Omniscient teller:

"Mommy, I want to look like a princess!" Five year old Charlotte beamed at her mother.

Diana Jones sat her daughter down on her small chair in front of her vanity desk. She pulled out makeup and cute accessories. Charlotte watched with big eyes as her mother applied blush on her cheeks and painted her eyelids with a soft pink eyeshadow.

"You'll have to sit still so that I can curl your hair, baby." Diana told her softly.

Charlotte nodded and sat still as her mother curled her long light brown hair. Today was Halloween and the school allowed children to come dressed up to school. Charlotte has been asking her mother to go as a princess ever since the announcement was made.

Diana didn't protest because she loved dolling Charlotte up. Charlotte may not be her biological child but she felt proud to be her mother. She had a beautiful, adorable, and sweet little girl that she got to call her daughter.

"Wow!" Charlotte gasped when Diana placed a tiara on her head.

She was wearing a puffy pink dress and fake heels. Diana had also given her a real pearl necklace to wear. She wanted her daughter to look the best. No one was as pretty as her Charlotte.

"You are so beautiful, Char." She kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly.

"I love you, mommy!" Charlotte grinned.

"I love you too, princess."

/////////////////

The door rang multiple times. It sounded repeated and hurried as if they would rather want to kick down the door. The Cassano's were having dinner but Hector got up from his seat to open the door. His family frowned a bit concerned because they weren't expecting anyone.

He went to the foyer and could already see a familiar face from the window. Alexander Ferrari kept pressing on the doorbell. Hector hadn't expected to see him and he still had trouble working together with him. It would take a lot of time before the idea of Alexander with his little sister would sit well with him.

"Why are you breaking my fucking doorbell?" Hector snapped as he swung the door open.

Alexander didn't wait to be invited in as he passed by Hector. Before he could storm further into the house, Hector held him back firmly. He didn't trust him, especially not with his son and nephew in the house.

"Where the fuck is Elena?!" Alexander yelled at him.

Hector grabbed him by his collar and nearly choked him but he was lit with rage. His little sister finally came home today and now her dumb boyfriend tried to mess that up. He wouldn't let him. Not until he at least got to talk to her.

"She's spending time with us. Are you trying to keep her away from us? Is that why she didn't come here for a month?!"

Elena always tried to visit home at least three times a week, especially for Fabio. Hector knew that she was still hurt and angry with him but he doubted that she'd stay away for so long. At first he thought that she was too high up cloud nine but now he felt like Alexander was responsible for this.

"Where is Elena?!" Alexander ignored his comment.

He sounded desperate and panicked.

"The toilet. That doesn't even matter-"

"She's alone?!" Alexander gasped.

His hands started to shake and he turned so pale that Hector thought he would faint soon.

"What aren't you telling me?!" Hector demanded.

Something was wrong. He didn't think anything of it when Elena went to the toilet. About five minutes had passed but she always takes long. Especially when she took her phone with her.

Alexander didn't respond and ran towards the toilet. Silas came out of the kitchen and frowned when Alexander passed him. Before he could ask what was going on, Hector ran after Alexander.

He looked scared out of his mind and that didn't mean anything good. Hector used to know everything about Elena; he could read her like an open book. He could tell that she was upset by the way her lips went downwards and how quiet she became. He could tell how angry she was by the way she stomped her foot on the ground and gave him a glare that resembled his.

He could tell when she misbehaved or got in trouble because she would act cute in front of him to bring his guard down. He could tell when she was scared because she'd come running to him.

That was gone now. He showed her the side of himself that he never wanted her to see.

And when he stepped inside the bathroom, he knew that he was the one who pushed her in that bad state.

Elena was trembling like she was cold and covering her ears as if everything was too loud. Alexander sat in front of her on the floor and caressed her hair while trying to speak to her.

"You're alright, bellissima, I'm here. I'm always here." Alexander told her softly.

Hector stood frozen in the doorway with Silas behind him. He didn't let him go in because Alexander seemed to know what he was doing. Elena had a dazed look on her face but she dropped her arms and let Alexander pull her to him. She held onto him tightly and so did Alexander.

