Joey and Alessandro both got used to their new routine. On weekdays, they would get up and get ready for school. They'd go to school, then come home, and the cycle would start all over again. On weekends, they would see their parents. Joey was content and happy with her new life…

…or she should have been. She thought she was, but inside, she felt deeply depressed. Lately, it was getting harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning, even though her beloved husband was usually laying beside her when she did. She had no desire to get out of their apartment to go to school even though she was studying things she enjoyed. She was beginning to not want to see or talk to anyone but Alessandro. She thought she was just having a mood swing, but when it lasted for more than a week, she knew it was something more serious.

And then, those thoughts appeared.

One night, she was in the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked at herself longer than usual, noticing small details about herself. Mostly, she did not like what she saw. She was pretty, well, at least her blue eyes were, but there were so many things about her appearance that could be…different.

Her appearance wasn't the only thing that displeased her. Really, her personality wasn't stellar, either. There were so many things about herself that she didn't like and some things she even despised. Then, she wondered, "How can anyone even stand me?"

Joey left the bathroom. She was home alone, which was good because she loved having alone time. She sat on the couch and looked around. What had she done to deserve all this? She had a great husband and family, a nice place to live, and an opportunity to pursue a career doing the thing she loved. Why was she so lucky? What made her so special? There were other people who had it much, much worse than she did. Why was she not in a position like that?

She thought about what a mess she was. She was emotionally unstable and could barely handle life. She had proved that time and time again. What if she wasn't meant to be alive this long, and that she had just been forced to drag on? It was unfair. It was unfair to herself and those she loved that she had dragged them down with her. They would all be better off without her.

There was that old thought again, the one that had crossed her mind on and off since she was 12. The dream of ending it all and being at peace. The thought of shutting herself off permanently and stopping the poison that had and forever would be in her mind. It seemed so tempting at the moment to dance with death and cease existing. She almost daydreamed about the ways she would do it. She could stab or burn herself or take pills, and then…

And then Alessandro would find her. He would find her lifeless body. He would scream at her to wake up, and being unsuccessful, would call an ambulance, crying hysterically. The people would arrive and declare her dead, and her beloved husband would be overcome with despair, knowing that he had lost the woman he had vowed to spend the rest of his life with.

Her father would be overwhelmed with grief. He would mourn the loss of his little girl, the girl he had fostered and adopted. He would be devastated that he would never see her again. He would feel guilty that he hadn't saved her again, and the pain of losing his own daughter would never leave him.

Her best friend would cry, shocked that the only person who ever truly wanted to be her friend was gone. There would be no more chances of ever hanging out again, and all the good memories they had would be tainted by the horrible realization that one of the people in the memories was gone.

Joey would be gone. Her pain would end, but the pain of the ones she'd leave behind would begin and stay with them until their own time was through. Why would she want to put them through that? She meant something to them, and that was reason enough to keep going. Still, she couldn't seem to get rid of the raincloud that had been constantly hovering over her for weeks.

At that moment, Alessandro came in with a small bag of groceries. Before he could say anything, he saw Joey's expression. He set the bag on a counter and sat on the couch by his wife. "What's wrong, Joey?"

All she could do was look at him with teary eyes. Then, she broke down. He held her in his arms and let her cry. When she was done, she heaved a heavy sigh.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alessandro asked, worried.

Joey nodded. "I…I've just been feeling really depressed lately, and I don't know why. I thought it would go away, but I just keep feeling worse and worse."

Alessandro held her close. "Maybe you're just overwhelmed. Maybe all the stress from life has built up."

Joey hadn't thought about that. "I have a great life, though. It's better than I ever dreamed it would be. I shouldn't be depressed."

"It's the way your brain works, honey. You need some down time. How about I give you a massage, and then I'll fix us something to eat, and we can watch a funny movie?"

Joey liked the sound of that, but something else sounded better. She kissed his neck and whispered in his ear, "I have a better idea."

Alessandro smiled and nodded in approval. He stood up and took Joey's hand and led her into the bedroom. As soon as he shut the door, he said, "Let me do the work tonight and pleasure you."

Joey smiled a little. Her husband walked to her and held her in his arms, giving her a squeeze before drawing her in a long, gentle kiss. They took each other's clothes off, and their kisses became more passionate. Alessandro laid Joey on the bed and rubbed her body, causing her to relax. He knew all the right places to touch to make her aroused. He kissed her neck while putting one finger in her vagina. Joey moaned, then cried out in pleasure as Alessandro nibbled on her ear. When she was completely wet, Alessandro put a condom on, then positioned himself and slowly slid in his penis in her vagina.

They took it slowly at first, thoroughly savoring each other's bodies, but that didn't last long before their extreme lust took over, and before long, Alessandro was fucking Joey, hard. Joey could feel something inside her build up, and she begged for more. Alessandro showed that he had no intention of stopping, and with one final thrust, Joey was sent over the edge. Hearing his wife scream with ecstasy made Alessandro easily come. They rode out their orgasms as long as they could, enjoying the feeling they had just given each other.

When it was over, Alessandro pulled out and took off the condom as Joey lay, breathless. She heard Alessandro laugh, and she looked over. "Wow, I must have been really horny," he said. They looked at the condom.

Joey giggled. "That is A LOT of cum."

"You're soaking wet," Alessandro said, looking proud that he was able to make his wife so aroused.

They both took a shower, then afterwards, Alessandro made dinner while Joey picked out a comedy for them to watch. She sighed, completely relaxed. She was starting to feel better. Hopefully, this was the beginning of her getting back to loving life again.