Book two of 'The Vengeance Duology'
Five years ago, the lads and I made the biggest mistake of our lives-a reckless decision that shattered everything.
We destroyed what mattered most, but my deepest regret is how much I hurt her.
Every moment of pa...
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In many ways, the past five years have been both the most painful and the most transformative of my life.
It's been five years since I've seen them.
Five. Fucking. Years.
When I moved to New York five years ago, I was an insecure girl with no home, no direction, no confidence, and a heart shattered beyond repair. I was lost, drowning in the weight of everything my so-called family had done to me.
But now, five years later, I am the opposite of who I was then. I have a place of my own, no lingering insecurities, a heart that has slowly started to heal, and an empire I've built with my own hands. No one can take that away from me.
I'm up for Businesswoman of the Year and hold the title of Best Female-Run Business. Every sleepless night over the past two years, every moment of doubt and exhaustion, has paid off. It has all been worth it. But none of this happened overnight.
The first year I was here, I was just another girl trying to make it in a city that didn't care. I juggled multiple jobs-bartender, waitress, personal assistant-while doing my fashion internship and designing clothes on the side. It was exhausting, every single day.
I lived in a one-bedroom flat in the worst neighborhood, where gang violence and stabbings happened right outside my window. I slept on the pull-out bed in the living room while my best friend, Jacques, took the bedroom. We argued about it almost daily. He insisted I take the bed, but I was the one who dragged him to New York with me, so I wouldn't hear it.
The second year wasn't much different, but we managed to move to a slightly better neighborhood. It still wasn't the safest, and Jacques always made sure I was never walking alone. Whenever he could, he would come to pick me up from work, always ensuring I got home safely.
But it was in the third year that everything took a turn for the worse. I was kidnapped by the Mexican mafia, torn away from the life I was struggling to build, and thrust into a nightmare beyond anything I could have imagined. For an entire year, I was trapped in their world, enduring horrors no one should ever have to face.
What they put me through was far worse than anything the Russian mafia had done. Each day felt like a battle just to survive. I was broken, bruised, and teetering on the edge of giving up. There were days when the darkness felt all-consuming, and I considered ending it all, thinking it might be my only escape.
But somewhere, deep inside, there was a flicker of hope-a small voice urging me to hold on a little longer. I'm grateful I listened to that voice because, against all odds, Jacques found me. He never stopped searching, even when the rest of the world had given up.
The things I endured during that year still haunt me. There were nights when I would wake up screaming, drenched in a cold sweat. But I've used every scar and painful memory to fuel my determination. I promised myself I would never be that powerless again. I vowed to rise from the ashes, stronger and fiercer than ever.
