APARTMENT IN MONTMARTRE, PARIS
That morning, with Robert's help, Elara found Madame Claudette - a licensed nanny in her fifties with kind eyes and a soothing way of speaking. Alisha took an immediate liking to her.
"Madame Claudette will stay with you for a while, Sweetie. Mommy needs to go out with Uncle Kael," said Elara, adjusting her daughter's collar.
Alisha nodded, then asked innocently, "Will we call Daddy later?"
Elara's heart clenched. "We'll see, Baby," she replied softly, forcing a smile.
WALKING THROUGH SAINT-GERMAIN-DES-PRÉS
Kael was waiting downstairs. "Today, I want to show you the Paris we always talked about," he said, his eyes sparkling. Their hands accidentally brushed as they walked, and Elara felt that familiar warmth return.
They wandered through the small streets of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, passing old bookshops and historic cafes. In front of a small statue, Kael suddenly stopped.
"This is the exact spot from that photo, remember?" he asked, pulling out his phone. On the screen was a photo of the two of them from ten years ago - a young Elara with a wide smile, Kael hugging her from behind in the very same spot.
Elara was surprised. "You still have that photo?"
"All our photos," Kael replied gently. "They are the most precious part of my life."
LUNCH ON A ROOFTOP RESTAURANT
Kael took her to a small restaurant with a rooftop terrace overlooking all of Paris. As they sat down, the waiter immediately brought a bottle of wine.
"White, slightly sweet. Still your favorite?" asked Kael.
Elara nodded, touched by his perfect memory. "You never forget, do you?"
"For things about you, I have a photographic memory," he said, pouring wine into Elara's glass.
They talked for hours - about art, about life, about youthful dreams left unfulfilled. Kael made Elara laugh with silly stories about his life at the art gallery in New York. For the first time since leaving David, Elara felt light and happy.
VISIT TO AN ART GALLERY
"There's a new exhibition I thought you'd like," Kael invited after lunch.
Inside a quiet, small gallery, the two of them stood before a large painting depicting a couple standing on the edge of a cliff, holding onto each other tightly.
"This painting reminds me of us," whispered Kael. "Always on the edge of something grand, always holding on to each other."
Elara looked into his eyes. "But we fell, Kael."
"We didn't fall, El. We chose different paths," he said, his hand almost touching Elara's cheek before he pulled it back.
The air between them suddenly felt thick with everything left unsaid.
THE SEINE AT DUSK
They walked along the Seine as dusk began to fall. As they crossed a small bridge, Kael suddenly stopped.
"Close your eyes," he requested.
"Why?"
"Trust me."
Elara closed her eyes. She heard the sound of sketching, then a familiar scent. When she opened her eyes, Kael was holding a freshly drawn sketch - a picture of Elara with the Paris skyline in the background, with an expression more peaceful than she'd had lately.
"You still draw," murmured Elara, touching the sketch with emotion.
"Some things never change," Kael replied. "Especially my feelings for you."
Elara wanted to argue, to say that everything had changed, but the words caught in her throat. Because looking into Kael's sincere eyes, she knew it was true.
UNEXPECTED FIREWORKS
They sat on low steps facing the Seine as night fell. Suddenly, a boom sounded and the Paris sky erupted with colors.
"Fireworks!" exclaimed Elara.
It turned out there was a cultural festival that night. The two of them fell silent, mesmerized by the lights dancing in the sky. When the most spectacular explosion lit up - a giant golden spiral slowly fading into a shower of light - Elara turned to Kael.
And she found Kael already looking at her, not at the fireworks.
"You're more beautiful than all of this," whispered Kael, his voice almost drowned out by the booms.
"Kael..."
She didn't finish her sentence. Kael raised his hand, touching Elara's cheek gently. His fingers traced her jawline with longing.
"Ten years," whispered Kael. "Ten years I've tried to forget how perfect we were together. And today... today reminded me that some feelings never truly go away."
Elara felt her chest tighten. She should pull away, should remember David, should remember all the reasons why they weren't together. But she couldn't. Because in this moment, with the boom of fireworks as the soundtrack and Kael's eyes radiating a love that never died, everything felt right.
"Do you still love me?" asked Elara, her voice trembling.
"Always,"Kael answered without hesitation. "And always will."
And as the next firework burst, showering them in golden light, Kael leaned in. Slowly, giving Elara every chance to refuse.
But Elara didn't refuse. She closed her eyes.
Their lips met.
The kiss was gentle at first - a question, a rediscovery. But then it deepened as Elara responded, her hands gripping Kael's coat collar to pull him closer. This wasn't like their kisses from before - it was more mature, fuller with longing, fuller with all the years apart.
The world around them disappeared. The booming fireworks, the crowd, the Seine, Paris - all faded. All that remained was Kael's warmth, a familiarity that was both strange and known, and a liberation from all the pain she had endured for too long.
When they finally parted, their breaths were ragged. Their foreheads still touched.
"That shouldn't have happened," whispered Elara, but her hands still clung tightly to Kael's coat.
"But it did,"Kael replied. "And you wanted it as much as I did."
Elara couldn't deny it. Because it was true. In that moment, she wanted Kael. She wanted the simplicity of the love he offered. She wanted an escape from all the complexities of her life with David.
RETURNING IN SILENCE
The journey back to the apartment was made in a meaningful silence. Their hands clasped tightly, as if afraid to lose contact.
In front of her apartment door, Kael raised Elara's hand and gently kissed the back of it. "I'm not asking anything of you, El. But know that my feelings are real. And they always will be."
Elara entered the apartment with mixed emotions. On one hand, guilt hit her like a wave. David was fighting to clear their name, while she was...
But on the other hand, there was freedom. The freedom she felt in Kael's embrace. The freedom to choose, to breathe, to feel loved unconditionally.
As she looked at her phone and saw David's last message - "I almost have all the evidence. Wait for me, El." - tears began to stream down her cheeks.
Tears for David. Tears for Kael. And tears for herself, caught between two loves, two lives, and two different versions of who she could be.
That day had changed everything. And the kiss under the Parisian fireworks might be the beginning of something new, or the end of something old. Only time would tell.