Aurora

Escape was my only option. My only hope for a life that could belong to me.

I know he’s out there—the man I was supposed to marry. The one the mafia gave my name to. I’ve never seen his face, never heard his voice, but I know he exists. And I know he’s looking for me.

He could find me. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday for sure. And when he does, I don’t know what he’ll do. He might kill me. Cut me into pieces. Force me into marriage again. Or even worse. In his world, I’m not a person. I’m property. A debt paid. A name handed over in a deal.

That’s what haunts me every second...

Even in the peace I’ve built here, even in the comfort of this quiet town and the warmth of my little apartment, there’s always a sliver of fear. It creeps into my dreams, twists through my thoughts when the streets fall silent, when the shadows move just a little too strangely.

That’s why, when I arrived, I became someone new.

I told everyone my name was Aurora. Just Aurora. No last name. No history. I buried my ID and passport deep in a hidden spot in the house, so far gone that even I would have to think twice about how to find them. There’s no trace of who I am. Only Aurora lives here now.Escape was my only option. My only hope for a life that could belong to me.

I know he’s out there—the man I was supposed to marry. The one the mafia gave my name to. I’ve never seen his face, never heard his voice, but I know he exists. And I know he’s looking for me.

He could find me. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday for sure. And when he does, I don’t know what he’ll do. He might kill me. Cut me into pieces. Force me into marriage again. Or even worse. In his world, I’m not a person. I’m property. A debt paid. A name handed over in a deal.

That’s what haunts me every second...

Even in the peace I’ve built here, even in the comfort of this quiet town and the warmth of my little apartment, there’s always a sliver of fear. It creeps into my dreams, twists through my thoughts when the streets fall silent, when the shadows move just a little too strangely.

That’s why, when I arrived, I became someone new.

I told everyone my name was Aurora. Just Aurora. No last name. No history. I buried my ID and passport deep in a hidden spot in the house, so far gone that even I would have to think twice about how to find them. There’s no trace of who I am. Only Aurora lives here now.Escape was my only option. My only hope for a life that could belong to me.

I know he’s out there—the man I was supposed to marry. The one the mafia gave my name to. I’ve never seen his face, never heard his voice, but I know he exists. And I know he’s looking for me.

He could find me. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday for sure. And when he does, I don’t know what he’ll do. He might kill me. Cut me into pieces. Force me into marriage again. Or even worse. In his world, I’m not a person. I’m property. A debt paid. A name handed over in a deal.

That’s what haunts me every second...

Even in the peace I’ve built here, even in the comfort of this quiet town and the warmth of my little apartment, there’s always a sliver of fear. It creeps into my dreams, twists through my thoughts when the streets fall silent, when the shadows move just a little too strangely.

That’s why, when I arrived, I became someone new.

I told everyone my name was Aurora. Just Aurora. No last name. No history. I buried my ID and passport deep in a hidden spot in the house, so far gone that even I would have to think twice about how to find them. There’s no trace of who I am. Only Aurora lives here now.