A/N: This story is more different than my other work ^^ and I must say that it is very dramatic, so beware, it can get real sad especially in the first chapters, but there's more to come.

Thank you for reading in advance~ :D

“Jang Mi, what’s the story that you want me to read tonight?” A beautiful woman was holding a colorful book in her hands as she sat in a princess-like bed with a young girl snuggled into her. Resting her small head on the woman’s stomach as wrapping her tiny arms around her.

“I want mommy to read the Cinderella tale for me!” she uttered with an overly cheerful voice.

“Is that so?” the woman bit her lower lip, as she raised her face to the roof, her eyes became all tearful and she sniffled quietly. “Hm?” the child raised her gaze to meet her mother’s face. “Mommy? Are you crying?” the poor child, did not have a clue and the mother could not tell her daughter that this story will be her last. “No, it’s just that..” she shook her head “Cinderella’s life was very sad that it made mama's heart ache”

“Eh?” the child’s eyes widened “Then… then if mommy will cry, I don’t want to hear this story!” the woman let out a giggle, as she wiped away her tears and her daughter’s silky hair.

“It’s ok dear, but you must put in your mind that all tales conclude with a happily ever after end” And O how she wished, that her life could be the same but alas, “Then will Princess Cinderella live happily ever after too?” the girl had an unshaken glitter in her brown eyes as she asked innocently.

“Haha, aw my cute Jang Mi and her kind little heart” she hugged her tightly then opened the book. “Ok then, close your eyes and prepare to hear this beautiful story”

Little Jang Mi nodded and did as her mother asked. During that time, the woman rested the book on her lap and shut her eyes close as well:

“Once upon a time…”

Seeing that her daughter closed her eyes and fell asleep, the woman carefully raised from her seating position, and adjusted Jang Mi's sleeping position, covering her with the sheets and kissing her forehead, a hot tear escaped her eye and fell on Jang Mi’s face.

“Oh, my poor child” she covered and hurried to grasp her phone that suddenly vibrated on the nightstand. She knew who it was.

She knew clearly without having to look at the caller’s I.D. She picked up, yielding to the dark fate she meant to lead all along as the unwanted wife of the Cha Heir.

“Yes… I did as you asked so please don’t hurt her, she’s just a young innocent girl, she’s still 5 years old!” The mother was screaming as she cried, quickly writing on a sheet of paper with her trembling hand and then dipped her thumb deeply in the red ink and pressed it on the paper.

A sad smile formed on her thin lips as she finally calmed down.

“I knew this was going to happen sooner or later.” She whispered with a strangely composed voice. “I will do as you wish. I have no regrets as long as you will keep your promise.”  She sighed.

She quickly slipped the paper in an envelope and hid it inside the frame that held her favorite painting on the wall, and that painting was her husband’s gift to her 6 years ago when they got married. She apologized quietly to him.

“You were a very caring and loving husband. I will never forget your kindness” a last tear streamed down her face before she started to walk toward the window.

Do not look back. Do not look back. She repeated in her mind, knowing that if she were to turn around, seeing Jang Mi’s face could make her resolve waver. She opened the window, a cold wind made its way inside, causing her hair and white dress to sway with it.

For Jang Mi’s sake…

She stepped on the wooden frame, and looked downwards. She was not able to see the ground because of the darkness of the night and her blurry vision but she smiled.

She then closed her eyes.

Not noticing Little Jang Mi who got up suddenly.

“And then? What happened to the prince when he saw Cinderella’s shoe on the staircase?” her voice was lazy and sleepy and she rubbed her eyes. “Mommy?” She looked around the room, did not see any trace of her mother’s presence. “Did father come back home?” she pushed the sheets away. “It’s cold, who opened the window?” she walked slowly toward the window, and stood on her tiptoes as she pressed her small palms on the frame to look down. To only hear a scream and see a small source of light.

“Ah! Ah!”

She got terrified and backed off, “Mrs. Cha! Mrs. Cha!” it was the voice of their maid, Yun Bi’s mom who was the nicest among the maids.

“M-Mommy?” Jang Mi got shocked. “B-But, why is she… out in this cold weather?”

More screams and footsteps became audible down in the garden.

“Th-This is horrible, Oh loving Lord!”

“Ah! M-Mrs. Cha!”

“H-How could this happen?!”

“Call the police!”

“Call Master Cha and an ambulance!”

“W-Why is everyone panicking? Did something happen to my mom?” Jang Mi mustered the courage and went downstairs with her favorite doll as she saw servants in sleeping-robes running around the house.

Finally Mr. Park, their faithful butler noticed the girl and hurried toward her, his heart torn as he tried to prevent her from seeing or knowing anything.

“Do you know what happened to the Prince after that he found the shoe of Cinderella, Uncle Park?”   The old man sat beside Jang Mi on the edge of her bed as he did his best to stop himself from crying. “The prince?” he wondered with a faint smile. The kid nodded with her red cheeks. “Can you carry on telling me the Cinderella Tale uncle? Because mommy left before finishing it”

“Oh my god… how cruel” he hugged her tightly and her head.

