THE MAFIA'S BROKEN STRIPPER.

ESCAPE TO MY HEARTBEAT.....

JANELLA'S POV

I eased the door shut behind me, careful not to let the hinges betray me with their usual groan. The familiar scent of menthol ointment drifted through the air, strong enough to make my nose sting. Daddy’s favorite,whether he was sick or not. He said it “cleared his head,” but really, I suspected he just liked the attention it brought him.

From the corner of the sitting room, I spotted my mother leaning over him with the patience of a saint, dabbing his forehead with a small towel. He sat there in his threadbare house clothes, one leg stretched out dramatically, the other bouncing like he was counting down the seconds till his demise. Honestly, if sighing could kill, he’d have been long gone by now.

I took a slow breath and glanced around. The air felt heavy, like every sound could travel too far.

“Mama,” I called softly, tilting my head toward the corner of the room.

She looked up, eyes questioning but lips tight, as if she was afraid even her expression might disturb Daddy’s performance. Still, she excused herself from his side and walked over, her steps quiet but brisk.

“What is it?” she asked in a low voice, her gaze darting back to him as though he might suddenly grow super-hearing.

I leaned closer, lowering my voice to a whisper.

“I’m going to Kay’s for the weekend.” My heart thudded a little harder.

“It’s… important.”

Important. That was all I could manage for now. I wasn’t ready to explain the whole truth, not here, not with Daddy’s dramatic sniffles filling the room.

My mother raised one brow at me, that knowing glint in her eyes, making me feel like she could already read my mind. Her lips twitched, almost like she was fighting the urge to smile.

“If Dad asks where I went, just tell him it’s work. Please,” I murmured, leaning in slightly so only she could hear. My voice sounded more urgent than I meant it to. The last thing I needed was Dad’s questions.

For a moment, she just looked at me, and I could almost hear the unspoken thoughts turning in her head. Then her expression softened, her features easing into something warmer, something almost conspiratorial.

“Go,” she said finally, her voice low but sure, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Have fun. You deserve it.”

That was all I needed to hear. My chest loosened with relief.

I turned away, my steps light but quick as I padded down the hallway towards the room. The air felt different now lighter, like I’d just been given a free pass to breathe. I was already picturing myself packing for the weekend, slipping away without Dad even suspecting.

But the moment I pushed open my door, I froze. Completely. My hand still gripped the knob, my foot hovering mid-step.

It wasn’t the sight I expected. Not even close.

There, lying across her bed like she owned the whole house, was Isabella... not awake this time, but asleep. And not the peaceful, angelic kind of sleep you see in commercials.

This was the wild animal in hibernation kind.

Her mouth was wide open like she was auditioning to swallow a mango whole. A thin trail of drool had formed a small puddle on my pillow. And the snores… oh, the snores. They didn’t even sound human.

They were somewhere between a rusty motorbike trying to start and a goat learning to sing opera.

I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Lord,” I muttered under my breath, “she’s going to vibrate the whole mattress off the floor.”

I shook my head and let out a quiet sigh, doing my best not to disturb Sleeping Beast on the bed.

Carefully, I tiptoed around the edge, heading straight for the corner where my bag sat waiting for me like a loyal little travel companion.

Right. Essentials first. No overthinking, no last-minute “Oh, I forgot!” Moments.

First thing in, my charger. Non-negotiable. If I left it behind, Kay would “borrow” mine the second I looked away, and somehow, mysteriously, it would never make its way back to me. I'm not taking that risk tonight.

Next, my skincare pouch, toner, moisturizer, lip balm. My holy trinity. No way was I waking up with dry skin under Kay’s bright kitchen lights.

Then came the dresses. Two of them. One sleek, simple black number that made me feel dangerous in all the right ways, and one short floral dress that Kay once said looked “too sweet” on me, which, in Kay’s language, was basically an invitation for trouble. Both were short enough to make him look twice. Maybe even three times.

For sleepwear, I tossed in my so-called “pajamas,” which were really just an oversized shirt I kept pretending was meant for sleeping. Truth? I liked it because it still carried a faint trace of his scent from the last time I stayed over. Comfort and nostalgia, wrapped in soft cotton.

Shoes next, my favorite pair of heels. They weren’t the most comfortable, but they made my legs look like they’d been airbrushed. A worthy sacrifice.

Toothbrush and toothpaste followed because romance or not, morning breath was never part of the plan.

Finally, after hovering for a moment, I reached for my perfume, my favorite one. The one Kay once said should be made illegal because, and I quote, “you can’t expect me to think straight when you smell like that.” His exact words. I smiled to myself as I tucked it into the bag.

Everything packed. Everything is perfect.

I was halfway through stuffing my phone into my tote when something caught my eye and nearly made me groan out loud.

My desk. Or what used to be my desk.

It now looked like the aftermath of a candy apocalypse. Chocolate wrappers were scattered everywhere, overlapping like fallen leaves in a messy garden.

A few had been licked so clean they practically glistened under the dim light, as if whoever ate them had gone in with the dedication of an archaeologist excavating gold.

I didn’t even need to guess who the culprit was. Isabella. Obviously.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered under my breath, shaking my head.

I was tempted to march over there, scoop the wrappers into a bag, and dump them on her pillow for her to wake up to. But no, not tonight. Tonight wasn’t about petty sibling battles or her disgusting sugar habits. Tonight was about me. About freedom. About slipping out of this house without a shred of guilt and ending up exactly where I wanted to be, in Kay’s arms.

I zipped my tote shut with a satisfying whrrp, then crossed the room to grab the food I’d been keeping safe since earlier. The one Kay ordered for me, and I wasn’t about to leave it behind for anyone in this house to “accidentally” claim.

The takeout bag was now cold when I picked it up, but he comforting aroma of spices and fried goodness rose up, making my stomach growl in approval. I slung my tote over one shoulder, the weight reassuring against my side, and tightened my grip on the food bag with the other.

Time to go.

I walked back through the hallway toward the sitting room, my steps light but purposeful. Every movement carried that mix of anticipation and slight nervous energy, like I was about to do something a little rebellious but worth every second.

My mother looked up from her place on the couch, her eyes instantly curious.

“This is for you,” I said softly, setting the bag down in front of her.

The way her face lit up made me smile, like a child spotting her favorite gift under the Christmas tree.

“Ah! Thank you, my baby,” she said, her voice warm enough to melt butter.

I gave her the smallest of nods, our unspoken signal that meant, It’s time. She smirked knowingly, like she was in on the most delicious secret, and with the tiniest flick of her fingers toward the door, she set me free.

I didn’t need to be told twice. My hand was already curling around the doorknob, the cool metal grounding me for half a second before I slipped outside. The air was cooler than I expected, crisp against my skin, but it did nothing to slow me down. My steps felt lighter than they had in weeks, maybe months.

Every stride carried me further from the noise and heaviness of home and closer to the one person who could strip all of that away with a single look. Kay.

Just thinking his name was enough to send a rush through me. My heart thudded in my chest, quick and eager, as if it too was impatient to get to him.

The city around me blurred into background noise; tonight, there was only one direction, one destination, one reason to keep moving.

And I intended to get there. Fast.