The wind blew gently through the trees, a cool and calm breeze that brought a sense of lightness to the air. Caroline had not yet fully recovered from the encounter she had just had with Jules. It was like a dream, but a dream that lingered long after she woke up. She stood at the door of David's house, hesitating for a moment before knocking. The beating of her heart echoed in her chest like a drum, heavy and powerful. She wasn't ready, not really, but she had no choice.
David, although they were no longer together, remained her anchor in this world they had built together. The memories of their past love, of their complicity, had left her alone and disoriented after Jules's accident. And yet, today, she felt a strange need to reconnect with him, to break down the walls they had built between each other, to question everything once again.
She took a deep breath before knocking on the door. The sound of her fingers tapping on the wood resonated in the silence. A few seconds later, the door slowly opened, and David appeared in the doorway. He looked exhausted, his gaze a little lost, as if he had prepared for everything except seeing her here, today.
— "Caroline..." he said in a surprised but not unpleasant voice. "What... what are you doing here?"
She hesitated for a moment, searching for her words, still feeling like a stranger in this place she had once considered her own.
— "I needed to talk to you." Her voice was calm, but trembled slightly. "I... I saw Jules."
The words fell into the air like stones thrown into a still lake. David stared at her, a moment of disbelief crossing his face before he regained his composure.
— "Jules... but how?" he asked, his voice dropping lower, as if he couldn't really believe what he had just heard.
Caroline lowered her eyes, gathering the courage to explain. It was difficult, almost unreal, but she knew David needed to understand.
— "I know it sounds crazy. But I swear, he was there, David. He spoke to me. He told me we need to reconcile, to face what separates us." She looked at him intently, searching for a spark of understanding in his eyes. "He said he wanted us to be happy, that this wasn't the end. That our family... that our love..."
David stared at her in silence, his brow furrowed, as if he were trying to decode a secret message he didn't understand. Then, slowly, he shook his head.
— "Caroline, I..." He stopped, clearly touched but also lost. "It's impossible. Jules is gone. How could I... how could I believe that?"
She felt a sharp pain in her heart, an old and persistent ache, but she didn't let it escape.
— "I don't know how it's possible, but I feel it, David. He was there. And he told me we need to give ourselves a chance." She paused, searching for her words, her breath short. "I know it's hard, but... I believe it's what Jules would have wanted. I believe he's guiding us, even now."
David closed his eyes for a moment, as if absorbing the weight of her words. Silence settled between them, heavy and thick. Caroline waited, ready to accept his rejection if it had to happen. But deep down, she knew what she had seen wasn't just her imagination. Jules was still there, in some way, and he had a message to deliver.
After a few moments, David sighed deeply and decided to open the door wider, as if inviting her inside.
— "Come in. If you really want to talk, let's do it." His voice was soft but a little broken. He motioned for her to enter the living room, where the memories of their life as a trio still seemed to cling to the walls.
Caroline stepped inside, her heart pounding. She sat down on the couch, David sitting beside her. He looked at her for a long time before breaking the silence.
— "You say Jules wants us to reconcile. I... I don't know how to do that, Caroline. I don't even know where to begin." He ran a hand through his hair, clearly troubled. "I have so many regrets, so many things I never told you."
Caroline looked at him, a slight tremor in her voice.
— "I do too, David. I feel like we let the wrong choices take up too much space, and we forgot what really mattered." She paused, gathering the strength to say what was on her heart. "But I'm ready to try. To take a step, even if I don't know where it will lead us."
David looked at her, a spark of recognition in his eyes. Another silence fell between them, but this time it wasn't as heavy. They were two lost souls, but willing to rediscover each other, like two strangers finding each other again.
— "And if it's possible, Caroline...?" he said softly, almost as a question he didn't dare ask. "And if we could give ourselves a chance? Not for us, but for Jules. For him."
Caroline smiled faintly, a small sigh of relief passing through her chest. Maybe, after all, the path to reconciliation wouldn't be as difficult as they had thought. Maybe Jules's presence, in some way, would be what allowed them to repair what had been broken.
— "We'll make it, David," she replied gently. "One day at a time."
And as silence fell once again, but this time a different silence, one full of promises and hope, Caroline felt a strange peace settle within her. Maybe love, even after all this time, could still be the bridge between their hearts. Maybe Jules, in some way, would help them rebuild what had been destroyed.
The journey would be long, but it was no longer uncertainty that guided them. It was hope. Hope that, even in the afterlife, a child could watch over his family.