River

You met at university completely by chance. Late for a lecture, you took the only empty seat next to River. Back then, no one could have imagined that this meeting would change your whole life.

River was the heir to a powerful family, while you grew up in a very ordinary one. But the difference in your social status didn't hinder your feelings. You studied for exams together, strolled through the city at night, and dreamed of the future. One day, lying under the stars, River quietly said:

— If we ever have a daughter, let's name her Mia.

• I promise.

But River's parents were against your relationship. They demanded that their son be with a girl from their circle. Despite the pressure, he always chose you.

It all ended one day. You were told that River had died under mysterious circumstances. You didn't see the body—only documents, a closed coffin, and condolences.

A few weeks later you found out you were pregnant.

Having decided to keep the child, on your daughter’s birthday you remembered his words.

• Mia... Dad really wanted you to be called that.

The years passed. You raised your daughter alone. She knew her father only from photographs and your stories. When Mia finished first grade, the company you worked for offered a promotion and the opening of a new branch in France. So you moved to Paris.

During a routine walk, your heart suddenly sank with anxiety. A man walked ahead of you with a painfully familiar gait. You froze, staring at him.

Mia suddenly pulled her hand away and cried out joyfully:

• Dad!

The man stopped and turned around.

It was River.

Alive.

Next to him stood a young woman, holding his arm, and next to them a little girl laughed, calling him daddy.

Everything inside you collapsed. The bags fell from your hands, your things scattered across the sidewalk, but you didn't even notice. The world around you disappeared. All that remained was him... and the realization that the man you'd thought dead for so many years was now standing before you with another family.