Vasílissa mou

Epilogue

Andrea's POV – 7 Years Later

I stood at the door, laughing softly as I listened to my husband and daughter bonding. Nuel was braiding Juliana's hair while she animatedly talked about a boy she had a crush on. Nuel's expression darkened as he tried to remain calm, but I could see his jaw clenching.

"Don't you think it's a bit early, mia cara?" he asked, grinding his teeth.

"No, padre. I know it's meant to be! Soon, we'll get married, and you'll have grandkids," Juliana replied cheerfully, making him freeze in horror.

"I don't want grandkids now," he said firmly, holding her face gently. "You're too young. I should be the only man in your life, mia cara."

Juliana hugged him, her little arms wrapped around his neck. "Don't be sad, padre. I love you more," she said, kissing his cheek.

"I'm going to introduce him to you today, padre. I invited him to my birthday party!" she added innocently.

Before Nuel could have a full-blown panic attack, I decided to intervene.

"Juliana, what have I told you about giving your father a heart attack?" I scolded lightly.

She just laughed. "All I did was tell him about Liam," she grinned, completely oblivious to Nuel's distress.

I chuckled. "Go meet Grandma downstairs," I said, and she nodded before skipping out of the room.

Nuel turned to me, his expression a mix of exasperation and disbelief. "You knew our daughter has a crush on some kid from school?" he growled.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Calm down, love. It's just a crush. Besides, he's a nice kid. Nothing's going to happen."

"I told you she should've been homeschooled. Now she wants to get married," he grumbled.

"Stop being a baby," I teased. "She's not getting married anytime soon. She gets her drama from you, by the way. What, do you plan on threatening every boy she ever tells you about?" I laughed harder, seeing that was exactly what he was planning.

"Sure, laugh at me. I'm just being protective. Speaking of protective, where's our son?" he asked.

Smiling, I replied, "He's with Madeline."

He sighed, pulling me closer and kissing me. "Let's go find them."

When we got downstairs, the house was buzzing with children. Jewel stood by Leah, who held their son, Lawrence, now four years old. Everyone was laughing at Jack, who was trying to beat Juliana in a game of chess. The adults cheered for Juliana, while the children rooted for Jack, though I knew he'd lose. Juliana didn't mess around when it came to chess.

My parents were on the couch, talking to Madeline and my son. From the way my father's face was turning red, I could tell they were discussing something embarrassing. I chuckled at that.

In the corner, I spotted Giovanni and Adonis sharing a laugh. I smiled, remembering how far Giovanni had come. After his father Cristiano's death, Giovanni had taken Adonis under his wing, removing him from boarding school and assuming responsibility for him.

Back then, Adonis was just ten, terrified after witnessing what his father had done to his mother. He'd been too scared to say anything, threatened that he'd "end up like Mommy dear" if he ever spoke up. After we told him the truth about his father's death, he hugged me tightly, and from that moment on, I vowed to be the sister figure he needed.

"Everything ended well," I said quietly.

"I couldn't agree more," Madeline replied, handing me my son, Maxim. I kissed his tiny nose.

Glancing around, I spotted Nuel talking to Liam, the boy Juliana had invited. Liam looked like he was about to faint.

"Oh dear," I sighed, glaring at Nuel's back. "I better intervene."

Madeline chuckled beside me. "Why don't you play with Juliana, dear? My husband likes to mess with people sometimes. Don't mind anything he said." I gently swatted the back of Nuel's head.

"Yes, ma'am," Liam stuttered and hurried off.

Nuel turned to me, feigning innocence. "I was just protecting our daughter."

"With you around, no guy will dare hurt her," I said, rolling my eyes. "But you don't need to scare every boy she talks to."

He sighed, knowing I was right. "I know, but I can't help it. It's instinct," he groaned.

Laughing, I headed to the kitchen to start cleaning up. A moment later, I felt Nuel's arms wrap around my waist as he rested his head on my neck.

"Thank you for staying with me," he whispered.

I smiled, turning to face him. "Thank you for making us work," I replied, kissing him softly.

We weren't perfect, but that's what made us a family. I smiled, content with the silence we shared.

"Always, Vasílissa mou," he whispered, his breath warm against my skin.

The End.