A Penny For Your Tears

One

Hiya, thank you for deciding to give this story a try, it means the world to me!! I would just like to say that there are two versions of this book on my profile, if any of you are fans of Zayn Malik or One Direction then the other version might be for you as it has them as the central characters and this one is simply a fiction novel with made up characters. Either way, the story is the exact same. Feel free to give me a follow and well, I'll leave you to it, enjoy!

My heart beat profusely, mind racing as I went through the million different things that could go wrong tonight. My hands trembled as I rapidly threw clothes into the largest suitcase I could find, thought after thought occupying my mind.I had to get out of here that was all that mattered. As minutes ticked by, I gave up all together, paranoia making its way to my head. I grabbed whatever I had and rushed out the room. Holding my suitcase tightly, I tiptoed down the large marble stair case, careful not to make a sound. Though he wasn't at home, the house was filled with servants and guards that were loyal to him and wouldn't hesitate to call him. I breathed a sigh of relief as I opened the huge double of doors of the mansion I was forced to call my home for the past three years. A small smile found its way to my face as the night breeze hit my face; sure, I had been outside before, however, there was something different about this breeze, this time I was out here on my own accord, of my own free will, unguarded and unprotected. Not allowing myself to indulge for too long, I rushed out the gates where a taxi stood waiting for me. "JFK airport please, and hurry."

°°°

"Flight 329 to London is now open for boarding, please make your way to the appointed gate. Have a safe flight." The words echoed in my mind and I knew I had to go but I couldn't seem to get myself to move. If I did this, if I got on that flight there would be no turning back. Truth be told I was scared, terrified even that in the next moment he would rush through this airport, guns blazing and ready to take me back to hell.

"Uhm Miss, I think you need to leave now if you want to catch your flight." My head moved towards the source of these words and my eyes met a beautiful pair of hazel brown eyes. The owner of these eyes was a young man with long chestnut brown hair tied back in a bun. He had on a large backpack and wore black sweatpants with a loose fitting shirt. He was undoubtedly on his way to go backpacking in Asia or something. Nevertheless, this was the first time a man other than Luca had spoken to me and I was at loss of words.

"Yeah,uhm, thank you." I mumbled, grabbing my things before heading towards my gate. The man waved me goodbye and then walked off in a different direction. I took a deep breath as I stood in line, my hands trembling as I held my passport. I was really doing this, I was really leaving him. I handed my passport to the flight attendant, patting my leg nervously as I waited for her to hand it back.

"Here you go, have a safe flight." She gave me my passport with a smile which I tried to return but it came out as an awkward grimace. I walked through the tunnel and into the plane where was greeted by another attendant who lead me to my seat. While sitting down, a small laugh escaped my lips.It was done, there was no going back now. I was free, free of him. 'But for how long?' the scared little voice in the back of my mind questioned. That was a worry for another day, I had made the first steps to freedom and that was all that mattered. I had smashed my phone to pieces before leaving the house and so there was no way he could track me now, even if he tried it would take him months. More than enough time.

"Would you like something to drink, M'am?M'am? Miss? Miss!" I flinched as the attendant reached over and shook my shoulder, she looked weirdly at me before gesturing at the cart full of beverages.

"Yes, a glass of champagne please and some oreos please." The flight attendant smiled at me and took out a bottle from her cart. She popped it open and poured it effortlessly into a glass.

"What's the occasion?"She asked, handing it to me.

"I, uhm, I" I stuttered, struggling to find a response.How on earth was I supposed to explain that I was running away from my Italian boyfriend, who happened to be the son of the most feared Mafia leader in all of New York, probably even America. How was I supposed to explain that he was also a bipolar, sadist who humiliated, assaulted and harassed me on a daily basis? And that he was dominant and possessive and could not live without knowing where I was every minute of every day. How was I supposed to tell her that and more importantly why should I tell her that? So, I kept it simple; "I, uhm, I broke up with my boyfriend?"

"At it girl." She gave me a high-five and I was surprised at the compliment. "Who needs a man anyway, us girls got to stick together."My heart warmed at her words. I didn't know it at the time but I needed to hear those words. "So, what's the plan? Go to to London and become a stripper?I hear it pays well." I winced slightly at her joke before chuckling awkwardly. I hadn't laughed in so long, it felt as if I had forgotten how to.

"No, my grandparents live there and I haven't seen them in years. I plan to stay with them for awhile and I guess tour around Europe." I was surprised at my ability to hold this conversation, usually I was so overcome with nerves and social anxiety that I could barely let out a simple hello and yet here I was. Talking smoothly with a stranger, I blamed it on the alcohol.

"Well, I've got to get back to work. Here's another glass, you've already finished the first one. Anyway, good luck sister." She took my empty glass of champagne and replaced it with a filled one. I gave her appreciative smile and turned to look at out the window.I leaned my head back, a feeling of peace and tranquility coming over me as my eyes began to feel heavy. Before I knew it had I drifted off into a peaceful oblivion.

°°°

"Ladies and gentleman, flight 329 will be arriving in London shortly.Please put on your seat belts and prepare for landing." My eyes shot open at the sound of the pilot's voice and it took a while for me to register my surroundings and regain proper consciousness. Somehow, I had managed to drift in and out of sleep the entire flight and my half- empty glass of champagne sat in front of me. I downed the rest of it before putting on my seat belt.Leaning back as the plan started its descent. It didn't take long before we touched ground and my heart began beating quickly. I had done it, I was in London, miles and miles away from him. As soon I was able to I grabbed my things and rushed out the plane, which was task deemed almost impossible due to the fact that the people in front of me refused to move out of the way.

"Thank you for flying with British Airways, we hope to see you soon." The flight attendant from earlier said as I walked by her, I waved her goodbye before stepping out the plane. A breeze of fresh air hitting me as my feet touched English ground. I walked to a duty free store and used the last of my money to buy myself a new phone using it to calling my grandparents, telling them I had arrived. I might be broke now but at least I was broke and free. I then made my way to the arrivals gate where my luggage was waiting for me. With every step, a weight was lifted from shoulder and my heart leaped with joy at the thought of the future ahead of me. A future without Luca Barletta.

A/N: THIS IS NOT THE ZAYN MALIK VERSION, THAT VERSION HAS THE SAME NAME BUT HAS Z.M IN THE TITLE. OOOH, I'm so excited for this story. This chapter was a bit off but this was because I didn't know how to start it off exactly but I promise you the next chapter is much,much better and it only gets better from there.

Disclaimer: This is story is a dark romance and the following chapters will touch upon mature subjects such as drugs, gang violence, abuse and rape. Read at your own risk.

On a further note, I hope you like it so far. It's very, very different from my last book. However, I'm very excited about this one cause it's definitely more a creative approach as I'm making up everything as I go. Please, please vote and definitely comment in this book, I'd like to be able to engage more with all of you. Have good day,

Noena11