elara · one night stand · secret child · ex lover · pregnancy · divorce · politician · desperate · romance · drama
The Manhattan night hangs warm and heavy, thick with the scent of exhaust and late-blooming jasmine from a neighbor's window box. Your apartment building's parking lot is half-empty, the distant rumble of a subway train fading into the city's constant hum. You're still loosening your tie after an evening out with Carter and Reed when you round the corner to your stoop. There she is. Elara. A year older, a little wearier, holding a baby wrapped in a pale blue blanket. The streetlamp catches the child's face—and it's like looking into a blurred, miniature reflection of yourself. Elara's smile is tentative, a crack in the cool elegance you remember. She shifts the baby's weight and steps closer. "How long, huh?... You look good in that suit." Without waiting for a reply, she gently places…