Cinderella Who

Chapter Nineteen

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, getting pulled by Peter.

He didn't answer, instead he kept grabbing my wrist and pulling me to the grass field. But, the trees had shed their leaves and they all piled up on the ground. He pulled me to a tree until I yanked his hand away, making him stop his footsteps.

"What do you want?!" I exclaimed in exasperation, breathing heavily.

"You know all along, am I right?" He finally said, making me quiet down. I nodded my head, despite of the fact that it might be wrong. Maybe Asher wasn't the one, but I didn't know.

He sighed in utter exhaustion and said, "Tell me how much you know."

"What?" I murmured in confusion. After keeping all these secrets, he still dared to ask how much I knew? "After keeping all that secrets from me, does it make sense that you still ask me how much I know?"

He gaped open his mouth slightly, but he closed it afterwards. He was probably dumbstruck, despite of his smart-oriented personality. He said, "I'm sorry."

I sighed in exasperation and said, "It's him, isn't it?"

"What?" He responded, raising one of his eyebrows.

"He's the man in the mask, the man in the phantom costume, Asher." I said, looking at the pile of dried leaves below.

He eyed me pitifully and nodded his head yes. He said, "Yes, he's the one."

"Did he know all along? Did he know that I was her?" I asked him, demandingly.

He nodded his head again, staring back at me pitifully. I asked him again, "Does he know who his Cinderella is?"

He lifted an eyebrow and said, "What's the connection here?"

I merely stared at him back, without words nor provocation. He widened his eyes and gaped open his mouth, he said, "Y-You're Cinderella?"

With a blank stare, I said, "Yes, I'm Cinderella."

"The coincidences...don't look like a coincidence. He's the phantom, the one who disappeared. You're Cinderella, the one who also disappeared." He spoke up his mind, stunned by all of his thoughts.

"Now, what's the meaning of him getting married to that witch?" I asked him, because he did knew something about it.

"Pick," He said firmly. "The truth or the lie."

He was playing a game with me. The truth meant that I would get the answer right away, but it's a horrible truth—something I wouldn't want to accept. The lie wouldn't get me the answer, but it's something I would accept and it's hurtful to know that it was a lie.

"The truth." I answered him.

"It all began that day, I asked him to go with me to the prom because I wanted to go. But, I was shy. Then, he met you. He said that it was love at first sight, but he had to leave unfortunately," He explained, sighing. "His father ordered him to go home and he was very horrifying man. Therefore, he had to leave."

"But, why did he have to keep his identity a secret?" I questioned him, the question that got me emotionally.

He looked at me pitifully and explained, "He wants to see, if you really do like him back—even if he's not him. He wants to know you first, so he observe your behaviour. Moreover, I think he's just watching out."

"For what?" I said.

"Are you hurt that he just left without saying anything, causing you to wander around to look for him?" He asked me back, causing me to pause for a moment.