APARTMENT IN MONTMARTRE, PARIS - LATE AFTERNOON
Upon returning from the park, the atmosphere in the apartment felt different. Alisha was sound asleep in her room, exhausted after a full day of joy. Kael had said goodbye with a promise to contact her tomorrow, leaving Elara with increasingly tangled thoughts.
In the quiet living room, Madame Claudette was tidying Alisha's toys with careful movements. Her wise eyes caught the restlessness on Elara's face.
"Madame Elara," she said in a soft yet firm voice, in English with a distinct French accent. "Perhaps this is not my business, but as someone who has spent six decades on this earth, allow me to share an observation."
Elara turned, slightly surprised. "An observation?"
"About three hearts stumbling between choices." Madame Claudette sat on the opposite chair, her hands neatly folded over her apron. "I see how Monsieur Kael looks at you—with a longing long suppressed. And I heard your phone conversation with your husband last night—a voice of deep regret from across the ocean."
Elara felt exposed. "You heard?"
"Only by chance," she said politely. "But what caught my attention is how loved you are, my dear. Loved by two men who, in their own ways, respect you."
COUNSEL ABOUT LOVE AND CHOICE
"Many women spend their entire lives searching for true love, even just once," said Madame Claudette, her eyes gazing into the distance. "And you? You hold two such loves in your grasp. Monsieur David, who, though he has fallen, is fighting to rise for you. And Monsieur Kael, who, though once lost, has returned with an unchanged heart."
Elara sighed. "But that's what makes everything more difficult, Madame. Choosing."
"Ah, choice." Madame Claudette smiled bitterly. "Allow me to tell you about my life. Fifty years ago, I was a young girl preparing for marriage. My fiancé, Jacques, was the perfect man—kind, handsome, from a respectable family."
She paused, taking a breath. "Three days before our wedding, I found a love letter in his coat pocket. It was for my own best friend. Our confrontation ended with his confession that he loved her, but would still marry me because 'that was what his family expected.'"
Elara held her chest. "Oh, Madame..."
"I canceled that wedding. In our society at the time, it was a great disgrace. But it was better to live in bitter truth than in sweet lies." Her eyes grew misty. "Jacques married my best friend six months later. And me? I chose never to marry. I love children—look at how I love Alisha—but that betrayal... it taught me that some wounds are too deep to be healed by wedding vows."
REVELATION ABOUT THE CONNECTION WITH ROBERT
"So, why did Robert recommend you to me?" asked Elara curiously.
Madame Claudette smiled gently. "Robert is my nephew. My younger brother's son. He knew I worked as a child caregiver for years after... the incident. And he knew I understood complicated family dynamics."
Elara was astonished. "So you know everything? About Natasha? About the threats?"
"Robert told me enough to make me understand the context," she answered wisely. "But more importantly, he told me you are a good woman with a wounded heart. And I have experience with wounded hearts."
ADVICE FROM ONE WHO HAS LOST
"Madame Elara," she said, looking directly into Elara's eyes. "I will not tell you whom to choose. But allow me to tell you this: many women in your situation would rush to choose Kael because he is safe, because he doesn't carry wounds like David. But life is not just about avoiding pain. Sometimes, it is through pain that we discover the true depth of love."
She continued, "David has fallen. But see how he rises—by humbling himself, sending your ex-boyfriend to watch over you, fighting to clear his name and yours. Those are not the actions of a selfish man. They are the actions of a man learning from his mistakes."
"And Kael?" Elara asked in a small voice.
"Kael is a first love that never truly died. That is beautiful and rare. But the question is: has that love grown, or is it just a well-preserved memory?" Madame Claudette shrugged. "Only you know that."
REFLECTION BY THE WINDOW
After that conversation, Elara stood by the apartment window, watching Paris begin to light up for the night. New thoughts emerged.
Madame Claudette had lost her love to betrayal and chose never to try again. Would that be her fate if she left David? Would she become like Madame Claudette—loving other people's children but never having a family of her own again?
But on the other hand, Madame Claudette's story also taught about self-respect. She left a man who would betray her, even if it meant living alone.
Her phone rang. From David. A message: "All evidence has been gathered. I will go to the police tomorrow morning. If all goes well, Natasha will be arrested before sunset. I wanted you to be the first to know."
Followed by a second message: "No pressure. No expectations. Just facts. I am doing this because it is right, not because I hope it will bring you back."
And a message from Kael: "Paris is lonelier without you today. But I respect the space you need. Remember, the choice is in your hands. I am here."
Elara looked at both messages, then turned towards Madame Claudette, who was brewing tea in the small kitchen.
"Madame," she called. "If you could go back in time, would you still cancel your wedding?"
Madame Claudette stood still for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yes. Because living a lie would have slowly killed my soul. But..." she paused, "...I would not have let one man's betrayal close my heart to love forever. That was my mistake. I let the wound control my life."
Those words echoed in Elara's heart. Would she let a betrayal (which turned out to be orchestrated) control her life? Or would she learn to forgive, if that is what her heart truly wanted?
That night, while putting Alisha to sleep, her daughter asked, "Mama, when is Papa coming here?"
"We'll see,Sweetie."
"If Papa comes,will Uncle Kael leave?"
That innocent question pierced her again."Why do you ask that, Alisha?"
"Because I love Papa.But I also love Uncle Kael. I don't want anyone to leave."
So simple for a child. Why must one choose? Why can't one love everyone?
But the adult world is more complicated. Romantic love demands choice. Loyalty demands commitment.
Before sleeping, Elara opened the photo album on her phone. There were photos with David—their laughter, their embraces, their life. There were also old photos with Kael—two young people with the world ahead of them.
And there was a new photo: Kael and Alisha laughing in front of the Eiffel Tower. Her daughter's happy face.
She closed her eyes, feeling the deepening confusion. But one thing became clear after Madame Claudette's counsel: whatever choice she makes later, it must come from the truth within her own heart. Not from guilt, not from obligation, not from fear.
She must find the answer to the most frightening question: Who can she not imagine living without? Not who she "should" choose, but whose soul has become part of her own.
And to find that answer, she needs the one thing she has lacked so far: brutal honesty with herself.