our daughter (marina fanfic)

Chapter 39

Carina's POV

It was December, and Christmas was just around the corner. Our house was filled with the sweet scent of freshly baked Italian Christmas treats, and the twinkling lights from our tree shone brightly in the living room. The whole house was decorated in festive colours, with red and green ornaments adorning every surface. 

Despite all the joy and excitement, Maya and I were both feeling the stress of the season. As a perfectionist, Maya was determined to make every detail of our holiday celebrations perfect. She was cleaning like a maniac and quite literally using a measurement tape to place decorations in the correct place on shelves. Meanwhile, I just wanted to relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of the season.

Maya had a list of tasks to complete every day, from decorating the house to planning the perfect Christmas. I, on the other hand, wanted to relax and enjoy the season without the added stress. Throughout the week we had multiple collisions, where we would get into stupid arguments over little things, which caused us to be even more on edge. 

One evening, as we were both preparing for the upcoming holiday, our stress levels boiled over into a heated argument.

"I just want everything to be perfect!", Maya exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Why can't you see that?"

"I just want to enjoy the holiday", I replied, trying to remain calm. "Why do we need to have everything perfect? It's not that serious Maya"

"It's not about being perfect, Carina", Maya shot back. "It's about creating memories that we'll cherish for years to come, especially when Olivia still lives here with us. And if we don't put in the effort, then what's the point?"

I sighed, feeling the tension between us building. "I understand that, Maya. But we don't need to stress ourselves out over every little detail. The holiday season is supposed to be about spending time with loved ones and enjoying each other's company."

Maya seemed to consider my words for a moment, before letting out a deep breath. "You're right, Carina. I'm sorry", she admitted. 

I sighed, feeling relieved."It's okay, bellina."

The tension however wasn't over and had been building up. Maya had been snapping at everyone and Olivia, being frustrated that they weren't following her schedule. I tried to remind her that the holiday was about spending time with family and not about perfection, but Maya wouldn't listen. The house was a mess, and the decorations weren't up to Maya's standards. I started to get very irritated. 

On the night, I was in the kitchen, trying to finish the Christmas cookies I had been baking for hours. Maya came in and looked at the cookies and frowned. 

"Why aren't you using the Christmas cookie cutters?", she asked. 

"Because cookies can just be round, Maya", I replied simply. 

"But they are Christmas cookies", she said. 

"They can be round Christmas cookies. They are just cookies", I said with an attitude. 

"Just cookies? We do these every year Carina, and we've always used the holiday cookie cutters to make them Christmassy. It's not that hard", she exclaimed, clearly frustrated. 

"Maya, please stop," I said, raising my voice. "You're making yourself and everyone miserable, and it's affecting our family too." 

Maya turned to face me, her eyes blazing with anger. "I just want us to have a good holiday!" she snapped. "Is that too much to ask?", she said, storming out of the kitchen and out the door. 

I clenched my fists and punched them into the kitchen island, and let out a frustrated growl. 

Olivia's POV

I was sitting in my room, listening to the raised voices downstairs. This was the 3rd time this week. I couldn't take it anymore. The tension between moms had been building up for days, and tonight it again erupted into a full-blown argument. Mom was frantically trying to get everything ready for Christmas, while mama kept trying to remind her that it didn't have to be perfect. It was too much to handle.

I packed a bag, tears slowly streaming down my face, grabbed my coat and headed out the door, not even sure where I was going. I just couldn't stand to be in that toxic environment any longer. I just needed to get away from the arguing. I walked down the street until I reached Andy's house. She was one of the closest people I had after my moms, and I knew I could count on her to listen and offer some comfort.

As I walked up the driveway, I could see the glow of the Christmas lights in the windows. It looked warm and inviting, and I felt a sense of envy. I wished her own home felt that way right now. My moms very rarely fought, and if they did, I wasn't around to hear it. And I knew it was due to the stress of the season, but I still hated witnessing it. 

I knocked on the door and was really hoping she'd be home. 

Andy opened the door and gave me a concerned look. "Olivia, what's wrong?"

I burst into tears and told her everything. The stress of moms fighting, the pressure of Christmas, and how I just couldn't take it anymore. 

"Mom and mama are arguing and I don't wanna be at home", I said my voice shaking. 

"Oh mija", she said, putting her arm around me and leading me inside. "Come on, let's get you settled in. Do you want to talk about it?"

I nodded, grateful for the opportunity to vent. As we sat down on the couch, I poured out her frustrations about the argument and how it made her feel. Andy listened attentively, offering words of comfort and understanding.

Andy kept hugging me and letting me cry on her shoulder. "It's okay, Liv. You don't have to deal with this alone. You can stay here tonight if you need to. We'll make some hot chocolate and watch some movies, and you can just relax and forget about everything else."

"Thank you, Andy"

After a while, my tears subsided, and I began to feel more at ease. Andy suggested we would watch a movie and order takeout, to which I agreed. As we settled in for the night, Olivia felt grateful for her aunt's support and love. Andy also had called moms, to tell them that I was staying the night, and was hoping that whatever was going on with my moms, they would figure it out by morning.