Till We're Grey and Old ❤

1.

Elena's POV

And here begins our story as a married couple. Despite all the different, good and terrible things we went through to get to here, and even all the sabotages that happened so close to our wedding day and even on our wedding day, we are still going strong, with our two sons and our families and friends around us to let us know we are loved and protected. If someone were to tell me the story of our life, I wouldn't have believed them, it would have seemed to much for me. After all, when we see those things happen, we see them happen to other people right? Not to us. But they did happen and I was so ready to start this new chapter in our lives, with those past evils hopefully behind us now. Ever since I quit my job at Emerald & Co, because of Noah, I have been doing stuff related to my hobbies, writing and acting, but I haven't really found something that I could call a full time job. My previous company have reached out to me to come back into work, and although I did consider it, I still felt like too many bad memories are attached to that place and going to work every day would remind me of it all.

It would be like stepping back into the mental state I was in at the time and I don't want to be in that state anymore. I've moved on past it and seeing the same office I shared with Molly for so many years would just make me remember what happened. Sometimes I felt stupid, like I know there are so many other people who have had even bigger things happen to them and here I am, whining. But I realised that feelings matter, no matter if your problem is big or small, your feelings matter and you are allowed to feel them and for your feelings to be valid. Whatever it may be, I still want to pursue other career options. Maybe switch the spectrum and have photography and design turn into hobbies and pursue my hobbies of acting and writing as careers? Anything than this rut I'm currently in. I have always been cautious not to use Cristiano's money, despite us being married now,  and having resorted to being a stay-at-home mom after it all, to make sure I was with our kids as much as possible, so having a writer style job where I can work from home would be ideal.

I've always seen comments on social media that would mention how I was with Cristiano for his money. And I always knew that it was most important that he knew I wasn't and that his family and friends knew I wasn't, but sometimes it still got to me, and I hated that I let it happen. But I always wanted to be independent and even if it's okay to lean on someone at times, I wanted to make a career for myself. I am a person who functions better when I have a lot to do in a day, I figured that out in college, when I had classes everything was rolling the way I wanted it, I was able to organise my time the way I wanted to, but when the classes ended and all I had to do is study for the exams I have left, I didn't know what to do, and I lost the will to do anything. I was never one for a monotone life, not that being at home with two active children is monotone, but even when I was younger, before meeting Cris, I was career and work driven, because the romantic side of it never worked in my favor.

And I have this huge passion for writting, that grows always, even when I have no will to do it. It still is a part of me, and I never want it to be tainted with bad feelings, so when I was diagnosed with atypical depression in my final year of college, due to not knowing where my life is going afterwards, and having the feeling that I had no opportunities when I finish college, it kinda took away all my will to do anything. Sometimes, getting out of bed was the hardest task in the world, and I felt like if I got it all in writing, I would be able to focus on it and make it better, but in reality, being met with the diagnosis made it a lot tougher. It made it seem like something was wrong with me truly, and it's not something I can easily change, like if I was being lazy and I could just push myself. It took a while for me to realise that there was nothing wrong with me and that it was okay not to be okay sometimes and let myself come back to the way I was in my own pace.

And not wanting to connect my writing with sad feelings, I found it tough to write also, so I took up photography and that was how I ended up in Emerald & Co. But now, with my large family and my small family of just the four of us, I had allowed myself to get healed by Cris firstly and then Junior and finally our tiny boy, Arés. So maybe it was time to wipe off the dust off my old works and maybe try to give stay-at-home mom plus writer a shot. I have always put family first, so I knew that I wanted to spend time with my kids as much as possible, so that would work perfectly. And it would lessen the guilt I feel for having to use Cristiano's money. I remember how hard I tried to push in my studies even past my depression so that my mom didn't have to finance me anymore and I could pay her back through all my hard work, I was not about to let that happen again, to have someone else finance me.

And you might say it's weird, after all it is my husband's money, and Cris would agree with you, his whole family included, but in life I've been more of a giver than a reciever, and I prefer giving back to people rather than being the one who is being helped. Maybe I still have to work on that part of letting myself get help from others at times because it's okay. I spend my time giving those kind of advice to my friends, and never taking it myself. My train of thought is broken by the sound of the front door opening and a wet haired Cristiano, with a towel on his head walking in. The boys rushed to greet their father and seeing them interact melted my heart, as I too stood up, smiling, that soon turned into a giggle after hearing Arés' adorable squeal, when Cris picked him up and ruffled his wet hair on his tiny head. My youngest nephew was really sensitive and would want to immediately change clothes if so much as a tiny drop of water fell on his shirt, but not Arés. He loved to take baths and to splash in water, he didn't mind jumping into his kiddy pool with his clothes on. Although, in his toddler form, it's more of a waddle and place his tiny bottom into the water kind of jump.

"Welcome home husband."

"Thank you dear wife."

It wasn't long before Cris shook his head and all three of us were covered in water dropplets. Oh how I wish I had a bucket of water to dunk on him right now.

---***---

And after so long, here I am again ❤

I didn't know when the sequel would be up, but seeing FeliciaCharles5 commenting on my first book, it gave me the motivation to start this one, so this one is dedicated to you ❤  Hope you like it and thank you for the comments that gave me that extra push❤  I hope you are ready for the new journey of your favorite couple ❤  I will attempt to update every Friday or so, and maybe some mid week updates if I get inspired, those will be spontanious surprises ❤

Stay beautiful 💋❤