It had been a week and each day I had snuck out to meet Anthony at midnight. My stepmother still hadn't caught me. I had just spent the night talking to him once again and I entered my stepmother's home and went to the kitchen.

Something was wrong. I just couldn't put my finger on it. I blamed it on the lack of sleep. I scanned the room and checked off items. Pots, pans, food, my stepmother, the list, a spatula...wait. My stepmother. My eyes widened in disbelief and shock as I stared at her.

She was standing next to where I had placed the list, glaring at me. At least I had completed the list before going out this time. That was the only thing that might save my mother's grave.

"You snuck out" my stepmother stated. I said nothing. I doubted she wanted a response right now.

"You disobeyed me and left the house without permission" she said. I didn't recall her making it a rule that I couldn't leave the house, but I wasn't going to point that out.

"You deserve to have your mother's grave destroyed" she yelled.

"No! Please don't. I finished all my work and I did everything asked of me" I cried out. My stepmother narrowed her eyes and glared at me.

"I will forgive you, if you never leave the house without permission again. If you never go see whoever you left to see. If you never complain about the work you're given. If you manage to get all your work done each day. Then I will forgive you" she said.

I nodded in agreement. There was nothing else that I could do. However, I would never be able to see Anthony again and that thought made me want to cry.

For the whole week, we had never run out of things to talk about. The only reason our conversations ended was due to the riding sun. I knew he would not miss me as much as I would miss him and that thought was the only thing that stopped me from crying. At least he could be happy even if I didn't show up at midnight.

"Good. Now get to work" my stepmother said handing me a list. The list was so long that I wasn't sure I'd be able to finish it within a day. My stepmother disappeared and I continued to stare at the list. This marked the end of midnight visits.

For my mother, I would have to leave him. I just wish it didn't feel as if my heart was slowly being torn in half. I'd rather face my stepmother's strong fists then face this pain. I couldn't help it as a tear slide down my face. I fell to the ground and the single tear became a steady stream.

My stepsisters found me kneeling on the ground crying. I knew they looked around to be sure my stepmother was nowhere near. Then, they knelt beside me and pulled me into their arms. I still couldn't stop crying.

"What made you cry, Cinderella?" Laney asked.

"I can no longer see him. I have to give him up forever" I said between sobs.

"Who?" Lele asked.

"The man I love" I cried out.

"What?" They both exclaimed. I had to stop crying or I'd never be able to answer their barrage of questions. I finally pulled myself together and looked at them through watery eyes.

"I managed to fall in love" I whispered.

"Who?" Laney asked.

"If he hurts you, I've kill him" Lele threatened. She had finally turned her anger and jealousy into protectiveness for me and Laney.

"You remember the man who came with the duke?" I asked them.

"The knight?" Lele asked.

"No, the prince" I said. Laney out a gasp at that. With that, I launched into our whole story. I told my sisters every single detail and left nothing out, not even their mother's threat.

"She really is a horrible person" Lele said.

"There's only one thing I don't understand. She has threatened to tear up your mother's grave so many times, but has yet to do it" Laney pointed out.

"I believe she has left it so that she has something to hold over me. If the grave is gone, then I will leave in a heartbeat" I said.

"I think it's more then that. If only I had some way of researching this" Laney complained.

"Your boyfriend has access to the castle library. If you want to look into it, you can ask him for help" Lele teased.

"I think I will" Laney said and she left the room before either of us could stop her.

"While she's doing that, I am going to help you with your chores. I still don't know if my mother's threat was an empty one" Lele said.

"You don't have to help" I protested.

"I know I don't have to, but I want to" Lele said grabbing the list before I could say anything else. She started to mark up the paper and then she gave it back to me. Some of the items had small lines next to them.

"Alright. I'll take the ones that have a line next to them. They should keep me out of sight and they're fairly simple" Lele said. Then she left the kitchen before I could argue with her.

I really did love my sisters. I would be falling apart right now if not for their help. I grabbed the list and started on the chores without a line next to them.

Hey everyone! Guess what. I hate mesquites. I am currently very itchy and covered in bug bites. Good news, they're getting better. Bad news, it was like a horror movie. Insert creepy music here. you know what music I'm thinking of. Thanks for reading my rant. I still feel like I'm forgetting something important. Oh well. Please vote and comment. Till next part

P.S. Pandas although cute cannot relieve itchiness with their cuteness. On the other hand, lavender oil works really well.