THEY CALLED ME 'UGLY' AND THREW ME IN THE MUD. THEN THE MAFIA BOSS CAME OUT... The mud was cold, clinging to my cheap polyester suit like a second skin. Each grain felt like a tiny judgment, a whispered insult amplified by the bass thumping from inside the club. He spat again, the globule landing inches from my face. “You think you belong here, dressed like that? This is VIP, not a thrift store convention.” My cheeks burned. Humiliation, raw and stinging, flooded through me. I wanted to disappea