The garden was quiet in the late afternoon, shrouded in a thin mist that made everything feel like a dream. Or perhaps a nightmare. Elara stood under the large oak tree that had been the silent witness to their first meeting years ago. Her heart wasn't pounding with sweet anticipation, but with a gnawing dread.
She saw Kael from a distance, walking towards her with determined steps. He wore a simple leather jacket and jeans, looking so real and grounded compared to the artificial world she had just left. As he approached, Elara could see the shadows of weariness in his eyes, but also the warmth that made her chest tighten.
"El," he greeted, his voice hoarse. "I could hardly believe it when I got your message."
"Kael," Elara took a deep breath. "We shouldn't be here. But... there's something I have to tell you."
She told him everything. Clara's phone call. The threat to send evidence to David. Clara's demand that she dash all of Kael's hopes. As she spoke, her voice broke, and she watched Kael's face shift from concern to cold anger.
"So she's using us as a weapon," Kael muttered, clenching his fists. "She always knew how to play dirty."
"But she's right, Kael!" Elara whispered, her eyes welling up. "We can't continue like this. Look at what's already happened. I... I have to say this to you. There's no future for us."
Kael stepped closer, his eyes blazing. "You don't mean that. I can see it in your eyes."
"I do!" Elara stepped back, but Kael caught her hand. "I'm serious, Kael. I chose David. I chose this life. You need to move on. For Bimo."
"Don't use Bimo as an excuse," Kael hissed. "This is about us. And you know as well as I do that what we have never truly died."
He pulled her closer, and Elara didn't have the strength to resist. She cried on his shoulder, feeling the familiar warmth as her world crumbled around her.
"Clara could do what she said," she sobbed. "She'll destroy everything."
"Let her try," Kael said, his voice low and dangerous. "I won't let her threaten you. I'll deal with her."
"No!" Elara pulled away, terrified. "That will only make things worse. Please, Kael. For all of us... forget me."
As she turned to leave, Kael uttered words that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
"I'll wait for you, Elara. Forever if I have to. Because one day, you'll realize that a gilded cage is still a cage, and you were born to fly free."
Elara ran, her tears blurring her vision. She didn't see the figure standing behind the trees, watching them intently. Nor did she see the phone recording every moment of their meeting.
---
When Elara arrived home, David was waiting in the living room. His face was cold and unreadable.
"Where have you been?" he asked, his voice flat.
"Shopping," Elara answered, hoping her voice didn't tremble. "I... I needed some fresh air."
David nodded slowly, his eyes sweeping over her. "I sent your driver to pick you up at the boutique, but he said you weren't there."
Elara felt her blood run cold. "I... I went to the park for a walk."
"Alone?" David asked, and in his eyes, Elara saw something that made her heart stop. He knew.
Before she could answer, David stood and approached her. He wasn't angry. That's what made it more terrifying.
"You know, Elara," he said in a voice that was almost a whisper, "something funny happened today. I received an anonymous package."
From behind his jacket, he pulled out a brown envelope. With a slow movement, he took out its contents—several color photos.
The photos showed Elara and Kael in the park. Photos of them talking intensely. Photos of Kael holding her hand. Photos of Elara crying on his shoulder.
The world spun. Elara felt her knees go weak.
"David, I can explain..."
"No need," he cut her off with a terrifying calmness. "Your explanations won't change anything."
He threw one last photo onto the table. A close-up of Elara's face as she looked at Kael—a face filled with unconcealed longing and conflict.
"I guess we do need marriage counseling after all, darling," David said, and the thin smile on his face was the most frightening thing Elara had ever seen. "But this time, there will be no cancellations."
As David turned and left her alone in the room that suddenly felt vast and empty, Elara realized one thing—
The war was over. She had just lost, and the consequences would be more terrible than she could ever have imagined.