Accidentally Ever After

Prologue

PROLOGUE

Getting locked in the cellar wasn’t new. The longest I’d stayed was five days — no food, no water. I learned not to cry. Crying didn’t help. Mistakes always led me back here. I breathed them in like second nature.

That was my fate — for being born into the Greens family.

I heard commotion outside. Distant crashes. Voices rising. I didn’t bother to care. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be about me — nothing ever was, unless it involved punishment. They hated me. My own blood. The Greens. They despised my existence like it was some kind of disease.

I was nine the first time my mother, Katherine, shoved me into this cellar. She looked me dead in the eye and made sure I knew: I wasn’t part of her new family. I wasn’t her daughter — just a mistake with breath.

The darkness used to suffocate me. I used to panic — clawing at the walls, the air, my own skin. Claustrophobia nearly ended me that first time. Now, it barely itched. I’d gotten so used to this hellhole, I started calling it home.

Glass shattered upstairs. My ears perked. Heavy footsteps thudded across the floor, frantic and unsure. Was Katherine fighting with Jackson again? It sounded worse. Screams rang out — one piercing above the rest.

Selina.

Then a gunshot cracked the air, sharp and definite. My breath caught in my throat.

Maybe it’s a robbery, I thought. Good. What a perfect day to be locked in a cellar.

"Mrs. Katherine, step back. Now!" A man’s voice — rough, commanding.

"Katherine," Jackson stammered, "please — they’re going to shoot me."

This wasn’t a robbery.

They weren’t taking things.

They were taking someone.

"Mommy, please— don’t let them take me. Please!"

Selina.

My blood chilled.

"You can’t take my daughter!" Katherine shrieked, voice splintering. "I won’t let you!"

I imagined her now — neck veins pulsing, face twisted in rage. The same face she wore every time she reminded me I was nothing.

Then came the scuffle — feet dragging, something heavy being pulled.

"I’m following orders," the man barked. "Test me, and I’ll pull the trigger."

Orders?

From who?

I didn’t get the chance to finish the thought.

"I'm not the one you want!" Selina cried, desperation laced in every word. "It’s my sister! You’re making a huge mistake!"

Silence.

A heavy pause that made my chest thud in panic.

"She’s right," Jackson said, tone smug — like he'd just solved a riddle he’d been dying to crack. "The one you’re looking for is in the cellar. I locked her up so she wouldn’t run."

My stomach sank.

"Katherine, go. Now. Bring her out."

Keys clinked. Metal groaned. The small door creaked open and warm light spilled in. Katherine’s silhouette hovered at the entrance.

"Reina, darling," she cooed, voice all sweetness and lies. "Come on out."

I stared at her — my vision swimming in disbelief. I’d heard everything. Every word. Every betrayal.

Still, I dragged myself out of the cramped space. My legs trembled with each step, but I welcomed the sting of fresh air.

"There she is!" Jackson beamed. "See? Look how healthy she is — that’s the one."

I barely stepped into the room before I saw them — three men with assault rifles, the one in the middle motioning toward me with his gun.

"Take her."

I turned to Katherine, eyes pleading. Even Selina refused to meet my gaze.

"Where are they taking me?" I whispered, voice cracking.

Katherine looked at me — guilt painted on like makeup. "Don’t worry, sweetheart. Your father and I will come for you. Just go with them for now, alright?"

Sweetheart.

She’d never called me that before.

My chest tightened.

They were trading me.

Jackson had been drowning in debts. Scammers, loan sharks — they came banging on the door weekly. This was just another one of his fixes.

He sold me.

"For the love of God, Amor," the man growled, impatient. "We don’t have time for this. Move."

A rough hand grabbed me, wrenching my arm. Pain shot through my limbs. I stumbled, too stunned to resist.

As they dragged me past the living room, I looked back. My family stood still, like statues — pretending to look sorry.

But I knew better.

My world slowed. Like everything moved in half-speed. Selina raised her hand in a faint wave. Her expression looked pained — almost like she cared.

But the corner of her mouth twitched.

That smirk.

The same one she always wore when her lies got me locked in the cellar.

“Mommy, I didn’t mean for her to be punished. I just wanted her to say sorry.”

“Mommy, please don’t let Daddy lock Reina up. I want to play with her.”

“I missed you, Reina. Want some water?” she’d ask the second I got out.

Katherine always thought I was jealous of Selina. That I bullied her. That I was mean.

But Selina?

Selina was the master puppeteer.

She made them all hate me.

As I was hauled toward the door, I managed a faint, bitter smile. A parting gift.

Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

They didn’t deserve them.