Conner was not sure how he felt. His dad was getting married again. Conner had never known his mom; she'd died when he was too young to remember her, and had left his dad a widower. But his dad had recently started dating a new woman and now they were getting married.
Conner hadn't met his soon-to-be stepmom yet, or her 2 sons from her previous marriage. But now that they were done in the tux store, that's where he and his dad were headed.
They arrived at her house and Conner's dad rang the doorbell. A beautiful older woman opened the door for them. Her name was Diane and she treated Conner kindly.
Soon she asked her son's to come out. They were identical twins and Conner's age. Their names were Adam and Drew; both were kind of chubby and had mean looks to them. Conner was uncertain what to do.
"Boys, say hello to Conner, your new brother," Diane told them. They sulkily muttered "hi" in response.
A week later was the wedding, and Darren and Diane were married. Diane and the twins moved in with Conner and Darren. All seemed well for about a year.
Then, when Conner was 11, Darren didn't come home one day. He had died when a drunk driver hit his car. This destroyed Conner, and he withdrew inside himself. He went with Diane and the boys to the funeral, but when they got home, things rapidly headed downhill.
Diane's entire demeanor changed. She told Conner she'd never liked him and only tolerated him because of his father. Now she would do what she pleased. She took away his phone. She pulled Conner out of school, claiming she would homeschool him. In reality, she was using him as her slave. Every time something needed to be done around the house, Conner had to do it. He cooked, cleaned, lifted things, and did everything else one could possibly imagine. His stepmom and stepbrothers made life he'll for him. Conner had only one thing left for himself: his father's original wedding ring, when he married Conner's mother. He realized that he was living a Cinderella story, but he wasn't so sure about the happy ending part.