Pumpkin War: The True Story of Cinderella (The Ever After Maneuver Book 1) by Kendra E. Ardnek

Pumpkin War: The True Story of Cinderella (The Ever After Maneuver Book 1) by Kendra E. Ardnek

Author:Kendra E. Ardnek [Ardnek, Kendra E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: GiraffeCrafts
Published: 2024-03-29T00:00:00+00:00


Chapter 12

Christof silently watched Ella as they made their way away from the breakfast table. He hated that their every interaction was like this. Testing her. Watching her reactions. Weighing her opinions.

Where was the openness and trust that should exist within a marriage?

He squashed down the threads of remorse that rose up and tried to wrap around his throat to choke him.

“I haven’t yet told my father about the fact that you bargained with a fae to do away with your stepfamily,” he said, after they had made it halfway down the hallway. What was his life but an endless carousel of meetings, speeches, and petitions? Was this all he had to offer Ella?

Perhaps it was no wonder that she was hesitant to open up to him. Would it be possible to convince his parents to let him break away for some sort of private trip? Some private time for the two of them seemed necessary.

Their whole relationship had been too rushed and impulsive, the whole way through – and he couldn’t do anything to change the decisions he had already made. Any more than she could change her decisions.

He took a deep breath, frowning harder as he realized that she hadn’t answered, and remained utterly silent as she walked at his side.

“He informed me of their disappearance,” he continued. “I didn’t even think to check up on them. I think he ought to know what happened. And I know you feel ashamed about what happened because of a bargain you made, but my father understands how tricky the fae can be. In fact, if you want to, we may even be able to find a way to undo the bargain, if they’re still alive. It’s probable that your fae godmother is keeping them as servants or something like that.”

The breath caught in Ella’s throat, and she glanced up at him, her eyes wide with shock and horror. “Undo the … one can’t just undo a bargain!”

“Oh, it’s possible to do it, even if it isn’t easy,” Christof quickly assured her. “My mother managed it, once. I assure you; we don’t judge impulsive bargains in our family, especially when they’re made with no other way out of the mess.”

She looked down again, her eyes fixed on some uncertain point far ahead of her, and then she slowly took a long breath. “It was a terrible bargain,” she acknowledged. “But the thought of going to the lengths necessary to break it, to save my stepfamily … after the way they treated me, all those years, I don’t think that I can do it.”

“And I respect that,” said Christof. He swallowed hard and reached for her hand to squeeze it. “Don’t feel horrible about the fact that you aren’t willing to undo your mistake. Perhaps your stepfamily deserved what has happened to them. Perhaps they’re not in as bad a situation as you fear.”

She took a slow breath. “Perhaps,” she agreed. “But how can you live with such a thought? How can



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