without the ability to fight back.

When we reach the car, they push me inside. There is no compassion in their actions, only the execution of a command. The vehicle starts moving without a word, and as the streets of the Italian city fly by, the weight of reality settles in my chest.

I am going to marry a man I don't know, a man who doesn't want me, but will possess me regardless. I'm no longer a daughter. I'm no longer a woman. I am property.

During the ride, my hands begin to sweat. What am I doing? How did I get here? But the answers will never come. All I know now is that what lies ahead is worse than anything I've ever lived through.

The city fades behind us as the car heads toward darkness. And I... I am just a piece on Máximo's chessboard.

When the car finally stops, they push me out, and I find myself standing before a massive iron gate, like I'm entering a castle. A castle I would never have chosen to inhabit. The gate opens slowly, and as it closes behind me, the sound is so loud it feels like my soul is being shut in, too.

- "Welcome to your new life." - The voice of the guard at the door is cold, emotionless. But in my mind, it sounds like a warning.

And deep down, I know there is no turning back anymore.