Cinderella's eyes slowly fluttered open, her heart pounding in her chest as if she had just awoken from a deep sleep. A soft, dull throb echoed through her head, and her vision blurred momentarily. But the most confusing thing was the unfamiliar feeling in her body—she felt lighter, but somehow heavier at the same time. Her limbs were stiff, her mind hazy, as if she were trying to break free from a long, torturous dream.
The world around her felt strangely familiar yet distant. The sunlight streaming through the window painted the walls of her room in a golden hue, casting long shadows on the floor. The room was exactly as it had been in the house she grew up in, but there was something different, something off about it.
Her heart skipped a beat as the memories of the last few months surged through her mind—Caroline, her beloved mother, gone in a tragic car accident; Desmond, her father, who had somehow managed to move on from her death too quickly, marrying Rebecca, a woman Cinderella never trusted; and her step-siblings, Stephen, the manipulative and arrogant older brother, and Penelope, the conniving younger sister who always seemed to get away with everything.
Cinderella's breath hitched as she clutched the sheets, trying to steady herself. What happened? She blinked, wiping away the lingering haze in her vision. Where am I?
The clock on the wall ticked loudly, and she suddenly realized the most unsettling fact. She wasn't dead. She hadn't died in that horrible fall, the one where she had lost her life after a cruel argument with Rebecca, with Stephen dragging her down the stairs. Her head had slammed against the brick pole, and then... nothing. Just darkness.
But now... she was here. In this room. This room that belonged to her sixteen-year-old self. A sudden panic gripped her chest. She wasn't dreaming. This wasn't some cruel twist of fate. This was real.
Cinderella, she thought, you've been given a second chance.
Her stomach lurched as the memories of her past life flooded back, rushing at her like a torrent. The arguments. The tears. The endless moments of being ignored and mistreated, all by her so-called family. Rebecca's constant cruelty. Stephen's bullying. Penelope's manipulation. Desmond, her father, so blinded by his new love for Rebecca that he never saw what was happening in front of him.
Her death at 29 was the culmination of everything—of the years of mistreatment, the betrayal, and the emptiness that had consumed her. She had been so close to breaking free, so close to standing up for herself, but it had been too late. She had died too young.
But now, everything was different.
She stood up slowly, her legs a little unsteady beneath her, but she was stronger than she'd ever felt before. She knew exactly where she was. It was the year she was 16, the year everything changed. Desmond had just remarried Rebecca, and she was about to meet her new family for the first time. It was the year that set everything in motion—when she had been forced to live under the same roof as her abuser, with no one to turn to. But this time, things would be different. She was not the same naïve girl she had been. She was no longer the Cinderella who had been manipulated and betrayed. She was someone else now. Someone with knowledge of everything that would come to pass.
And that gave her an advantage.
This time, Cinderella thought, I will be the one in control.
She paced the room, taking slow, deliberate steps, her mind racing as she formulated her plan. She remembered how Rebecca had entered their lives so easily, how Desmond had introduced her as if she were the answer to all their problems. Five months after Caroline's death, Desmond had brought Rebecca and her children into their home, pretending everything was fine. But Cinderella knew the truth—Desmond had been secretly dating Rebecca long before Caroline's death, a fact he had hidden from everyone, including her. The betrayal cut deep, but it was nothing compared to what Rebecca and her children had done to her.
Stephen had always been the worst. He had treated her with disdain, as though she were nothing more than a burden. He was the golden child, the one who could do no wrong in Desmond's eyes. Penelope, on the other hand, had been the perfect little actress—sweet, innocent, and kind to everyone, but behind closed doors, she had her own agenda. Penelope had stolen the man Cinderella was supposed to marry, Silvester, using every manipulative trick in the book to win his affection, with Rebecca and Stephen supporting her every move. And Cinderella had watched, helpless, as her own future slipped through her fingers.
But not anymore.
Cinderella stood before the mirror, staring at her reflection. The same face, the same body, but with a new strength behind her eyes. The old Cinderella was gone. In her place was someone who had learned from the past, someone who would no longer be a victim. She would be the one to take control, to reclaim what was rightfully hers.
She had one shot at this. One opportunity to make things right. She couldn't afford to make the same mistakes. Her past mistakes had cost her her life, but now, she had been given a second chance.
Her heart raced as she remembered the day Desmond had introduced Rebecca to her. The look on his face, the way he smiled as though everything were perfect, when in reality, nothing could have been further from the truth. She could see it all now, like a scene playing in front of her eyes. Desmond, the man who had once been her protector, had become a stranger. Rebecca, the woman who had seduced him and stolen his affection, was a threat to everything Cinderella had ever known.
But this time, Cinderella would not stand idly by. This time, she would outsmart them. She knew exactly what Rebecca would do, how she would manipulate Desmond into believing she was the perfect wife, how she would make sure Cinderella was the villain in every story. But Cinderella also knew how to fight back now. She knew how to play the game, how to be two steps ahead of them at all times.
She wasn't going to let Rebecca destroy her life again. She wasn't going to let Stephen or Penelope take what was rightfully hers.
This time, Cinderella would rewrite the story. This time, she would be the one in control.
The second chance had come. And Cinderella was ready to take it.
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