"I Mentioned Them, Didn't I?", Katrina Questioned, Trying Her Best Not To Make Eye Contact With Don.

"I mentioned them, didn't I?", Katrina questioned, trying her best not to make eye contact with Don. She was sure that she had, but she didn't think she had mentioned their ages. There had been a point to that. Having teenage daughters was often a death sentence to any man being interested in her. And yet, for whatever reason, Don seemed intrigued by the idea.

"You did. I just thought they were....younger.". he replied, as he continued to stare off into the distance at the two girls arguing.

"Of course. They're both seniors in high school. About to graduate and go off to university in the fall.", Katrina explained, hoping that the idea that the girls were about to leave the home would allow any anxiety that he might be feeling to disappear.

She hated feeling that way. She knew that her daughters would always come first, but she found herself feeling very selfish. For once, she wanted to be known as a woman and not a mother. She had raised her girls. It was time for her to have fun again.

"Oh really? Then maybe I will see them around campus." Don continued, as he turned his attention back to Katrina as she sat down four plates of eggs and toast on kitchen island behind her.

"We should eat, girls. It will be time for school soon, and I can introduce you to my....friend.", she hesitated, meeting Don's gaze as she felt his fingertips brush hers. It gave her a renewed strength to push forward.

Things were going to work out for her this time. They had to.

Dina tried not to show how offended she was that Cassandra did not know who she was. It was curious, considering Dina's massive online presence as a fashion icon. Was this girl not online? It must have been that way, considering all the rumors she had heard about Cassandra Goth and her disdain for people.

"Why did you transfer? Did a certain Landgraab have anything to do with it?", Dina asked, smirking as she watched Cassandra grow very red in the face. She wasn't sure if she was blushing or if she was angry, but her reaction made it obvious that was true.

"Papa and Mama thought that I should spend some time with my Uncle before going away to University.", Cassandra explained, trying to avoid eye contact with Dina.

It was obvious something was going on. There had been rumors for years about an arranged marriage between the Landgraab's son and the Goth's daughter. It would have made sense from a business standpoint. Old Money had a tendency to stick together. It would also explain why Malcom had refused her advances for the past three years despite her persistence.

"Are you going next year? Perhaps, we will be going together. That would be fun, don't you think?" Dina chimed, ignoring the look on Evie Copur's face as she rolled her eyes in the background.

Dina knew that she needed to get in good with Cassandra Goth, and while she wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea, it had to be done. Dina had dreams and ambitions of her own; marrying into a rich family was just one of her schemes. If she became Cassandra's bestie, perhaps, if the Landgraab boy was taken she would at least know of someone else that was looking for a wife.

"If you want, Cassie, I can show you around the school after class. I would love to get to know you better and I think we're going to be the best of friends!", Dina said, watching as the girl exhaled slowly, rubbing at her temples. "You know what....That would actually be great. Thank you...Dina."

Going to the market every Sunday morning was a tradition for Katrina and her girls. Inviting Don to do something this mundane was a bit of a test, but it was also a testament to how she felt about him. She wouldn't have invited him to be a part of her and the girl's routine if she didn't feel as though he was a good fit for her, and while she could understand her eldest daughter's concerns, she also knew that she couldn't let Dina's opinion rule her whole life.

"Thank you for inviting me.", Don said, as he pulled away from their embrace while sitting on the fountain. "But, I thought you wanted the girls and I to spend some time together."

"I do.", Katrina sighed as she gazed back behind her to the building where she knew the girls were sitting with their coffee.

"Let me go and find them. I will be right back."

"Take you time, mi amor. If they need more encouragement, give it to them, but do not force them. They will get to know me with time."

It was things like that that gave Katrina all the encouragement in the world. Don talked about their life together as if he expected to be around for a long time, and tried to make those plans with her. That made all the difference in the world.

Dina smirked as her sister so easily took the bait. It was simple. She would encourage her sister's little crush on their mother's boyfriend. If Dina was right about him, and she knew that she was, he wouldn't be able to ignore her sister's attention for long and he would slip. It could be a week from now, or a month, or a year; but he would eventually show his true colors by pursing Nina. And when he did, Dina would make sure that their mother was there to see all of it.

It wasn't that Dina wanted her mother to be hurt; it was quite the opposite. She was convinced that her mother's fascination with this younger playboy was because she was lonely. She couldn't seriously be interested in trying to pursue things further with him. And, in the case that she was, Dina would prevent it from happening by any means necessary; for her mother's protection.

The girls didn't talk about their father leaving them, but they both remembered how it happened and they remember everything that led up to it. Their father had been in and out of their life for as long as she could remember. He never stayed very long, even though her mother begged him to. He made it clear that he felt responsible for the children, but that it wasn't anything more than that. It wasn't love. It was obligation that he visited. But, eventually, the visits stopped, and their mother was left heartbroken over a man that didn't love her.

The last thing that Dina wanted was to see her mother go through that again. She wanted her to find peace within herself.

"I will leave you two alone to discuss the arrangements." Dina said as she hopped up from the chair and made her way back inside the market.

It was then that she spotted someone that she hadn't expected to see there. She smirked to herself as she followed after him down the stairs and into the bottom level of the market where the gaming hall was. She knew that if she didn't take the chance to speak to this person, she would regret it. "Mr. Goth. Do you have a moment?"

I'm like hey, what's up, hello

We're baaaaaack!✨

In honor of the new pack, hellohopesims and fruitysimsy present: the Struck By Love Legacy💞

ETA 25.JUL.2024: GEN 10 IS HERE! We had a few requests for a version of generation 10 that doesn't include new items from the pack, and while we usually would just say "Use your best judgement," ...We did it for you anyway ;) We hope you guys enjoy!

The general rules are the same as always, (find them here, and the Fruity Legacy here) and don't forget to have fun!

use the tag #struckbylovelegacy to #showusyoursims!

We're around if you have any questions/concerns/comments!! If you need help swapping a trait you don't have out for one you do, feel free to reach out, too!

I hope you have as much fun with this one as you did the fruity legacy <3 xx, Hay + Hope

my playthrough // hope's playthrough

After work, Katrina met up with Don at the local gym. They spent hours there enjoying each other's company. Katrina couldn't remember the last time that she had laughed this hard, or that she had felt this carefree. She didn't even tell the girls where she was because, for the first time, she didn't feel the need to update her children about her whereabouts.

They were grown. They could take care of themselves.

By the end of the date, while they were both drifting in the pool after a heated make out session, Don looked deeply into her eyes, and said something that she was not expecting.

"I know this is sudden, but I feel as though we have known each other forever.", he started, smiling from ear to ear as he asked Katrina "Would you like to be my girlfriend, mi amor?"

Katrina could feel her heart beating in her ears, but she grinned and began to enthusiastically nod her head.

"Of course I would!", she said as she flung her arms around Don, snuggling into his chest.

It was all perfect, like it was out of one of the romance novels. Maybe this is how love was always supposed to be? She had built it up in her head as this thing that was supposed to be hard, but maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was as simple as two people discovering that they liked each other and they wanted to continue seeing each other.

"I had hoped you would say yes. I'm so happy.", he said, planting a small kiss on her forehead.

"So am I.", she said, sighing contently as they drifted in the pool. "So am I."