Rome

LAÏS'S POINT OF VIEW

The woman pulled back the curtain of the room and looked out onto the street. She surveyed everything very carefully before turning to face me.

"They're no longer on the street. You need to leave. I don't even want to think about what could happen to me if they find out I helped you." She ran her clammy hands through her thinning, almost white hair.

"Then why are you helping me?" I couldn't contain my curiosity, even in such a desperate situation.

"I know very well what it's like to spend your life married to a man you don't want."

I looked at her expression and felt sorry for her, even though my situation wasn't the best either. I wanted to ask what had happened to her, to hear her story, but I didn't have the time. As the woman herself had said, the mafia could punish her severely if they discovered she was sheltering me.

"May I know your name?"

"Ana."

"Thank you so much, Ana. My name is Laïs."

"Let's go!" She motioned for me to follow her down the stairs.

"I'll give you the little money I have with me. You'll go to the corner where there's a taxi stand. Take one to the station. There, buy a ticket as far away as you can. Once you arrive, try to sell the gems you have to earn a little more, but don't sell everything. They will try to take advantage of you and give you less change. Remember, the important thing is to get away from Rome and even Italy as soon as possible. The mafia has eyes everywhere, and it will be impossible to shake them off if you stay here."

"I understand." I nodded as I descended the stairs into the kitchen. Ana stopped in front of a counter and opened a wooden box. She pulled out some crumpled bills and handed them to me. It was just a few euros; I thought I wouldn't be able to go very far, but it was so much more than I could have hoped she would give me.

"Thank you!" I pressed the money to my chest.

"Don't tell anyone who you are or why you're running away."

I nodded in agreement.

"Now go, my girl, run!"

"Thank you!"

I bolted through the door I had entered without looking back. Something inside me told me I would never see this woman, who had so willingly helped me, again, but I would be eternally grateful for everything she had done and for the chance to lead a life different from what they had decided for me.

The little bird had finally gotten the chance to break free from its cage and fly freely. I crossed the street quickly and ran through the crowd until I reached the other side of the sidewalk. I continued toward the taxi stand Ana had mentioned.

I paused for a second to catch my breath before approaching a man standing in a wooden booth. Distracted, he was staring at the sky, pulling on his cigarette as if he had nothing to fear, unlike me, who was terrified of being caught at any moment.

"Sir, could you please take me to the station?"

"Yes!" He crushed his cigarette against the wall where he was leaning and turned to me with a friendlier smile. "Where are your bags?"

"I don't have any bags."

"Oh, you're following someone, I bet it's a boyfriend," he joked, jumping to conclusions, but I thought it best not to engage in conversation, especially not to tell him I was going somewhere with just the clothes on my back.

He walked over to one of the white vehicles and opened the door. I got in without hesitation. I had no time to waste; the longer I stayed on the street, the riskier it was for me. I had left Dom at the altar, and I couldn't expect anyone else to come looking for me.

As soon as I settled in, the taxi driver circled around the car and took the driver's seat. I adjusted the bag I was holding on my lap and rubbed my hands together impatiently as he fiddled with the rearview mirror as if he had all the time in the world.

"If you could go a little faster, I'd really appreciate it."

"Missing your boyfriend?"

"Very much," I lied.

"We'll be there in a few minutes."

I waited for him to start the vehicle and sank back into my seat when I saw a black car, like the one I had left the convent in, speed past us. It was highly likely they had come back to look for me.

I kept my head down, pretending to focus on my hands so the taxi driver wouldn't question me. It was the best way I could think of to cover my face and try to remain unnoticed. I wasn't the only girl with long brown hair in all of Rome.

It took a few minutes for the taxi driver to pull up in front of the station.

"That'll be five euros, please."

"Thank you." I opened the plastic bag containing my jewelry and the money Ana had given me. I pulled out a crumpled five-euro bill and handed it to the driver.

"I hope your boyfriend asks you to marry him. You're a very pretty girl, and he can't let you get away."

I ended up laughing, as given the situation, his comment seemed quite amusing. The guy had no idea I was actually running away from a man I had belonged to since I was eleven and was supposed to marry.

I got out of the taxi and entered Termini Station, the largest train station in Rome, which was very busy, filled with people going from one place to another, preoccupied with their own commitments, and they didn't care who I was or what I was doing there.

Contrary to what I had imagined, it was a very modern station, with escalators and numerous shops that made it look like a shopping mall. I stopped in front of a Victoria's Secret and looked around in astonishment and delight.

I needed a woman to bump into my shoulder to remind me that I didn't have time, just like everyone else rushing by. I went to the first empty ticket counter, as there were many from various companies, and leaned close to the window, staring at the distracted woman filing her nails.

"Please, I need a ticket to anywhere, as far away from Rome as possible."

"I have a train leaving for Milan in twenty minutes."

"Is that far?"

"It's in Lombardy, just a few kilometers from France." She frowned, looking at me with the puzzled expression of someone who doesn't understand my questions.

I thought for a few seconds about my precarious grasp of geography. I admitted that it had never been one of my greatest interests while I was at the convent. However, if it was near France, that would do.

"That will do." I took the money I had in the bag and handed it to her.

The woman counted the bills while continuing to stare at me with a questioning and reserved look. It was obvious that I was running from something or someone, but she didn't ask any more personal questions. I thought it was better that way; in fact, it wasn't her business.

She pushed coins and a train ticket through the glass slot. That was all the money I had left from what Ana had given me, and I would have to hustle to get more once I arrived in Milan.

With the ticket in hand, I headed in the direction the woman had indicated. The train would depart from platform five. It was already there, and many people were boarding with their belongings; most had suitcases or bags. I had only the plastic bag and all my courage.

I boarded the train behind a family with two children no older than five and made my way to my seat. I sank into the red chair and rested my head against the window. As my mind faded, I watched people moving from one platform to another, saying goodbye to their loved ones or boarding the train.

It didn't take long for the vehicle to start moving, and I let out a sigh of relief. I was leaving Rome, and I imagined that with it, I was also leaving behind my fate of marrying Marco Bellucci.