The Dress: Fairytale

The pink and white striped dress looked as beautiful as Bela had dreamed. She clasped her hands together in delight, her large dark eyes widening in wonder. "Mama!" she said, spinning to face her mother's smile, "how wonderful. How did you ever manage it? You've been scrimping since I was born, but we could never afford a dress so beautiful." Her mother smiled still, but the shadows behind her eyes seemed to grow larger as she looked at her beautiful amber-skinned daughter. "Ah, mia cara," she said, "how could I not?" Bela stared at her mother's hands. "Have you been sneaking out to work in the middle of the night?" she demanded. Her mother already stayed up until the candle had burned down working on fine piecework.

Inspiration: A Victoria's Secret gift card.
Story Potential: Medium.
Finished Length: Short story? Novel? ???
Notes: It's a Cinderella story, but not for the daughter.