Elena | Katherine
No, I don't think it was Damon either. I think you adapted to situations that happened, things you've gone through, every single thing, it shaped you into who you are now, Elena. And that's just...life.
So, yeah, you're right. You aren't that girl anymore and you can never be again, not really. Because that girl hadn't made the choices, faced the insanity you have now. Just like I can never be Katerina Petrova again, you can't ever be the old Elena.
As for Kol...maybe you had a hand in his death, and no, he never has to forgive you for it, but so what if it was just part of a plan? You had reasons, agreed with or not, it wasn't for kicks.
And there's not a damn bit of shame in liking who you've become, Elena. You're a fighter and you're a survivor. You have beat more odds than any girl your age ever could dream of even facing. Why should that be a bad thing? And yeah you should be happy. You have, more or less, everything you want here, right? Why shouldn't you be happy?