JAKARTA - DAVID'S OFFICE, 6:00 AM
David woke up on his office sofa with a stiff neck and a throbbing headache. His phone was vibrating incessantly. He rubbed his eyes, then read the message from Elara. As he read the words, his chest tightened, but there was also a small sense of relief. At least he was still being given a chance to speak face-to-face.
Without a second thought, he immediately dialed Robert's number. "Prepare the private jet for Paris today. Whatever time is available."
"David,are you crazy? Natasha's trial is tomorrow, and—"
"Robert,she asked me to come. This might be my last chance."
A brief silence on the other end of the line."Alright. I'll handle it. But you must be back within 48 hours maximum."
David stood in front of the window, watching Jakarta begin to wake up. His mind raced about what he needed to bring: all the physical evidence, medical documents about his poisoning, forensic reports. But most importantly, he had to bring the courage to hear Elara's decision—even if it was goodbye.
HURRIED PREPARATIONS
While Robert handled the flight arrangements, David visited his lawyer's office. "I'm going to Paris. Handle all necessary trial postponements."
"But the charges against Natasha—"
"Handle it.I have to do this."
At home, David threw some clothes into a bag. His eyes fell on Alisha's still-tidy room, her neatly arranged toys. He picked up Alisha's favorite teddy bear that had been left behind, deciding to bring it. Perhaps this was his last bridge.
Before leaving, he called Sofia. "I'm going to see Elara."
"Tell her...I'm sorry. For not speaking up sooner." Sofia's voice trembled. "And David, fight. Don't give up."
ABOVE THE CLOUDS - FLIGHT TO PARIS
During the 14-hour flight, David couldn't sleep. He kept flipping through the photo album on his iPad. Pictures of Elara smiling, Alisha laughing, the three of them together. He also looked at Natasha's photo from the court documents—the face he once considered a friend, now the source of destruction.
A flight attendant offered champagne. David shook his head. "Just water." He needed a clear mind.
He wrote a letter to Elara in his notebook, then tore it up. Wrote again, tore it up again. No words felt sufficient. Finally, he just wrote one sentence: "Forgive me for all that words cannot express."
PARIS - ELARA'S APARTMENT, 10:00 PM
Elara was restless. All day, she had been like a ghost wandering through her small apartment. Alisha was asleep, Madame Claudette wisely giving her space. Kael offered to stay with her, but Elara refused. "I need to be alone."
But as the night grew later, her anxiety peaked. She stood on the balcony, looking at the cloudy Paris sky, wondering if David had taken off, if he would really come.
Her phone rang. From David. "Landing in 30 minutes. I can come straight to your apartment, or we can meet in a public place if you're more comfortable."
Elara stared at the message, her fingers trembling. She replied: "Come to the apartment. Alisha is asleep, we can talk in the living room."
Then, unintentionally, she typed a message to Kael: "He's coming tonight."
Kael's reply came quickly: "I'm in the apartment below if you need anything. Remember, you're strong."
THE KNOCK AT THE DOOR
The clock showed 11:07 PM when a soft knock was heard. Elara took a deep breath, straightened her simple house dress, then opened the door.
David stood there, looking like a worn-out version of himself. His eyes were sunken, his clothes slightly rumpled, but his eyes still held the same intensity that once made Elara fall in love. In his hand was a small bag and the teddy bear.
"El," he said, his voice hoarse from exhaustion and emotion.
"Come in,"Elara replied, her voice steadier than she expected.
AN AWKWARD MEETING
David entered, setting down his bag. He glanced around the simple apartment, then his eyes landed on the photo of Elara and Alisha on the table. "She... has grown so much."
"Yes,"Elara nodded. "She misses you."
David sighed, sitting on the sofa Elara indicated. "I brought all the evidence. If you want to see it."
"That's not what I need to see first,David." Elara sat opposite him, maintaining distance. "I need to hear it from you. Everything. From the beginning."
And David told the story. Honestly, without defending himself. From his friendship with Natasha, how he didn't realize her obsession, the night at the gala when his drink was drugged, to his awakening after Elara left.
"About the... possible pregnancy," David said with great difficulty. "I don't remember anything, El. But if it's true... I will take financial responsibility. But nothing more than that. I won't let her use it to get close to me."
"And if that child needs a father?If he grows up looking for you?" asked Elara, her eyes beginning to well up.
David lowered his head. "That's the most painful part. Because if there's an innocent child... he deserves love. But I cannot give love as a husband or partner to Natasha. That's impossible."
The room was silent for a moment.
"Why did you send Kael?"Elara asked suddenly. "You know his feelings for me. You knew the risk."
"Because,"David answered slowly, "I was more afraid of losing you forever than seeing you happy with someone else. And I knew Kael was a good man. He would protect you when I couldn't."
That admission touched Elara. "What do you want from this meeting, David?"
"I want a chance,"he answered, his eyes full of vulnerable hope. "A chance to rebuild the broken trust. Slowly. Not all at once. I will court you again like before. I will win your heart again, if you allow it."
"And if I choose Kael?"Elara tested.
David closed his eyes, his face contorted in pain. "Then I will let you go. With all the love that remains. I will ensure you and Alisha are safe and prosperous. And I... I will learn to live with half my soul gone with you."
Elara's tears finally burst forth. Not angry, not upset, but tears of exhaustion, of confusion, of seeing this once-proud man completely humble himself before her.
David didn't approach, didn't touch. He just sat, letting Elara cry, while his own tears fell silently.
A DECISION IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
After the crying subsided, Elara stood up and walked to the window. "I need time, David. Not today, not tomorrow. I need time to heal, to think."
"Take all the time you need,"David replied. "I will wait. As long as necessary."
"And Natasha's trial?"
"It will continue.The evidence is strong. Her pregnancy claim... its truth will be tested. I've requested a DNA test as soon as the baby is born, or even a prenatal test if possible."
Elara nodded. "You can sleep on the sofa. Tomorrow... Alisha will be happy to see you."
Those words,however small, ignited hope in David's heart. "Thank you, El."
As Elara turned to enter her room, she paused. "David... thank you for coming."
When Elara's bedroom door closed, David lay on the sofa that was too short for his body, staring at the ceiling. He could hear soft crying from Elara's room. It broke his heart to hear it, but he knew this was part of the healing process.
He sent a message to Robert: "I'm here. She's giving me time. That's more than I hoped for."
And in the apartment below, Kael looked at his phone, reading a brief message from Elara: "He's here. I'm confused."
Kael replied:"Confusion now is better than regret later. Sleep. Tomorrow is a new day."
That night, in the small apartment in Montmartre, three wounded hearts tried to find their respective paths. David lay awake, contemplating the long journey still ahead. Elara cried into her pillow, haunted by two equally painful choices. And Kael, on the floor below, tried to accept that his love might once again lose to time and fate.
Outside, Paris continued to pulse with life, indifferent to the human drama unfolding behind its windows. But inside, a fragile bridge was beginning to be built—between a wounded past and an uncertain future.