The bell above the cafe door jingled softly as Pavani wiped down the last of the tables. Her shift was finally over, but her mind lingered on the couple seated in the corner. Their hushed laughter and the way the man leaned in to kiss the woman, oblivious to the world around them, had stirred something deep within her.

A pang of longing struck her chest, quick and sharp, before she buried it beneath the weight of reality. That kind of love wasn’t meant for someone like her—someone with bloodstains in her past and secrets she could never share.

Tugging her coat tighter against the evening chill, she stepped out into the street. The city felt different at night. The vibrant buzz of the day gave way to shadows, and Pavani’s senses sharpened with every step. Her neighborhood wasn’t exactly a picture of safety.

The graffiti-covered walls, flickering streetlights, and the distant sound of raised voices were reminders of the kind of place she could afford on her limited budget.

Her eyes darted to every passing figure, scanning for anything that might feel off. Years of growing up in the mafia had taught her to trust her instincts, and those instincts never truly rested.

“Keep your head down, don’t draw attention,” she muttered under her breath, a mantra that had carried her through her days of hiding.

The building she called home loomed in the distance, a crumbling structure with cracked windows and rusted balconies. She climbed the narrow staircase, avoiding the questionable stains on the steps, until she reached her door. Sliding the bolt into place behind her, she finally exhaled the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

Her apartment was as modest as it got—a single room with a tiny kitchenette, a bed shoved into the corner, and a small television perched on a shaky stand. The space was sparse but hers, and that alone made it feel like a luxury compared to the suffocating opulence of her former life.

She opened the fridge and grabbed a yogurt, her appetite as absent as usual. She sat cross-legged on the worn sofa, peeling back the lid and flipping through channels, though none of it held her attention. Her mind drifted back to the couple at the cafe—the way they had smiled at each other, as if nothing else in the world mattered.

Would she ever have that? Could someone ever love her, knowing the truth of who she was?

She scoffed softly at the thought, stirring the yogurt with her spoon. Love was for people who didn’t have shadows trailing them, for people who didn’t have to look over their shoulders every second of the day.

But a part of her, no matter how much she denied it, wanted it. Not just love, but a chance at a decent life—a life where she could be Pavani, without the weight of her last name crushing her.

The thought brought a lump to her throat, but she swallowed it down, just as she always did. Dreams like that were dangerous. They made you vulnerable, and vulnerability could get you killed.

The television played on in the background as she leaned her head against the couch and closed her eyes. For a brief moment, she let herself imagine what it might feel like to have someone waiting for her, to have a life that wasn’t built on lies and fear.

But the fantasy faded as quickly as it came. This was her reality now—a small apartment in a city where no one knew her name. And as much as she wished for more, she reminded herself why she’d left her old life behind.

It was better to be alone than to be a pawn in someone else’s game.