CHAPTER 6

"What is the commotion in there?" a deep voice echoed around the halls and made the servants, silent including Lilith. A tall man with a gray, aristocratic vest and his hair, flipped back. He wore a black shirt, pants and shoes. His eyes were green and his hair had the color of dark black. He looked at Lilith and began to sigh. "What kind of nonsense are you starting now, Lilith!" he shouted at her. "My lord, the young lady has started disrespecting me and the other servants because the gifts that the young master has given her were not enough" the butler said with all his pride.

"What? That was not what it happened" she said and turned to the duke. "I-I did nothing wrong! I mean... he wanted me to..." her mind felt blank as if he had known this man for so long. She then went cold yet her expression was filled with rage, wanting speak so many things however she couldn't. The halls went silent and the duke was looking at them with disappointment. "What Lilith? Stop stuttering like a child!!!" he demanded. She breathe in and out, trying to speak a different excuse. "He wanted me to bow down and respect him..." she replied. The servants looked at her in surprise. "The butler is just a commoner with a high position in this estate yet he wanted me, a Ravilios! to respect him as if he is superior than me!"she stood up, looking to her father. The duke looked tense and then stared directly at the butler. "My lord, I have no right to question your rank"the butler pleaded with guilt. "What made you assume that your status is higher than his, Lilith?" the duke turned to her. "I am your daughter and that would mean they dare threaten our reputation" she said, looking at him extremely serious. "What made you think you're my daughter?" the duke replied. Her eyes widened in disbelief. The servants stared at them and started gossiping instead keeping their mouths shut.

"What?" she said, lowering her voice. He turned, averting his eyes on Lilith. "Why would I need one when I have another?" the man said with no emotion and proceeded on his way. Lilith stood there, facing the floor. The maids including the butler went on their way, as if they didn't saw anything. She felt that stomp on her heart. That feeling where it hurt deep inside her, he wasn't her real father and still failure was encircling her. She thought that it could maybe work but then she realized that Lilith wasn't her and that no matter how harsh Lilith's father had said to her, it wasn't meant for her and it felt that she was far away from home and didn't belong here. She wasn't meant exist in the first place and that she was suppose to die. She walked back at her room, blank and cold. She closed the door slowly and stood calmly. Her heart cracked broken like a fragile glass but no matter how damaged it was, never did it try to let it go. That was how painful it was. She fell down slowly to the floor and watched at her whole room while holding the knob.

She thought back to the day where her original father hit her mother in anger. She was at her room, playing with her dolls. She once waited for a prince charming to rescue Gabriella and her family to live happily ever after. If the prince saved them then maybe her dad would finally be saved from the evil curse. As she was playing, a tiny ball fell off her box of toys and started rolling outside her room. She opened the door and grabbed her ball. She saw her dad shouting at her mother,slapping her face. She flinched as her dad pushed her mother away. The dad turned to see Gabriella at the corridor. He threw a bottle of beer at her. A cheek was injured and bled. He went for her while she ran to her room to hide.

She snatched her prince charming doll and barricaded her door with the box of toys. The tiny knights were still standing at the floor while she hid at the closet. Her father was kicking the door and then after a few kicks, it opened. The box fell off and her toys scattered. The knights were being stepped by her father and headed towards the closet. She hugged her doll tightly with it's sword on it's hand. She covered her mouth and wanted her dad to leave. The closet door opened and she wrapped her arms to stop him but he didn't. He grabbed her by the hair and then kicked her while her Prince charming fell in the floor. Right after that day, her father came back from work, bearing gifts and toys, new clothes and jewelries for both of them. Her mother willingly accepted it with a weak smile. She had smiled countless times,thinking that it was the last fight that they will have but from this day, it always continues. Her father have Gabriella, presents and gifts, patting her head. Instead of being happy, she stood there clueless of what was happening. It was as if he never did those things. "It's never going to happen right?" she thought. "This will be the last and dad's curse will disappear right?" "This time, prince charming has saved him, I knew it!" She smiled with little hope. "This will end, dad will be okay again"

Her father looked at her mother and cupped her cheek. He kissed the bruises that was left by him and felt lovely. "If you would have listened to me then this would have never happened in the first place, honey" he said. "Don't worry you learned a lesson from me and that you should do it properly , okay?" he said in a sweet voice. This time, Gabriella felt fear instead of safety. She stepped back and felt a huge rock fall on her heart. But as she was to walk, her father held her hand and hugged her. "Gabby I'm sorry, I may have lose anger because of you and your mother so don't do it again, okay?" he said. She smiled, wanting to know about something. "Dad, has prince charming save you? Will we be happy again and forever?" she pleaded. "You're looking at him, Gabby! I am Prince charming! And you don't need saving because you have me, you just don't have to cause problem for Prince charming, got that Gabby?" her father chuckled in delight and then walked away. She looked at him. She stood there as her father gave her mother gifts to make her happy once again. All those months, she would looks sad for her father to stop but this time, she felt different. She was disgusted, scared of what her father was.

She didn't even want to call him a father anymore. The horror in her eyes made her entirely blank.

To think Prince Charming was here all the time...Prince charming was the one who didn't tried to save her. He just wanted her to be with him forever to keep his happily ever after just to him...He thought that his happily ever after would be just like this. She finally realized how dreadful it is to live in another one's happily ever after. He had what he wanted but what about mine?