Prologue

Here I am finishing work to go back to my aunt's house, a month has passed since mother died, I no longer have anything to fight for, losing her has hurt me a lot, she was my only family in all my life. Alone, I'm counting on my aunt and that's it. My job at the bar is bugging me, men who just want to get on with me, an asshole boss who only sees me as a potential to give him more money, I hate millionaires, they are arrogant and they think they are the best in the world, fuck them all.

My days are basically based on missing my mother, working, and seeing how my dream of being an Architect is getting further away every day.

"Thinking again?" Nicole, my aunt and my life saver right now, smiles at me, I dry my hands that are wet from the ice of the beers and I shake my head after a sigh.

“I'm just getting fed up with my life, I'm tired of trying and seeing how I fail over and over again, this time I was supposed to be able to go to university in the USA, but here you see me, stranded and penniless because of the debt I've had to pay, isn't my life great?”

My aunt nods, “it is, you are only 19 years old darling, your future can be saved, the fucked up one here is me, at 35 years,” she laughs, “I don't have many options, but you do.  Come, it's time for our departure and we're running late.” My aunt pulls my hand, almost running we get into her car, I look at her confused.

"Hey calm, where are we going so fast?" We live 30 minutes away,” I look at her amused, my aunt is quite crazy and impulsive just like me.

"You'll see darling, you'll see" she cooed while further accelerating the car. I look at her, scared now, it’s like we are racing.

My aunt dodged cars, honked like crazy and was rude to half the world. Upon reaching our destination I look at her without knowing what we are doing here, she goes down and runs straight to the trunk, I do not move from my position until I feel her pulling me hard.

"But Nicole… what are we doing at the airport? And what are you doing with my suitcases?” My aunt growls because I put up resistance, “Nicole, what the fuck?” I shout in the middle of the airport, my aunt looks at me furiously. “What are we doing here? Explain to me or I will not move from this place, you decide.”

My aunt snorts desperately, “you're stubborn, I can't handle you Dani, do you remember that you always talk to me about that university in the United States? Well, I contacted them and you have the opportunity to continue your studies,” she smiles excitedly and I don't believe it, “I know you're good at studying and you can win that scholarship, I still put all my savings in your bag. The scholarship will allow you to find a place to live and a job so that you can pay for college.”

I cover my mouth with my hands, my heart is pounding, what has that crazy woman done? “No, I can't accept something like that, Nicole ... you'd be left with nothing, I can't accept it," I flatly refuse.

“Daniel, for me it is too late, you have a life ahead of you, I will be fine, I promise, accept this darling, go and win that scholarship and when you are a great architect, come for me and show me that famous country,” she winks and then pulls my hand, without knowing how to react I let myself be dragged. I am on my way going to that country that I dreamed of visiting since I was a child, my aunt has given me the opportunity to fulfill my dreams. The emotion is taking its place, my heart goes so fast that I get agitated.

When I got to the door after taking the bags to be labeled, I look at my aunt with eyes full of tears, she was always there for me, she never left me alone, and although we do not carry the same blood she has never treated me differently. She was my mother's best friend and when she died she promised to always be there for me.

“Thank you for this, I promise that I will come with a title and a good job, you will be proud of me, we will have a better life, I promise,” I hug her tightly and the tears trailed down my cheeks, “take good care of yourself, I will call you as soon as I arrive, I love you aunt,” she crying but she nods and stepped away from me.

"Take good care of yourself, you know that first is studies and then the boys, keep your purity until you graduate, and Daniel ... I packed your mother's letter, when you have the courage to read it, do it."

I smile, nodding, "I'm not going to disappoint you, aunt." Giving her one last kiss and a hug, I say goodbye, I take the flight ticket in hand and go to the boarding room.

“Don't be very rude honey, always fight for what you want and give yourself completely, never ... never let them force you to give up your belief and forget what you think is right,” she shouts as I walk away. At the first call I get in line. With emotions on the surface and with a future that with effort I will turn into the best and brightest there can be.