“Ouch, uncle, this is suffocating!” she coughed.

“Ok, I will finish the story for you” he picked up the tale’s book and started to read as Jang Mi lied in her bed and hugged her doll.

------------

I was young back then, young, innocent and naïve.

Conversely, I cannot deny the fact that these traits remained remarkable in my behavior until that doomed day.

It was the evening of the15th of December 3 years ago when I celebrated my16th birthday. I learned that my mother killed herself, and received a letter that apparently was written for me by my mother herself and in which she told me to forgive her for being a horrible mother and pleaded that I would accept my father’s future decisions so that she will be able to look after me happily from the heavens above.

I could not quiet grasp what she meant by my father’s decision, but that did not remain obscured for too long. The day after, my father –whom I do not even recall the face since I have not seen him for more than 6 years, managed to come back home finally. Yet despite how good of news it was for me to hear at first, it unfortunately did not turn out that way at all.

“Jang Mi, meet Mrs. Hyo Ri.” My father warmly said with a big grin as he was holding a beautiful woman’s hand in his and reaching his other palm towards her as if to present her for me. I backed off slightly and hid myself behind Mr. Park’s back.

“Aw, goodness, what a cute little girl you have darling”

I jerked at the word “darling” that she casually mouthed and got my father laughing slightly and dropping a kiss on her hand. I just could not believe my eyes.

“Ms. Cha, do not act this way please, this nice lady is going to be your mother from now on” Mr. Park’s voice was faking happiness and respect when I could evidently sense that it wasn’t. He gave me a light push on the back to encourage me and whispered in a voice that only I could’ve heard: “Don’t forget what your mother said in her letter”

His words made me immediately change my attitude. Since it was my mother’s will, I couldn’t possibly reject it.

I bowed my head deeply and smiled.

“I apologize for my insolence ma’am” I could hear my father heaving a sigh of relief as he my back. Mrs. Hyo Ri –as father called her, smiled sweetly at me and gave me a hug.

“No, in fact I can understand why you behaved that way honey, so do not apologize and by the way” she patted me on the shoulder “You can call me mom from now onward” and she laughed.

“Y-Yes” I stammered, because deep inside, I was aware that uttering the word mom would not be easy as it seems.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure that my lovely Jang Mi will grow to like you the way I did, and besides, as far as I heard, she always wanted to have siblings”

My eyes widened because no matter what, I couldn’t accept seeing my father having kids with another woman so I just dropped my head and bit my lip.

“Yeah, you’re right dear even Yoon Song and Yoon Yi loved the idea of having a little sister.”

Two fine looking girls came in the house, their eyes scanning around their surroundings with gaping mouths. Mrs. Hyo Ri cleared to make them stop their disgraceful deeds and bow at me. I quickly returned them the bow:

“N-Nice to meet you, sisters” it was pretty peculiar for me to pronounce these words.

“Very well!” My father wrapped his arms around mine and Mrs. Hyo Ri’s shoulders “Since our family reunited now, let’s celebrate this joyous event!”

Seeing the genuine smile on my father’s face filled my heart with warmness, and it gave me strength to endure the small pain that ached deep inside me.

One way or the other, there was no denying that this will be my family from today on and I am only left with the one and sole option, which is to learn how to adapt and accept this new life of mine in order to make my parents content and satisfied.

-----------------------------------------

Things were not as bad as I pictured a first. Since I spent almost every night reading the fairy tales before I slept without growing sick of them. I always thought that stepmothers were evil witches but Mrs. Cha wasn’t. She raised me for a whole year and took care of me the same she did with her daughters, no, even treated me better than them and to be honest, I somehow grew to like Mrs. Cha.

***

“I will be going now, so let me remember what the three of you asked me to bring you from China..” my father stood by the doorstep as he held his jaw and peered at my sisters’ faces and mine. “Yoon Song and Yoon Yi both want a silk Cheongsam*” he winked and they clapped their heads nodding. Then he looked at me and smiled “And you just want me to comeback safely, right?” his eyes narrowed tracing the wrinkles by their sides.

*cheongsam is the traditional wear for woman in China

I nodded at him and he my head then kissed Mrs. Cha gently and waved at us as he left from the door. We saw him getting in his car and it was raining heavily so we could not see him off closely.

“Take care dad!” I waved at him although the glass of his window was black but I could tell that he probably was waving back at me.

However, that was the very last time I saw his face.

***

That’s right…

I sobbed as I placed the plastic container on the wooden table that was near the gray-painted wall.

I raised my face toward the window situated in the center of the other wall that faced the wooden door. “I should’ve guessed as much” the cascades of my tears didn’t cease streaming down my cheeks. I directed my gaze at the stained mirror that was located beside the window. “That’s right Jang Mi…” I took steps toward it. “You deserve this fate for being the wretched girl you are”

Once upon a time, there lived a happy girl with her mother and father in there castle-like house, the three of them spent the most joyful of their lives together… until the mother passed away from illness and the father married a young woman that had two daughters…

~The story has yet to begin~