The online media had indeed turned around. Headlines once full of suspicion were now replaced with praise and apologies. "The Property King, Victim of a Vicious Slander," "David and Elara: A Love Story Maligned, Now Proven Pure." But for Elara, the noise of the news was just background sound. What was real was the silence between them, and Alisha's laughter trying to stitch the atmosphere back together.
Dinner took place with Alisha as the main light. The little girl's eyes sparkled, her fork and spoon occasionally tapped softly on her plate as accompaniment to her funny school stories.
"We're finally eating together again!Just like before!" exclaimed Alisha, her smile wide and innocent.
Elara smiled slightly,feeding Alisha some vegetables. David sat across, his eyes not leaving Elara. There was deep longing there, and also fear.
After eating, Elara cleared the table and walked toward the bedroom. David followed her, his steps slow but sure. In front of the bedroom door, he locked the door gently. The click was like a sign that the long-postponed conversation had begun.
"Elara," David began, his voice heavy. "I need to know. Is there still room for me in your heart? Or… is it all gone?"
Elara turned around,her back leaning against the door. Her eyes were teary.
"I can't lie,David. There is. There's still a part that loves you, that remembers all your sacrifices, that sees how hard you fought for us." Her breath hitched. "But that part now lives alongside another part that is wounded, that is afraid, that remembers how you hurt me."
David approached, but did not touch. His face, usually so firm and controlled, now melted in vulnerability.
"I know I don't deserve to ask you to forget.But may I ask you for something greater?" He knelt before Elara, his hands clenched on his own lap. "Let's start from zero again. I promise, with everything left in me, I will not repeat that stupid mistake. I will listen to you, respect you, and be a worthy husband."
Elara closed her eyes, tears flowing freely.
"David,I…"
"I have no one else in this world," whispered David, his voice hoarse and full of regret. "Only you and Alisha. You are more important than my own life. I don't want to spend the rest of my days with regret. I want to enjoy it with you, El. With our small family."
Elara was enveloped by the deepest surrender and sincerity from the man before her. She opened her eyes, seeing David still kneeling, with all his dignity as a property king no longer meaning anything here, before the woman he loved.
Slowly, Elara took David's hand and pulled him up. She hugged him tightly, her face buried in his broad shoulder.
"I still can't forget everything,David," she sobbed softly in the embrace. "I'm still hurt. Still afraid."
David returned the hug,his hand patting Elara's back gently.
"I'm not asking you to forget it.I'm only asking for a chance. A chance to prove I can be better, for us, for Alisha. Let's build again from zero, with all the scars we carry. I promise I'll be more careful with them."
Behind the locked door, they stood in a long embrace. There was no word of "mine" this time. No claims. Just two wounded people, trying to find a way to heal together.
Elara finally nodded slowly against David's shoulder.
"From zero,"she whispered, like a vow and a prayer.
Yet, in the silence of her heart, she knew: starting from zero did not mean forgetting the scars. It only meant choosing not to let those scars block their path forward. And for now, for Alisha, for the love that still remained, it was enough.
That night, they slept in one bed again, the distance between them slowly narrowing. And outside, Jakarta kept pulsating, indifferent to the small gamble of two hearts trying to heal in silence.