7 years later :

Bright beam of sunshine was coming through the open window in a room. A woman opened the curtains too. "Elena please stop it, I am still sleepy" Hayden groaned from bedside. "No, you need to get up..you forgot what is today?" She enquired.

"Oh shit..where are the kids? And no, I remember it is our baby girl's birthday"

He said now sat upright on the bed.

"They are out with Sean but will come soon. Lets get ready fast. Then we will spend it celebrating together like every year" she said.

"Its been 6 years" she thought loudly. "Yeah, its been 6 years we held our boy for the first time" yep..they had their son - their first born - Aiden Ethan McCarthy 6 years ago.

Anna Primrose McCarthy - their baby girl born a couple years later was almost 3 years old. "You know I was very worried when..." Elena stopped in between thinking wistfully about Veronica trying to harm their child - their life. "its okay..we managed, we are safe.. don't worry..besides I dont know what did Sean told her that she never came back to our lives.. she committed suicide..but I am glad we got rid of her" Hayden said detatchedly as usual. "Lets not talk bad about gone" Elena reprimanded him softly.

"Fine..Ellie..my love....at least let me love you for a bit" he said changing the subject and trying to pull at her hand in a mischievous mood.. "no" she laughed loudly and left after giving him ultimatum to get ready.

Sean was shopping with his nephew and niece. The cute munchkins were all Hayden in appearance - handsomely beautiful but chirpy in personality as Elena. "Uncle Sean..lets go home" whined Anna again for fifth time. Sean was out with them to buy his princess niece some gifts and their car broke down. Now he had called Elena to come pick them up as she was available.

"We are going..just wait a little my bunnies..Mommy is coming to pick us up" he said to placate them.

Sean the carefree playboy now had turned out to be second Hayden- reserved, serious, cold after Veronica fiasco. The only difference was he did show warmth in front of his loved ones - his brother, Elena, kids and Martha. Elena reached there just in time to see them having ice cream. "Sean... Why do you not follow my instructions? I am soo done with you and your brother. They had ice cream just yesterday. I always had to play the bad cop because of all your pampering. They are already turning brats." Elena started complaining right away.

"Mommy" Both the kids yelled furiously waving at her. She passed them a smile just in time Sean circled his hand around her shoulder winking "Chill Elena..you raised them just fine and there should be someone to spoil them rotten when you are always strict with them"

"You are impossible" she resigned with a sigh.

"Mr McCarthy" somebody called Sean cutting them conversation diverting their their attention to them.

Sean saw that it was his secretary who has joined just last week. He just acknowledged her with a nod. 'What do you say when your employee - a practically stranger at that one, greet you outside the office environment' he thought.

Elena saw the woman - Mia Collins infront of her was fidgety and had strained smile on. Either she was scared of Sean or she's just awkward to make a small talk with her boss when she greeted him out of courtesy.

So she took the initiative "I am Elena McCarthy"

"Mia...Mia Collins" she introduced herself. But Elena could see she was still curious perhaps about something else. "Anna" The squeal of Aiden brought their attention to the kids who were bickering with each other over something. Elena excused herself to calm those two down. Now those two were left alone in awkward situation.

"Your ex-wife?" Mia hesitantly questioned thinking about the rumours of him being married once. She had recently joined the office and she was in awe of her good looking boss who was always so composed and organised. The woman with him brought back the rumours in her mind. 'Elena McCarthy, she said - that means.....What was he doing with her supposedly ex- wife' she thought in her mind.

She could not keep her mouth shut owing to a teeny tiny crish she has developed on him.

"What?..No" Sean denied horrifically.

Elena who was coming back having listened

to their conversation laughed and said "Actually my fault, I should have introduced myself properly I am Elena Hayden McCarthy, his brother's wife"

"Oh" she said embarrassingly. Ofcourse she knew Hayden McCarthy - elder McCarthy heir, she just assumed because of her always thinking about Sean.

"I am so sorry, I just thought because.." she doesn't knew how to reply because she had heard rumours?

"Because you heard something" Elena replied solemnly knowing Sean had quieten

Down and lost in his own thoughts of past. "I am not....his wife is...is"

"Dead" completed Sean coldly. The atmosphere turned more awkward.

Mia again apologized profusely and turned back to her way home. She was somewhere always tensed about his ex-wife. How would she be? Would she be elegant and enormously pretty that her boss liked her? Or Will she be conniving and evil like book stories. But She just realised

SEAN McCarthy was a

Elena and Sean returned home with the kids. He was back to his cheerful mode in the presence of kids. Hayden was done with work and a small at home party was arranged too for the family to celebrate Anna's birthday.

"Daddy" Aiden ran upto him asking to pick him up. Hayden picked him up with a small smile. His son was too cute and mischievous for his own good. "Done shopping" he asked

"Yes" Aiden replied absentmindedly circling his arms around his dad. Seeing her brother getting attention Anna too came making grabby hands. He picked her up too in his other arm carefully. Though they were getting big but he wouldn't mind picking them up as long as he could. "Happy birthday my babygirl" he wished her warmly kissing her forehead. "Me too..Me too" screeched Aiden asking for a kiss making Hayden laugh. If his sister was getting attention and pampering then why not him?

So Hayden kissed him too on the forehead with a smile. There came the third voice "Me three..Me three" making him loudly laugh again. It was Elena. She came there hugging him and the kids, asking for a kiss childishly. Hayden kissed her on the lips and then forehead, his smile getting more wide. The kids giggled with their hands on their mouth seeing their parents kissed. Aiden and Anna were both loud for anything and everything completely opposite to Hayden. But he doesn't mind it one bit. His loud mouth, chattering kids and chirpy wife were people who make his boring life - colourful and his house - a Home.

He would be forever grateful for that.