Five years... It's how long it's been since that night. Night of Don Juan. A night full of fire and tears. Five years from the events that took place deep in the underground of the opera house, which only the three of us would ever know about. It's also five years since I last saw her. That night it became clear once and for all who her heart belonged to. And it wasn't mine... That's why, when I heard her decision – I stepped aside. If she really loves him – I will accept it, regardless of the pain. Her happiness is more important. However, despite the fact that so much time has passed and my life goes on, those events are still haunting me. Paris has forgotten, but I can't. When I close my eyes, I still see the lake, the rope and above all – her face. It still appears in my thoughts along with the question whether I did the right thing and whether she found her happiness, which she deserves so much, at his side...

I'm walking through an old, quiet park on the outskirts of the city. Usually not many people can be seen here. Strolling here, away from other people, has become one of my habits. The rays of the slowly setting sun pierce through multicolored autumn leaves. The play of lights creates an extraordinary illusion – for a moment you can be under the impression that the trees were in flames. I'm sure that this view would delight me, but I dwell too much in the past today to truly see the beauty around me, hear the crunch of dry leaves under my feet or smell the wet earth.

I turn into one of the side alleys and here I see her again. She hasn't changed at all. She is just as beautiful as the day I saw her for the last time...

And she is not alone.

She sits with him on the bench under one of the ancient trees. They smile. Their hands meet on the bench – her small and delicate, with a string of snow-white pearls around the wrist, and his strong and covered with a dark glove. I guess they are not even aware of that because they can't take their eyes off the view that's right in front of their eyes – a little girl who plays in leaves shimmering with gold and red. She tosses them high into the air and spins among them as they fall to the ground, similar to multicolored rain. Her dark curls blend with crimson and fiery orange, and her eyes sparkle with joy and excitement. She looks almost exactly like her mother. Except those eyes... They are different. She inherited them from him.

I stand and look at the three of them as if hypnotized, unable to move. Everything in this picture seems so... right? It's difficult for me to find the right word to explain it. I have never seen such love in anyone's eyes...

''Good morning, monsieur,'' I hear a woman's voice behind me that brings me back to reality.

"Good morning, mademoiselle," I answer unconsciously, glancing at the person who greets me.

I know her. Her name is Gabrielle and she is the daughter of a baron. I met her a few times. A charming young lady.

However, after this brief exchange of greetings, the woman moves on, seeing that I'm not going to start a conversation. My eyes almost immediately return to the family sitting a few meters away. I look at their hands clasped together, at the sweet smile on her lips, at the little girl whirling among the leaves. And in this moment, I feel as if some heavy weight was removed from my shoulders. The questions that haunted me finally found their answer. They are happy. They moved on and found their place. So I can do the same – stop worrying, wondering if it was a good thing or should I have done something else. I can bury the past once and for all and start living as well. Move on and find my happiness. My own happy ending.

A small smile appears on my face. I turn around. Gabrielle still hasn't disappeared from my sight. Next week a ball takes place in the rebuilt opera house...

''Mademoiselle! Please, wait!'' I shout, running towards her.

Behind me, a woman whom I once loved, gets up and slowly walks away in the opposite direction together with a masked man and a little girl with chocolate-brown curls and eyes the colour of a stormy sky.