I have been nervous throughout the flight, although my aunt has told me that they will be waiting for me at the airport I cannot help but be uneasy, I will be in a place alone and I will depend totally on myself, now I thank my mother for teaching me to be strong and overcome  every challenge that life gives me.

When I get off the plane, I look at the posters and I see my name, I frown when I see that man in a suit with a hard look, without saying anything to him I go to get my suitcases and then I go to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," apologizes a woman who almost left my ass on the floor, I don't say anything, that man doesn't give me a good feeling, I already see myself at that university with all those wealthy people who think they own the world.

“Hi," I greet in my English with a fairly accent, "I'm Daniel López." The man runs along my body with an indescribable gesture.

“You finally arrived,” he answers hoarsely, “let me help you please,” when he is going to take my suitcases, I refused, “calm, it's nothing, I can help you,” I think about it for a moment and finally let him help. The man guides me through the airport until I reach the parking lot, when I get up I see a man in the back seat, I frown, “he's my partner, he's new and he must practice.” I look at the man next to me with distrust.

“A taste miss,” I know that smell, it is tobacco mixed with vodka, I gulped with difficulty, my nerves rise and that feeling of danger grows in my body. The man starts the car and starts off, “you are very pretty,” whispers the man next to me, “you will be a marvel at the university,” he mocked. With my heart almost in my mouth, I look everywhere, we are in a lonely place, everything is dark. Without waiting for anything and really scared I hit the guy who was next to me and then the one who is driving, he stops the car and I open the door, the man I hit first pulls me, causing me to fall, he holds me by the feet and I kick him in the face with my free feet, I get up and run like never before.

With the thought of saving myself, I knock on all the doors I see, but none open, men came after me. Agitated and believing that I will no longer be safe I cry out in despair, I see a boy who is closing a door, without thinking I go to him and forcefully open the door and force him to close to close the door.

"For the love of God girl, what's wrong with you?" He asks, scandalized in a feminine voice.

"Fuck," I scream when I see the men, "let's run ... run,” I pull him into the place, “for shit, stop yelling and run,” I order him when I notice he was so nervous. “Where are the back doors?" He was hysterical and trembling, he points to the place, without letting go we go out there. After running for several minutes, our luck changes, there are policemen and I want to ask for their help, the guy looks at me scared.

“What happened? Why were you running like this? Who were those?” He asked

Agitated and sweaty, I look at him, “I was supposed to come for a university scholarship, but those two weren't from the university… I think they are… they are from human trafficking,” I look into his eyes, I have always been cold and I hide my emotions well with people I do not know, but this time it is the exception, they almost kidnapped me. “They have stolen everything, my aunt's savings which is my only source of surviving here, my clothes and all my papers.” I run my hand through my hair to comb it and cried, I tremble like a sheet of paper in the wind, the boy approaches me now with a worried face.

“I'm sorry honey, for these times there are a lot of those bad men,” he looks me in the eye and then he looks at the policemen over there, “if you say anything about this they are going to deport you, come with me, I promise I won't hurt you.  Look at me, I'm gay,” he smiles at me now tenderly. Without money, without clothes or documents, I agreed to go with him, I am not suspicious and I do not want to be alone in a place that I do not know and where those men can attack me again.

"Thank you for saving my neck, and thank you very much for this, I promise that once I fix myself I will leave."

He shakes his head, smiling, “you saved yourself, I just screamed like a bitch in heat." I smile at what he says, still afraid, "I'm Simone." He holds out his hand.

"I'm Daniel," I shake it.

"From Daniela?"

I shake my head, there is always that confusion with my name, they think I mean it in a diminutive, but it's not like that, "Daniel, I know, it's a name more for men, but here I am."

He looks me in the eyes and I smile in a way that calms me down, “everything will be fine Daniel."

Nodding in the middle of a sigh, I think about how I was almost kidnapped by two men who had no good intentions, if my aunt found out about this she would never forgive herself. Here I am, in a country that I do not know with a stranger who has offered to help me, when I thought that everything would go for the better, it collapsed as if nothing had happened.