Episode 2

Chapter 2 – Unknown Territory

The plane landed under a gray Milan sky, with heavy clouds threatening rain. My heart was racing, a mixture of fear and anxiety that seemed to invade every cell of my body. I looked out the window, seeing the hangars and the movement of the airports, thinking that, from then on, my life would never be the same.

I picked up my suitcase, heavy not only with the weight of the clothes, but with the invisible burden of a story I barely knew. The flight was long, but it was within me that time weighed the most—I was leaving behind the only family I knew: my neighborhood, my mother, the few friends. Now, I was throwing myself into the unknown, into the house of the man who sent me money every month, but who never hugged me. Into the house of the sister I only knew through a cell phone screen.

The airport corridor seemed endless, and the European cold tightened my thin coat, as if already warning me that Italy would not be a welcoming place for me. My cell phone vibrated once—it was a message from my father: "I'm in the lobby. Wait."

There was no exclamation point, no sweet word, just a contained order. "Wait."

Turning to the lobby, he was there—a tall man, with dark hair and eyes as cold as winter days. The tailored suit left no doubt about his power. He approached, extending his hand formally, without a smile, without a hug.

"Jasmim," he said, his voice firm and controlled. "Welcome to Italy."

I couldn't hide the tremor in my voice when I replied:

"Thank you, sir."

It was then that a presence appeared behind him—Jade. The sister I only knew through quick and cold calls. She stared at me for a few seconds, green eyes sparking a mixture of surprise and contempt. Her smile was forced, full of that falseness that I had already felt in the video calls.

"So, this is the 'other' one," she murmured, audible only to me.

I swallowed the urge to respond. I no longer had the strength to argue with someone who saw me as an intruder.

My father broke the silence:

"Don't waste time with her. Things here will be different. You will learn your place."

Those words, although harsh, were expected. After all, I was not part of that world, just a shadow that money helped to maintain.

That night, sitting in the room that was assigned to me—an elegant space, but as cold as my father—I thought about everything I left behind. My mother, with her warm embrace, teaching me to be strong. My humble neighborhood, my simple life. And the promise I made to her never to let myself be overcome by fear.

The sound of the ringtone on my cell phone made me look at the screen. It was a message from Jade:

"Things are different here. If you want to survive, pretend. Learn to smile at those who deserve it, and ignore the rest."

I felt a chill. The war began silently, with words that cut more than daggers.

And I was in the center of it.

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