APARTMENT IN MONTMARTRE, PARIS - BEFORE DAWN
Dawn had not yet fully broken when David awoke from a restless sleep. The sofa, too short for him, made his back ache, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. He heard a soft sound from Elara's room—the sound of stifled crying.
Without thinking, he got up and walked slowly toward the bedroom door. Through the gap, he saw Elara sitting on the edge of the bed, her body shaking with sobs she tried to suppress with a hand over her mouth.
David knocked gently on the door. "El?"
Elara lifted her tear-streaked face, her eyes red and swollen. "I... I was trying not to wake you."
"How long have you been crying?"David asked, still standing at the threshold, not daring to enter without permission.
"Since you fell asleep,"Elara answered in a hoarse voice. "I can't stop thinking about... everything."
David couldn't bear it any longer. He stepped inside, sat on the floor in front of Elara, and looked up at her face. "I'm here, El. I'm not going anywhere."
THE DAM BREAKS
That was all Elara needed. She slid from the bed, falling to her knees before David, and for the first time since all this began, she allowed herself to cry completely in front of her husband. Not over the phone, not in Kael's embrace, but right before the man who was the source of her pain.
"Why, David? Why did we end up here?" she lamented, her small fists weakly tapping his chest. "We had everything. We were happy. Why did it have to be destroyed?"
David caught Elara's hands, holding them against his chest. "I know, my love. I know." His own tears finally erupted. The man who rarely cried was now broken, tears streaming down his usually resolute face. "I was foolish. I was careless. I let a snake into our garden."
They both now sat on the floor, facing each other, crying like children who had lost something precious. No words were spoken for several moments, only the sounds of sobs and sighs echoing in the dim room.
THE DEEPEST CONFESSION
"The most painful part," Elara finally said between sobs, "is that I still love you. Even now. Even after everything."
David nodded, his tears flowing even more heavily. "And I... I don't deserve your love. But I can't stop loving you. You are half my soul, El. Always."
Elara cupped David's face with both hands, forcing him to look directly into her eyes. "I see you, David Laurent. I see the regret in your eyes. I see your struggle. But..." her breath caught, "but I also see her shadow. The shadow of another woman in our bed. The shadow of a child she might be carrying."
Each word was like a knife stabbing David. "I will do anything to erase that shadow. Anything."
"How?"Elara cried out, her voice breaking. "How can you erase what already happened? Even if it was orchestrated, even if you were unconscious, it DID happen!"
David pulled Elara into his embrace, and this time Elara didn't resist. She let herself be held, her face buried in David's neck, crying until she had no tears left.
"I don't know,"David whispered into Elara's hair, his voice shattered. "I don't know how to fix this. But I promise you, every remaining day of my life will be spent trying."
ALISHA WAKES UP
A small knock on the door. "Mama? Papa?"
They both froze, then quickly wiped their tears. Elara opened the door. Alisha stood there with sleepy eyes, hugging her teddy bear.
"Why are you crying?" Alisha asked innocently, looking at both her parents' swollen faces.
David picked Alisha up, lifting her into his arms. "We... were talking about how much we missed you, Sweetie."
Alisha hugged David's neck tightly."I missed you too, Papa." Then she looked at Elara. "Is Mama still angry with Papa?"
That simple question made Elara's tears flow again. "No, Sweetie. Mama isn't angry. Mama is just... sad."
"But Papa is here now.We should be happy," said Alisha with the simple logic of a child.
David looked at Elara over Alisha's head. In both their eyes, there was a deep understanding—that they were doing this for this little girl. For their family.
BREAKFAST WITH OPEN WOUNDS
Madame Claudette had wisely prepared breakfast for four. The small dining table was filled with croissants, jam, and fruits. But the atmosphere remained tense.
Alisha cheerfully told David all about her adventures in Paris. David listened attentively, but his eyes occasionally stole glances at Elara, who was quietly playing with her food.
"How long will Papa stay?" asked Alisha.
David looked at Elara."That... depends on Mama."
All eyes turned to Elara.
"We'll see," Elara answered briefly.
After breakfast, Madame Claudette took Alisha to the park near the apartment, giving the young parents some space.
THE FINAL CONFRONTATION
"Now, without Alisha," Elara said once the door closed. "What is your plan, David? Truly."
David took a deep breath. "I will take the DNA test as soon as possible. If the child really exists, and is truly mine... I will take full financial responsibility. But I will file for full custody, given Natasha's unstable mental condition."
Elara gasped. "You would take her child?"
"If it's my child,yes. She won't raise it. She will use the child as a weapon." David stepped closer. "But El, that's only IF. There's still a strong chance she's lying."
"And us?" Elara asked, her voice small.
David knelt before her, as if proposing. "Give me six months. Six months to prove that I deserve your trust again. If after that you still can't... I will sign the divorce papers without contest."
"Six months," Elara murmured.
"During that time,I will stay in Paris. I will work from here. I will be a father to Alisha, and... a friend to you. If you allow it."
Elara looked at the man kneeling before her. The man who was once so confident, now fragile and exposed. The man who had hurt her heart more than anyone, but also the only man she had ever loved with her entire soul.
"There are no guarantees, David," she whispered.
"I know.I'm only asking for a chance."
From the window, Elara could see Kael leaving the apartment below, looking up. Their eyes met briefly. Kael nodded, then walked away.
And that's when Elara realized: her choice was no longer between David and Kael. Her choice was between a painful but familiar past, and an uncertain but possibly better future.
Her hand reached for David's face. "Get up. Don't kneel."
David stood,his eyes full of questions.
"I agree to six months," Elara said, her voice trembling. "But on one condition: we start from zero. Like strangers who just met. No husband and wife. No past. We build from scratch."
Hope began to shine in David's eyes. "Whatever your conditions."
"And during those six months,"Elara added, "I am free to see anyone. Including Kael."
David swallowed hard, pain visible on his face, but he nodded. "That's fair."
They stood facing each other, two wounded people, with an uncertain future ahead of them. But for the first time since the scandal broke, there was a small but real glimmer of hope.
Outside, rain began to fall over Paris, washing over the cobblestone streets of Montmartre. Inside, two shattered hearts began to learn how to breathe again.
Their tears that morning were not the end. They were a cleansing. A new beginning from the ashes of destruction.