"It took me quite a long time to develop a voice and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent."

-Madeleine Albright

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The fighting sequence of the Sleeping Beauty play commenced. Ashley had to wear a purple dragon costume to show the evil witch, Maleficent's transformation.

She looked funny, but that didn't matter. For once in her life, she had done something exciting--even if it was just a play for the school.

The slashing sound of the fake sword held in Ivan's hands was almost muted by the groan Ashley let out.

She fell on the carpet dramatically and watched Ivan's retreating steps.

The curtain closed and Ashley moved away from the center. As the curtain reopened, Ivan's figure rushed towards Elena, who slept straight on a bed.

The yellow wig on her head made her look like a different person altogether.

This was the final dress rehearsal, the play was almost over. Ashley never knew she would miss anything related to school.

After Princess Aurora was awakened by a true love's kiss, she and Prince Philip had to dance. This marked the end of the rehearsals.

A huge cheer erupted and the Drama teacher clapped Ivan's back with a grin. He shook hands with Elena, Kate, Max, and the other students who were a part of it, including Ashley.

The students began to work in clearing the props from the stage. Ashley noticed the smiles dropping from Max and Kate's faces.

Kate snatched her palm off from Max's and glared at him. Max, hurt and puzzled, held her by her shoulders.

The anger on their faces, however, couldn't mask the intensity of the way they stared at each other. For them, in a room full of students, there wasn't anyone else.

It was only them.

Ashley sighed. She wondered why a simple thing such as love should be so complicated. It was so clear, perhaps overwritten on their faces.

Max held Kate's wrists, which clutched his collars in an angry grip. Though their mouths were turned downwards in frowns, their eyes reflected the hurt their sharp exchange had left.

Ashley wondered what was their fight all about. A flicker of her gaze landed on Sarah, who smirked.

Ashley could tell this was that gray-eyed girl's victorious grin.

Was Sarah the reason for their fight?

Ashley shook her head. Whatever it was, she wished Kate would find happiness. That girl had gone through a lot, her tough demeanor told her that.

On her right, Elena and Ivan stood holding hands, their eyes smiling.

A small smile formed on Ashley's face. She had told Elena that the ice king liked her.

Little did she know, her smile would disappear as fast as it had appeared.

A large palm clutched her shoulder from behind. That scent, she could recognize it anywhere.

What was she doing here?

Pale in the face, Ashley turned to find her mother standing there with her arms crossed.

Displeasure, anger, and disgust would be far too less to describe what her fake, blue glare portrayed.

Her mouth hadn't even dried fully, the shock hadn't even seeped through her, but the slap had been able to throw all her happiness out of her reach.

Silence haunted the auditorium, but it wasn't long before her mother's voice rang clear and sharp.

"How could you do this? How could you work with these low-level students?"

"How!" Her shoulders were gripped, her mother's nails sharp like her tongue. "Answer me."

Tongue-Tied, Ashley blinked at her like a doll. Out of the corner of her eye, she registered the approaching forms of the twins.

"Forgive my bluntness, Mrs. Cooper, but a few shiny rocks don't make you a royal," Elena stated, her eyes unblinking and firm.

If it was another day, Ashley would have punched a person speaking badly of her mom.

But not today.

Something stirred in her. All the years of loneliness, ignored efforts, and unrequited parental love, had to be stopped.

Her mother turned to her, her cheeks flushed. "So, you let this petty, little girl speak whatever she pleases? Where are your manners?"

Petty--yes that's what Ashley had categorized the twins as. But all changed when she realized how awesome they were. Till date, she counted herself lucky for having real friends like them in her fake life.

Her mother's palm would have struck another print of fingers on Ashley's cheek but was stopped by another, which couldn't let injustice happen.

"Don't you dare, Mrs. Cooper." Elena let go her mother's wrist.

"That's what it is, Mrs. Cooper," Kate's soft voice stated. "She would have manners if you would have taught her any."

"Look at your daughter--"

"Stop," Ashley's whisper cut off Elena's words. "Stop," she said out louder this time.

She glanced at the twins, holding each of their palms between hers. "Thank you for standing up for me. But I've to fight my own battles... myself."

Swallowing the quiver in her voice, she gazed into her mother's cold eyes. "You would never let me do this. I had no other choice, I had to forge your signature on that slip."

Brushing away the tear that threatened to wipe away her foundation, she inhaled a deep breath. "Even a caged bird has more freedom than me."

"I only wanted love, mom... was it such a huge demand?" Neither she stopped the stream of tears, nor the shaky tone of her voice.

"What did I become, mom? I'm sorry I can't be your doll anymore. I can't stifle the neck of my wishes, my dreams, my choices."

"I can't strangle my own neck, mom. My life is suffocating me, I can't do this anymore."

She closed her eyes momentarily and opened them to take in the astonished faces of her classmates.

She didn't care. Let the world hear whatever she had to say. Whatever she had buried deep inside her heart. Whatever that needed to have been let out long back.

This whatever would change her life, her words, her choices could and would change everything.

There was no stopping now, Ashley would roar now, in spite of the squeaking heart of hers.

Oppression was done, she had long endured it, now was the time to take things in her bony hands.

Bony, weren't they? That would change too.

A fire burned her inside out, her tears stopped, her stance grew firm and straight.

"Our riches don't make my life comfortable, mom." She held her mother's wrist. "This glitter doesn't lighten up my day. It never will."

"Ashley--"

She cut her mom off. She was done listening, done being told what to do, done being a puppet.

It was her turn to speak now.

Her eyes itched, guess her lenses now wanted freedom as well. Why not?

She removed the blue lenses and placed them gingerly on her mother's palm.

"What are you doing!" her mother said, her face alarmed.

"What I should have." Her crown was removed from her head, a weight released from it as she did.

Though it had been given to her with profound love, it was just an object now. She had tried hard to make her mom realize the love, but nothing happened.

So, what was the use of the crown?

"Ashley, stop." Fear filled her mom's eyes.

Ashley smiled. "There's only one thing, which stops me from being me."

After placing the crown on her mom's palm, she removed her hair--the blonde wig, which was another part of fake Ashley.

A huge weight had been lifted from her mind and heart. The wig styled in a ponytail dangled from her mother's hand.

Ashley removed the pin from her bun, the black waves of her hair greeting her neck.

"I'm done pretending, mom. I'm done."

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Hey, people! 💖 How are you all? How's everything going on? I hope you're having a nice day/night.

I'm back with a new update, Ashley's last POV to be exact.

So, what do you think of this update? Ashley finally stood up to her mom.

Did you expect her to leave behind her fake self this way?

Her hair wasn't blonde, it was a wig, that's why she never removed her crown (apart from it being a gift from her mother).

Did you like this update? Yes/No.

If you like this Chapter and the previous ones, please do leave a vote by clicking on the star sign below. Thank you so much for reading. :) 💗

Sneak-Peek of Episode 40:

The twins finally get to know what happened to Ivan after they had left. Stay tuned to find out. :)

Keep smiling! 💕
Lots of love❤💙
Sakina

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