glass slippers. ʲᵃᵉᵐⁱⁿ

TWENTY EIGHTH.

Third Person's POV

Not wanting Jaemin to see the state she was in, Eunice didn't continue her walk around the place and went to the garden instead to breathe in fresh air. The sun wasn't as scorching as it was earlier in the morning and the trees have cool shades under them.

She probably has ruined her make-up by now. Thankfully, she brought a handkerchief with her and decided to wipe off the remaining touches on her face. She lived her life not wearing any of it anyway.

When she saw the fountain a few feet in front of her, she approached it and sat on its side, staring mindlessly at the ground. Using her finger, she pressed it lightly on her eyes so that they would stop releasing more tears. Crying makes her sleepy.

Her parents raised her well and loved her with what they have. Eunice's mother would always say to find it in her heart to forgive people, even in their biggest mistakes. Continue to be kind to them even if they won't do the same to you. She lived through her sayings and that made her always hope that her step family would have a change of heart.

Thinking about her actions, she was embarrassed on what she turned out to be. Her mother believed she would grow up with a kind and forgiving heart. She believed that Eunice would be one of the people who would change for the better and not for the worse.

Now, she has completely disobeyed her mother. She let her hatred grow in her heart and she was thirsty for revenge. Eunice knows she's going to be disappointed at her but she can't help it. She's done being kind, benevolent, whatever more. She never wanted to let her mother down but here she is, going to murder someone by the end of the week.

She was finally calming down and her heartbeat was normal again. It has been years ever since she hadn't heard that song and when it was played earlier, thousands of memories came back to her. It overwhelmed her heart but she's not going back to the way she was before.

Eunice heard footsteps behind but she didn't look and only played with the water with her hand. She stared at her reflection on the water and saw that her eyes are a bit puffy. Jaemin's figure suddenly appeared from behind her, his hands on his back.

The both of them stared at each other through their reflections when he broke the silence after seeing what her eyes looked like, "Were you crying?" He softly asked. She turned away from the water and looked at the front but refused to glance up at Jaemin.

He slowly bent down in front of her and held her left cheek. It was slightly wet and that convinced him that she was indeed crying. "You know, you can tell me what's bothering you." His voice was so gentle and utterly persuading. She sighed and told him.

"I was wandering inside then I heard someone play the piano. Turns out it was you. After your mentor asked you to play 'My Little Girl', that's when my tears fell. It's just because my parents used to sing it to me everytime. They passed away before I became eleven and I haven't heard of it in years,"

She waved her hand and gave him a reassuring smile. "But you don't need to be sorry. In fact, I'm thankful that you played it. It brought me back to the days when I was still with my parents. I love going back to memory lane." She said and caressed Jaemin's hand on her cheek with her thumb.

Jaemin smiled and stood back up. "I'm glad you're alright. Let's go. The cakes are already in the dining room." He pulled her up and she nearly lost her balance but of course, he held her just in time. "I-I'm sorry. I'm a bit drowsy after I cry."

Patting her back, he smiled comfortingly at her. "It's okay. But you're feeling a lot better, yes?" Eunice looked up at him and nodded. Jaemin was once again dumbfounded by her visuals. He noticed that she removed her make-up yet how can someone still look this stunning?