It was a slap to the face. The sudden realisation. Alexander was exactly what Elena needed and she'd turn to him for help now. That realisation made Hector feel nauseous and sick to his stomach.

Letting her go was the worst thing that he's ever done but it was necessary for her recovery.

She won't run back into his arms anymore. She won't come to him for help anymore. She was no longer his little Elena. No longer that newborn baby, no longer that grave, no longer that cute fifteen year old girl that needed a decent parental figure in her life.

///////////////

Elena didn't leave her bed a week after the family dinner. She barely ate but Alexander didn't give up. He stayed beside her and tried to get her to eat the food he made. It broke his heart to see her like this and he was terrified to leave her alone.

Her eyes were lifeless.

She was doing better but depression stung hard. Her therapist had warned him to keep an eye on her. They'd talked about her dark thoughts but they weren't gone. Another trigger or letdown could be enough for her to act upon those thoughts.

"I love you, bellissima." He whispered in her ear.

He held her in his arms. Her head was resting on top of his chest. They stayed like that for a long while. Alexander couldn't let go of her. He couldn't loose her forever.

"Would we have met if my family never found me?" She suddenly whispered.

It was the first thing she said in a week. Alexander tensed and processed her words. His grip tightened on her because he didn't know what to respond.

If her brothers never found her, then she'd probably be married to Ronan and live a horrible life as his wife. They would probably never have met each other.

"But we did meet, cara. That's all that matters. Keeping yourself up to think about all the possibilities that could have been is exhausting." He whispered against her ear.

She was conflicted about who she was. Alexander wished that he could push her in the right direction, give her all the answers. But he could only hold her and comfort her.

This was her fight.

"If Hector never came to that piano competition, he would've never recognised me. Knowing that such an insignificant event changed my entire life is scary. What if it happens again? I can't take more change." She cried.

Elena's been thinking a lot about how she met her family. It was a hard period for her back then and she had to adapt quickly. Perhaps too quickly. She wondered how she took on a new name and accepted a whole new lifestyle.

"Are you afraid of change?" He asked her softly.

She held onto him tighter and lifted her head slightly so she could look into his eyes. His heart broke seeing her eyes red from crying. He brought his hand up to her cheek to wipe away tears.

"I can't go through that again."

He pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"It won't happen again." He promised.

She shook her head and more tears streamed down her cheeks.

"They hate me now. They don't love me anymore." She sobbed.

He caught her tightly. He placed her head against his neck and caressed her long locks. When he ran his hands through her hair, so strands came out. She was getting thinner and her mental state was gravely effecting her physical health.

"They love you so much." He insisted.

Her family had done questionable things but Alexander was always convinced that they love her. Despite everything they did to him, he reminded her of that every day. He told her every day that they love her.

When Elena is angry, she gets angry and finds ways to hurt others. Alexander knows that she'll regret obliterating her bond with her family.

"They love Elena Cassano. They didn't give a damn about Charlotte Jones." She muttered.

He cupped her face and stared at her.

"You feel stuck between the two, but those are just names. You are you. There are no different versions of you. You went through shit and it made you stronger. It only adds to who you are, regardless what your name is."

She took a deep breath and cuddled closer to him.

"Then who am I to you?"

"You're my beautiful girlfriend that I love more than anything on this earth. You are a strong, intelligent, confident woman that has the whole world ahead of her. You only just got started, baby, let's make the best of it."

Finally a smile appeared on her lips and she fell forward for another hug. He kissed her ear and pressed her close. As long as they had each other, they'll be fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next chap is coming up soon!!

Sorry for the late update. I got a bit stuck with what I wanted to do with the story. Hopefully that won't happen again.

Quick note:

There were a few comments last chapter that I'd like to address. Elena is struggling mentally and in that panic attack she was not thinking clearly. She doesn't doubt her family or wants to leave them because of Alexander. There were repressed feelings and issues that were bound to come up.

I hope you're all safe and healthy. Thank you for reading my story