The morning air in their living room was thick with fragile relief. After a long, tense discussion, David had finally relented, burying his plans for marriage counseling.
"Alright, El. If that's what you want. I promise to respect your decision," David said, his gaze lingering on her. But beneath his words, Elara could still see the shadow of lingering doubt. She had won the battle, but the war was far from over.
As a form of truce, or perhaps merely to keep up appearances, David invited her to the charity gala that evening. "It will be good for us to be seen together," he said, and Elara agreed without enthusiasm.
---
The five-star hotel ballroom was dazzling, radiating a luxury that made Elara feel even more suffocated. Here, she was no longer Elara. She was Davina, the beautiful young wife of David Yang, a symbol of perfection put on display for everyone to judge.
She stood beside David, smiling, shaking hands, performing all the social rituals she had mastered so well. But behind her smile, her mind was elsewhere. She felt like a puppet, her voice, her gestures, even her expressions, all controlled.
"David, I need some fresh air," she whispered to her husband, who was engrossed in a conversation with a colleague.
David glanced at her, his eyes briefly assessing. "Don't be long," he said curtly before turning back to his discussion. The permission was granted, but it felt more like a warning.
Elara walked down the quiet corridor, distancing herself from the roar of the party. Her heels clicked against the marble, a lonely sound in the silent opulence. She pushed open a heavy glass door leading to an open terrace on the side of the building.
The cool night air greeted her, clearing the tightness in her chest. She took a deep breath, looking up at the Jakarta sky, rarely dotted with stars.
"Still seeking an escape from the crowd, I see?"
That voice.
A voice that cut through her soul, freezing her in place.
Slowly, as if in slow motion, Elara turned.
He stood there, illuminated by the faint light from inside the building. Kael. He wore a simple suit that only accentuated his charisma. His face was sharper, filled out by the years that had passed. But his eyes… those were the same. The eyes that had once looked at her as if she were the center of the universe.
"K-Kael," Elara stammered, her voice barely a whisper. The world around her seemed to vanish.
"Davina," he replied, using the name that now defined her in this socialite world. It sounded like a taunt, sharp and painful. "Or do you still prefer Elara?"
Elara couldn't answer. She was frozen, watching Kael step closer. Each step was filled with confidence, closing the distance that had lain barren between them for years.
"What… what are you doing here?" she finally managed to ask.
"My foundation, the Bimo Foundation, is one of the beneficiaries tonight," he stated flatly. His eyes never left her, tracing every change in her face, as if searching for the woman he once knew. "I didn't expect to find you here. But perhaps, deep down, I hoped."
"Kael, we… we shouldn't…"
"Shouldn't what, El?" he cut in, his voice suddenly rising, filled with long-suppressed emotion. "Shouldn't meet? Shouldn't remember that we once existed? That we once loved each other?"
He moved so close that Elara could see the shadows of sorrow and anger in his eyes.
"You think I don't know? You live in this gilded cage, being the perfect Davina for him. But are you happy, El? Tell me the truth!"
"This isn't about happiness!" Elara retorted, her voice trembling. "It's about commitment! I've chosen my life!"
"Choice?" Kael let out a bitter laugh. "You call that a choice? I call it running away! You ran from us because you were afraid! Afraid of uncertainty, afraid of a real life!"
Without warning, his hand shot out and grabbed her arm. Not with violence, but with a boiling desperation.
"I was shattered, Elara! After you left, everything fell apart! And now, seeing you here, standing before me after all this time… it reminds me how agonizing it is to lose half your soul."
Tears began to stream down Elara's cheeks. She tried to pull away, but Kael's grip was too strong. Or perhaps, a part of her didn't want him to let go.
"I'm sorry, Kael. I… I…"
But her words were cut short.
In a swift movement fueled by pent-up fury, Kael pulled her close and kissed her.
It wasn't a gentle kiss of longing. This was a hard kiss. A kiss that was rough, filled with pain, anger, and all the unanswered questions. His lips crushed against hers with a desperation that felt like he was trying to erase all the bad memories and replace them with this one.
Elara froze. Her mind screamed that this was wrong. But her body… her body recognized this. A soul long asleep within her was jolted awake by a touch so familiar yet so foreign.
Slowly, her defenses crumbled. Her hands, which had been pushing against Kael's chest, now fisted his lapels. She began to kiss him back, tears still flowing. It was a surrender, an admission that in her deepest heart, the fire Kael had ignited had never truly died.
But then, the sound of the doorbell from the building entrance shattered the moment.
Elara shoved Kael away with all her strength, stumbling back. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her lips still burning and trembling.
"No! This can't happen!" she cried, her voice panicked and guilt-ridden.
She turned to flee, but Kael caught her wrist.
"Elara, wait!"
"Let me go! I'm a married woman!"
"Listen to me!" Kael hissed, his eyes burning with an intensity that made Elara still. "You can run from me now. You can return to your gilded cage and your husband. But answer this in your heart, El…"
He leaned close, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered in a raw, certain voice:
"I know. What we feel is still the same as it was, El. And you feel it too. Every second you kissed me back was a confession from your true soul."
Kael released her hand. Elara stood frozen for a moment, her body trembling, shattered by the internal conflict.
Then, with stumbling steps, she ran, leaving Kael alone on the terrace, returning to the party, to David, to her gilded cage.
But she knew something within her had changed forever. A door long locked had been opened. And she didn't know if she had the strength to close it again.