APARTMENT IN MONTMARTRE, PARIS
Three knocks sounded at the door, firm but unhurried. Elara, who was folding Alisha's clothes, frowned. She hadn't ordered anything, and hardly anyone knew her address here.
Carefully, she peeked through the peephole. The figure behind the door made her jump. Tall, messy brown hair, and warm brown eyes she once knew so well.
Kael?
She opened the door trembling. Yes, Kael. Her ex-boyfriend. The person who was once the harbor of her heart before David.
"Kael?" her breath hitched. Surprise, relief, and an unexpected longing surged all at once. Without thinking, her body moved on its own. She fell into his embrace, sobbing uncontrollably. In that hug, there was a safety from a simpler past. Kael seemed stiff for a moment, then his arms held her tight, one hand gently patting her back.
"It's okay, El. I'm here," he whispered, his voice still the same: a place to come home to.
From behind the bedroom door, Alisha appeared, rubbing her eyes. "Mama?" Then her eyes lit up. "Uncle Kael?"
Kael released the hug and smiled at the little girl. "Hello, Alisha. Look how big you are now." He held out a package. "This is for you."
Alisha opened it with delight. Inside: a teddy bear with a red-and-white striped scarf. "Thank you, Uncle Kael!" She immediately became engrossed, forgetting the gloomy atmosphere for a moment.
CONVERSATION IN THE LIVING ROOM
They sat on the small sofa with two cups of tea. Elara still felt like she was dreaming.
"Kael, how did you know I was here? How did you find me?"
Kael looked at her,his expression soft yet complex. "David. He contacted me. Gave me this address, and... asked me to watch over you." He held his cup. "What really happened, El? He sounded shattered. And you... you're here."
Hearing David's name jolted her heart. With a trembling voice, Elara recounted the core of the problem: Natasha's manipulation, the threat to Alisha, the betrayal that felt real even though it was orchestrated, and her darkest fear—the possibility of a child from that encounter.
Kael listened, his gaze never leaving Elara. In his eyes, there was deep concern, and something more personal—an affection that never truly faded.
After Elara finished, he asked, his voice full of genuine confusion, "So, what step will you take, El?"
Elara shook her head,tears welling up. "I don't know, Kael. I'm lost. Every path seems blocked." She looked at the man before her—the face she once loved so deeply. "If you were me, what path would you take?"
The question hung between them. The air suddenly felt thick with everything left unspoken. Kael took a deep breath.
"El, I can't be you. But as someone who..." He paused, choosing his words. "As someone who still cares deeply for you, let me be honest. Seeing you like this breaks my heart."
Elara looked at him, seeing the painful honesty in Kael's eyes.
"If you're asking about David," Kael continued, his voice low, "He made a huge mistake. But his request to me... that's not the request of a betrayer. It's the request of a desperate man, who wants the person he most trusts to guard the person he most loves." He paused for a moment. "He knows about us, El. He knows my feelings for you have never completely disappeared. Yet, he still called me. That makes me... respect him."
That admission shook Elara. "Kael, I—"
"I know,"Kael cut in gently. "You love him. That was always clear. And you care for me—maybe as a memory, as a friend, as an unfinished part of your life." His smile was bitter. "And me? I still love you, El. Maybe that's why I'm here, even though I know your heart is still his."
His honesty felt like a slap. Elara felt torn. On one side, there was David fighting from afar. On the other, there was Kael, present here, offering a love that was never complicated, that could be a safe harbor.
"So what should I do?" whispered Elara.
"You have to choose,"said Kael, his hand almost touching Elara's but holding back. "Not between him and me. But between your fear and your heart. If you choose to give David a chance, then give yourself a chance to see his proof. Don't run forever. But if you decide the wound is too deep, that your trust can't be repaired..." Kael's breath was heavy. "Then stop torturing yourself. Close that chapter. And know this," he looked deeply at her, "there will always be someone here who loves you, unconditionally, without scandal, without the shadow of another woman."
Elara cried again. This time not from confusion, but from the burden of two sincere loves—one fighting desperately, one who has been waiting patiently.
"I don't want to hurt you, Kael. I don't want to use you as an escape."
"And I won't let you,"Kael replied firmly but gently. "I'm here as your former friend. As the guardian sent by David. Whatever happens later... that's your decision. But know this, my feelings are real. And my choice to come here is real too."
After Kael left—to stay in the apartment downstairs that David also arranged—Elara stood in contemplation. She is cared for. Perhaps even loved, by two good men in their own ways.
Once, her choice was clear: David. Now, everything is murky. Kael's presence doesn't simplify matters; it makes them more complicated. Because she must not only consider whether she can forgive David, but also whether she can let Kael's old, still-glowing love... become real again.
Paris suddenly is no longer a place of escape, but a crossroads.