The mafia king's runaway bride

Aurora

The brewing aroma of musky wine fills the air, making me feel alive. As I walk down the familiar streets toward my apartment, I catch sight of the grapevine that winds its way through my neighbourhood it’s quiet, unassuming, yet full of life. I live next to a huge grapevine which is owned by an old man. I usually see him in the evenings but he just smiles at me and doesn’t say a word. I find him nice but a little weird at the same time. Well just like a I living a hell of a life maybe he is living one too…

I run a small coffee shop in the heart of a quiet town, surrounded by nothing but kind hearted and gracious people. It’s a peaceful life, far removed from the mafia life I left behind, the life I hated deeply. My family background is a mess, a tangle of chaos I’ve attempted hard to run from.

I’ve made two close friends: Sofia and Gio. I am lucky that I’ve landed here from all the chaos. In this small town with kind people, quiet streets, and two friends who feel like home. It makes my life feels much better than before.

I stride into my apartment and set the grocery bags down with a soft thud. The place greets me with its usual stillness, wrapped in warm baby pink walls that somehow make everything feel softer. The living room blends into the kitchen with no doors, no divisions, just space that feels like mine. I never bothered with a dining table. Living alone has its own rhythm, and mine means dinner in the living room on the couch, usually with some softmusic playing in the background after each stressful days.

I pull out a piece of steak, set it on the counter, and grab two potatoes from the bag. As they boil, I season the steak and drop it into the pan. It sizzles instantly, filling the apartment with that rich, mouth-watering scent. I uncork a bottle of grape wine, pour myself a glass, and lean back against the counter next to me.

This life is peace. Not perfect and not destroyed completely, but it is just mine and it always makes me feel good.

I think of Sofia and Giovanni. Sofia always knows when something’s wrong, like she’s tuned into a frequency no one else can hear. She shows up without asking, and somehow that’s exactly what I need. Gio is like the big brother I never had, he looks after me and always offers help for things I’ve never asked for.

Tonight, with wine in hand and dinner on the stove, I feel okay. Maybe even more than okay.

After finishing dinner, I curl up on the couch with my half-empty glass of wine and reach for my phone. It’s a habit I haven’t been able to break, always checking, just in case. I scroll through my notifications with my heart thudding a little too fast than normal, half-hoping there’s nothing there.

No messages. No missed calls. Nothing from them.

Good.

I don’t want anything from that cruel city. Not a word, not a memory, not a whisper of what I left behind. That place only knew how to break me down, how to twist love into something sharp. I escaped it once, and I have no intention of letting it pull me back.

I set my phone face down on the coffee table and let out a long breath. Outside, the streetlights cast a soft glow through the windows, painting golden lines on the walls. In this quiet town, in this new life I gave to myself, I remind myself that silence can be a blessing sometimes.