We silently crossed the Seine as the city emerged from the darkness of night. With no traffic, the driver proceeded to drive through the middle of the street, and nearby stood The Eiffel Tower, resembling a metallic skeleton reaching upwards into a sky that was quickly turning blue. Typically, a morning like this would be foggy or at least misty, but contrary to how I felt, it seemed determined to be an idealistic day in Paris, as if it was straight out of a storybook, albeit lacking any shared glances between two people.

Ever since the moment we landed in Paris, I noticed a shift in Alexei’s mood. He was...