Elena Russo

Face Claim: Leah Halton (@leahhalton\_)

"*As much as I loved the freedoms such a liberal world provided for others, my heart bled for the Cosa Nostra, for everything romantic, and for the structured walls of tradition."*

— Elena Abelli, chapter 44 of The Sweetest Oblivion

**Elena Russo** (née **Abelli**) is the female protagonist from The Sweetest Oblivion. She is the love interest of Nicolas Russo.

## Biography

Elena Russo is the daughter of Salvatore, a "high-profile boss of one of the biggest organized crime syndicates in the United States," and Celia Abelli. She is the younger sister of Tony and the older sister of Adriana. Elena and her family live in a "classy, spacious community" in Long Island, New York.

### Early life

Elena had gone to an all-girls school her whole life, where her classmates early on found out about her father profession. This led to Elena being a pariah and having little to no friends. It is said that both Adriana and Elena learned how to speak to the cops at a young age without criminalizing her family.

Dance is a hobby of hers, "something to fill the monotonous time" and described it as "a sleeve of a dress that didn't quite fit." Elena apparently started when she was a child and lead into her early twenties. Although she doesn't love it like she did when she was a child, it is still something she cannot let go of. Though when asked about her talent in dance, Elena claims she is not good.

Along with her immediate family, Elena grew up in Long Island, New York. She lived in the house with her parents, her siblings, her grandmother and her cousins, Dominic and Benito.

### Running Away

Elena was gifted a little musical carousel by her grandfather when she was younger. She used to play it all the time and wished to see one in real life. The day she ran from her home, Elena was feeling overwhelmed from the expectations in her life. "Everything felt like too much. Oscar Perez and the idea that someone like him would be my husband. Having to force a smile. Squeezing myself into this person I didn't think I could be anymore [...] All I believed at that moment was that if I didn't get out of my house, I was going to die."

Elena ended up taking the bus to the carnival, only to find it completely empty as it was winter. There she met a man who worked at a mall nearby as a security guard. He stopped by to ask why she was standing alone in a parking lot mid-winter. He informs Elena that he worked three jobs to support his mother and sister. Elena never knew his name and he teasingly told her "he wouldn't share his until I shared mine." Once Elena informs the man that she had no money and no idea why she was there, he takes her to his apartment to figure something out. Elena liked the fact that he didn't know who she was or the reputation she had to uphold, she liked the lightness in him and how he charmed her. They ended up sleeping together and shortly afterward her father, brother, cousin and uncle find them. Her uncle Manuel, Benito's father, is the one who murders the man.

At some point during their interaction, the man gives Elena a plastic ring. She ends up wearing it for over six months as a reminder of the death in her conscience. Elena takes it off once by Nico's request and wears it immediately after.

She doesn't stop wearing it until she gives two million dollars worth of money to the man's mother. Elena eventually figures out his name in order to find out his mother's but she chooses to pretend to not know it. He never told her as she never told him when he was alive.

### *The Sweetest Oblivion*

Elena develops an immediate attraction towards Nicolas Russo, her sister's new fiancé, an arrangement issued by their father. However, her sister is secretly in love with the family's gardener. When her sister gets pregnant, the engagement is off and Elena marries Nico.

The two of them had two wedding ceremonies together. The first one was just the two of them, exchanging vows and rings at city hall, with Nico's cousin, Luca, as the witness and a judge to perform the ceremony. Their second ceremony was a bigger one, surrounded by both of their families. Elena's wedding ring belonged to Nico's late mother.

### *The Maddest Obsession*

Elena is happily married to Nico, and is best friends with Gianna. She tries learning how to cook and fails miserably.

## Physical description

Elena has olive skin, soft brown eyes, and black hair (described by Nico as "black, silky, and long enough I could wrap it around my fist twice.") She was dubbed the "Sweet Abelli" not only for her personality, but for her body as well. Nico went as far as describing it as "centerfold worthy" and "a body you'd see on a porn star".

She often wore a pink garment at all times, whether it'd be her clothes, heels or even underwear. She wore light pink heels during her wedding and often teased Nico with figuring out where the pink garment is at.

### Reputation

Elena has earned the nickname "Sweet Abelli" for two main reasons. One, she appears as a docile, kind girl, who dutifully does as she's told. Two, she has the "sweetest" body in New York, according to men in the outfit. Prior to her running away, she had never done a thing that would be frowned upon by her parents or spoke up for herself. In uncomfortable situations she'd smile through them.

Once the outfit realized of her "scandal", the nickname changes connotations. Valentina Russo, the wife of one of Nico's cousins says: "she's known to be this Sweet Abelli, but really it's only because she gets sweet with a lot of men."

## Personality

She's sweet and rather reserved, and quiet. She tends to get insecure, especially regarding to her personality and the way she carries herself, finding herself comparing herself to other women. She's always been a romantic, wanting to get married, and have kids.

As a child, she was very observant. She's a terrible liar (according to Nico).

## Relationships

### Romances

#### Nicolas Russo

Elena and Nico are in a loving relationship. At the beginning, it was credited to lust and wanting what you can't have.

### Family

#### Adriana Abelli

Elena and Adriana have a close sisterly relationship. They're very different, but are always there for each other.

## Quotes

"He smacked my ass and told me I could pay another way, all right?"

"Oh.. I drank *so* much tonight. But I loved it! I had so much fun!"

## Notes/Trivia

* Elena's wedding ring belonged to her husband's late mother, Caterina Russo.

## Notes and references

1. ↑ Chapter 11, The Sweetest Oblivion
2. ↑ Chapter 26, The Sweetest Oblivion
3. ↑ Chapter 3, The Sweetest Oblivion
4. ↑ Chapter 14, The Sweetest Oblivion
5. ↑ Chapter 7, The Sweetest Oblivion
6. ↑ Chapter 40, The Sweetest Oblivion
7. ↑ Chapter 16, The Sweetest Oblivion
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chapter 4, The Sweetest Oblivion
9. ↑ Chapter 9, The Sweetest Oblivion
10. ↑ Chapter 16, The Sweetest Oblivion