Annie and Paul were the couple everyone envied. They embodied simple and sincere happiness. Their love was evident in the smallest gestures of daily life: a knowing glance, a discreet caress, a shared laugh. They lived in a spacious, luminous Parisian apartment, where every object told a story of travel and nature adventures.
Their two children, Benoît and Mark, were equally fulfilled. Benoît, the eldest, studied physics at university and shared his mother’s insatiable curiosity for the world and its mysteries. Mark, the youngest, was in high school and dreamed of becoming a lawyer like his father.
Passionate about nature, they often spent weekends exploring forests, mountains, and coastlines. Wild camping was their favorite activity: waking up to birdsong, swimming in crystal-clear lakes, and spending nights around a fire, telling stories and roasting marshmallows.
Sundays, if they were not on an outing, were reserved for barbecues with friends, a sacred ritual filled with laughter, discussions, and delicious food. Everyone around them asked: "How do you manage to be so happy all the time?"
The question always amused them. They would shrug and say they did nothing special, that happiness came naturally. But their friends couldn’t help but be fascinated by such seemingly effortless harmony.
Their daily routine was filled with small pleasures. Annie practiced yoga and African dance to maintain her goddess-like figure. She also loved spending evenings with her friends, debating life over a glass of wine. Paul played tennis and was a member of a cigar club. Once a week, he allowed himself an evening with men, discussing politics, economics, and philosophy.
One day, as Annie gazed out their window at the bustling city, she voiced a thought she had been whispering to herself for some time: "What if we left Paris? What if we moved to the countryside?" The idea took root, gradually weaving into their evening conversations. Paul, a finance lawyer, loved his job but knew he could adopt a different work rhythm. Annie, a geologist working at a research center, saw the move as an opportunity for a more peaceful environment. They envisioned this future, convinced that taking the train daily for work would give them precious time to read and relax.
So, they began visiting houses. Magnificent houses. But, inexplicably, Paul always found a flaw. Each time, he had a rational, almost irrefutable explanation that left Annie with no argument. Over time, a silent fatigue settled within her. Why did he reject every house that seemed perfect for them? Through innocent questions, she tried to understand. Should she let him make the final choice? Was he simply afraid of leaving his habits behind? Yet, with transportation, they could travel in first class, reading or listening to music and podcasts. Annie saw only positives. Paul, too, but after every visit, he found some minor flaw to say, "No, I don’t like this house."
One evening, as she was getting ready for a night out with her friends, an unexpected object shattered her world: a lipstick lay on the floor of her dressing room. She picked it up absentmindedly before realizing it wasn’t hers. Neither the shade nor the brand belonged to her. The shock was immediate. First, confusion. Then, suspicion. Could Paul be cheating on her?
She spent the evening with her friends, forcing a smile, but her mind was elsewhere. In the following days, she scrutinized Paul’s every move, looking for inconsistencies, but everything seemed unchanged. Their intimacy remained the same, their complicity intact. Yet, a growing unease settled within her.
One detail struck her: Paul was going less and less often to his cigar club. Was it a coincidence or a precaution? Determined to understand, she found the old business card of the club and decided to visit. But there was no cigar club at that address. Just a small, anonymous door, wedged between two luxurious buildings. Paul had given her that card years ago. Had the club moved, and he hadn’t told her? Or had she simply forgotten? Everything became a blur. Suddenly, there were too many unanswered questions, and that wasn’t how her life was supposed to be.
She decided to try again another night. The neighborhood was quiet, but a stream of men carrying sports bags caught her attention. Intrigued, she slipped through a back entrance and discovered an unsuspected reality: inside, a soft-lit atmosphere, men in elegant dresses, wearing makeup, dancing, singing. She froze. Her blood ran cold when she spotted Paul, dressed in a sleek black gown, smiling, perfectly at ease in this world. He didn’t see her. She ran out, breathless, until she reached her car.
A chasm opened beneath her feet.
The explosion was inevitable. Back home, she waited for him, her eyes vacant, a glass of wine in hand. When he walked in, she hurled the wine at his face, overwhelmed by anger and confusion. Paul walked in, unsuspecting, but his smile faded as he met Annie’s tear-filled, blazing eyes.
He stood there, stunned, not knowing what she had discovered. Did she think he had another woman? How could she possibly know the truth? Like a tangled thread unraveling too fast, millions of questions flooded his mind in mere moments.
Finally, he realized she knew. He slowly wiped the wine dripping down his face, hesitated to sit, but remained standing, frozen between fear and a strange sense of relief. The tension rose, their words becoming fragmented, evasive. Annie demanded the truth, Paul tried to downplay it. Then, under the pressure, he gave in. He spoke of his struggle, of this side of himself he had never dared to reveal, fearing she would leave him, fearing he would lose everything.
Then, without warning, Annie burst into laughter. A nervous, uncontrollable laugh. Paul stared at her, bewildered. Finally, she whispered, "Show me."
Paul remained speechless as Annie grabbed one of his scarves and wrapped it around her neck with an enigmatic smile. Her gaze searched his, waiting. A flash of panic flickered in his eyes before softening, uncertain. Was this a dangerous game, or was a new truth unfolding before them?
A new era was beginning.
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