I never knew my real family. For as long as I could remember, I've been passed around from one abusive foster home to another. My earliest memories are filled with fear, pain, and loneliness. I learned early on that the people meant to protect you were often the ones that hurt you the most. Every bruise, every insult—each carved a little piece of my heart away until there was hardly anything left.
My foster father—if you could even call him that—was the worst. He'd drink himself into a stupor, then come looking for me. I spent countless nights hiding in closets, praying he wouldn't find me. I became an expert at being invisible. But being invisible doesn't make the pain go away.
At school, I kept my head down. Friends were a luxury I couldn't afford. I was just waiting for the day I turned eighteen, so I could run far away and never look back. But sometimes, life takes unexpected turns.
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Blood ties
Mystery / Thriller**Description:** After a lifetime of abuse in the foster care system, 17-year-old Elena discovers a shocking truth: she's the long-lost daughter of Giovanni Moretti, the most powerful mafia boss in the city. Taken in by her six protective brothers...
