ever after (bucky barnes x y/n)

Prologue

Once upon a time, there lived a happy family. The father was the owner of a bakery, and he would regularly bring home cakes and biscuits for his daughter Y/N to try, promising that she would join her father in the bakery when she was old enough. Slowly, the bakery began to grow in popularity, and as it did, the family grew in wealth. Despite this change in income however, they still remained the kind and happy family they were before. Because they knew that all they needed was love, and they ensured their daughter, Y/N, grew up with the same values. Every night, Y/N would be read fairytales, stories about beautiful princesses, dashing knights and happily ever afters, and she would dream of one day finding her own happily ever after. Or at least, her true love. But until then, she was happy with her current life. However, tragedy soon struck the family when Y/N's mother, the love of her father's life, passed away in a car accident when Y/N was only six.

And then, everything changed.

After the death of his wife, his primary source of happiness, Y/N's father became depressed. He would often lock himself away in despair, turning to his work as his only comfort. As her father threw himself into his work more and more, the popularity of his bakery began to grow and grow, and soon other bakeries opened, causing their income to grow even more. But despite everything her father's new found wealth gave her, Y/N didn't care about the money. She had already lost one parent, but to her, it felt like she lost them both. Her contact with her father became limited to mealtimes, and she was forced to learn to take care of herself, growing up far too soon compared to other kids her age. But, she tried not to let it upset her, and she turned to her stories even more, hoping for a happy ending for both her and her father.

Speaking of her father, as time went on, he soon began to realise that he deserved another chance at love. He also felt that his daughter should have another mother figure in her life. And so, his heart also began to yearn for another. A woman a few years older than him named Adria, a woman who came into his bakery regularly. Soon, love blossomed between the pair, and within the year, they were married. Her father was finally happy again, as he had once again found his happily ever after, and his daughter could be happy in a family again. Unfortunately, he did not know that by bringing Adria into he and his daughter's life, he had changed the lives of them both forever...for the worst.

Adria was a beautiful woman of course, but she was vain, selfish and cruel, only marrying Y/N's father in the hopes of taking all his money. Her new husband was never the subject of her anger (at least, not that he knew about), but her new stepdaughter was. She ordered Y/N to become a servant in her own home, and to stay inside at all times. As time went on, Y/N became isolated from all her friends and family, including her father, whilst her stepmother enjoyed both his time and his money. Despite this, however, Y/N still tried to retain a positive outlook on life, turning to her stories and dreams as a source of comfort, despite how much her stepmother wanted to destroy her happiness.

As the years went by, and Y/N grew older, she turned into a beautiful young woman, both inside and out. Unfortunately, this made Adria's dislike of her even stronger, and soon, she couldn't even look at her without rage filling her body. All the while, Y/N's father was none the wiser that his daughter was being mistreated by her stepmother. Although her heart was still full of love for her father, Y/N became increasingly more heartbroken that her father still didn't notice either her or the mistreatment she was facing.

So, as soon as she could, Y/N moved out of her family home, and found her own apartment in New York. She only kept in contact with her father and stepmother when she needed to, which thankfully for her, was not often. But Y/N's father soon realised how he neglected his only daughter and was upset at the strain it had caused on their relationship. So, he began to reach out to her. Although hesitant at first, Y/N accepted his requests for a renewed relationship, and they began to see each other again. However, this angered Adria, who was concerned Y/N would take away her chance to take all her husband's money. And so, she began to slip crushed up pills into her husband's food and drink. Over time, he became sicker and sicker, and he soon died before he and Y/N had fully rebuilt their relationship, which devastated the young woman as tragedy struck her and her family again...and once again, she was alone, with nobody who loved her.

And so, Y/N began to feel that maybe she wasn't supposed to have a 'happily ever after' after all. Or, if she was...it was definitely taking its time.