Fiction logo

“My Life Was Just Like Cinderella — But I Saved Myself”

Not every girl needs a fairy godmother. Some become their own magic.

By BellaPublished 6 months ago 3 min read

When I was younger, I used to believe fairytales were just stories — distant, dreamy, impossible. But the older I grew, the more I realized something strange.

My life felt just like Cinderella's.
Not the magical gown or glass slippers part.
The lonely part. The painful part.
The part where you’re treated like you don’t matter — even in your own home.


---

💔 The Beginning Felt Like a Curse

There were days I felt invisible.

I wasn’t locked in a tower, but I was trapped in silence.
Trapped in a house where I gave everything, and received nothing.
I wasn’t scrubbing floors, but I was cleaning up everyone’s mess — emotional, mental, even physical.
I wasn’t wearing rags, but I carried burdens so heavy they tore holes in my spirit.

Just like Cinderella, I was the one they overlooked.

The one who kept giving.

The one no one thanked.


---

👩‍👧 My “Stepmother” Wasn’t Always a Person

People imagine Cinderella’s pain came from one cruel woman.
But for me, it wasn’t just a person.
It was a system.
It was expectation.
It was being the girl who was always expected to be quiet, kind, helpful — even when I was breaking.

It was being told to smile, even when I wanted to scream.
To forgive, even when I was hurt.
To stay small, even when my dreams wanted to be big.

My “stepsisters” were the voices that told me I wasn’t enough.
That I needed to be prettier. Softer. More obedient.

But deep down, a fire was growing inside me.


---

✨ The Ball Never Came — But Something Better Did

There was no fairy godmother. No pumpkin carriage.
No prince who came to rescue me.

And honestly, I waited.

I waited for someone to see me. To choose me. To lift me out of the ashes.
But no one came.

Until one day… I did.

I looked in the mirror and saw more than a servant.
I saw a survivor.
A fighter.
A girl with dust on her cheeks and stars in her eyes.

And I realized — maybe the fairytale wasn’t about someone saving me.
Maybe it was about me saving myself.


---

💪 I Became My Own Magic

I stopped waiting for permission to be happy.
I stopped chasing people who didn’t value me.
I stopped shrinking for rooms that were too small for my soul.

I worked on myself.
I cried through the nights and still showed up in the morning.
I made plans. I studied. I healed. I hustled.
Not with magic — but with grit.

I stitched my own gown out of pain and growth.
I wore my scars like glass slippers — proof that I walked through fire and still stood tall.


---

🌹 Not Every Fairytale Has a Prince

Here’s the truth no one tells you:
You don’t need a prince to make you royal.

You don’t need someone to rescue you to be worth saving.
Sometimes, love comes later. Sometimes, love is you — coming home to yourself.

I still believe in happy endings.
But now I write my own.

I choose who stays in my life.
I choose peace over drama.
I choose joy — even in small, quiet moments.

That’s real magic.


---

💬 Final Words: From Ashes to Light

If you feel like Cinderella right now — alone, ignored, exhausted — I see you.
I was you.

But here’s what I’ve learned:
You are not weak because you’re struggling.
You are not invisible because they don’t see your worth.

You are a spark waiting to become fire.

The ball may never come. The prince may never show up.
But you can rise. You can shine. You can build your own kingdom.

Because the real fairytales?
They’re not about being rescued.
They’re about becoming powerful in the places you were once powerless.

And that, my dear — is the kind of story worth telling.

Sometimes I look back and wonder how I survived it all — the quiet heartbreaks, the silent nights, the times I begged for someone to understand me. But maybe the truth is, I was never supposed to be understood by those who couldn’t see magic in the ashes. Maybe I had to be broken to learn how to rebuild myself, stronger, softer, and more real than ever before.

Fan FictionFantasyStream of Consciousness

About the Creator

Bella

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2026 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.