A canvas of pale pink and faint figures of clouds spread throughout the evening sky. The colors brighten the medieval sidewalks. Drifting through the air was the aroma of buttery baguettes and flaky croissants from a bakery nearby. As the painted skies faded, twinkling lights littered the streets and lightened the path of the couples with cheerful smilies, promising hopes, and roaming out in the City of Love for a night of romance. Renee Cartier smiled as she watched the couples pass by her on the bridge sometimes bumping into her at times forgetting that they were not the only people in the world. She laughed to herself and looked after them with wishful thoughts of a romance of her own that she knew was soon to be.

Renee Cartier followed after the couples while humming a pleasant tune. She played over her favorite memories with him. They had karaoke nights at midnight. They went on sweet afternoon picnics on the top of lush green hills. He wrote her sweet poems throughout the school year. She loved smuggling french fries from his lunch in the dining hall. They went on pleasant walks in the evenings often running into a street musician strumming a violin. After four years of struggling through high school together, the two embarked on a new adventure in France that kindled hopes of what might be. Renee Cartier felt warmth rise to her cheeks as she thought of him, and her smile grew even brighter. She sighed. It could only mean one thing. She was in love with Lyam Tremblay and wanted all the world to know her declaration. What better place to reveal her confession than in the City of Love?

The sound of a vigorous violin drifted to her ears once more as she skipped down the cobblestone streets. She slowed her pace as she found the street musician strumming his instrument with finesse and grace. Renee pulled out coins from her pocket and placed them in the violin case among other cash and coins. As she walked away, the song turned a little grim. Renee shrugged off the gloom that paled her warm cheeks for a moment and peered up the glimmering Eiffel Tower quickly bringing back her bright smile and leaving the gloom with the violinist.

A glorious canopy of stars waited for her at the top along with the gleaming glow from the City of Light below her. It left her breathless. Renee closed her eyes and hid the image in her heart to remember this moment for the rest of her life.

As she opened her eyes again, Renee caught a trail of rose petals leading to a wall of candles surrounding a young couple. The young man kneeled down before the woman and pulled out a radiant ring with a brilliant diamond. The woman squealed in delight while Renee grew grim once more. It was Lyam. Her Lyam. But that was impossible?

"Eloise Petit, will you marry me?" Lyam asked the woman.

"Lyam!" Renee walked up behind him, "What are you doing here?"

"Renee? What are you doing here? I thought you decided to go to bed earlier tonight" Lyam jumped to his feet.

"And I thought you loved me!" Renee cried as turned away.

Was it all a lie? Had she been that blind? Renee choked back tears as she waited in line for the elevator. This was only a terrible dream. She pinched herself and fell into more despair. Lyam budded in line and pulled her aside. Renee turned away from him tormented with so many questions and rethinking their four years together. She loved him, and he loved her. Or so she thought?

"Did you ever mean it?" she hissed.

"Once, yes," he confessed, "But I'm afraid only once. Just could not find the right time to tell you."

Renee turned to him and slapped him. She ran over to the elevator and elbowed her way into the elevator. The door closed as she caught him placing a hand on his cheek. She hoped it hurt! As Renee Cartier headed the Eiffel Towers, tears streaked down her cheeks and blurred her vision as the gloomy violin song filled the streets on the way back to her hotel. Paris was not the City of Love, but the City of A Broken Heart.