Abby's life was about to end, and she didn't know it yet.
On her strode through the greenspace of Champ-de-Mars and the clean fountains of Trochadé in Paris, Abby imagined herself in dreamland as she spent hours walking and interacting with any tourist who did her the courtesy of smiling back. On her banana-frame body was a brown Alexander McQueen coat that fully covered a white blouse and light-blue pair of jeans.
A tan-colored scarf remained firm on Abby's neck as she marched in suede ankle boots.
Abby took time to burn every little detail into her memory as she observed tourists taking photos, kids being kids, and couples being romantic. She briefly studied a certain couple and their adorable toddler.
Knowing she was three weeks closer to having a marriage of her own was a thought that made butterflies crawl around in her stomach, as she caressed the bezel ring on her finger. This was it—she wanted nothing more.
Abby's eyes joined the couple in admiring the Eiffel tower's magnificence and its lights, which were stunning enough to attract angels.
She and her fiancé had scheduled to visit today, but he had suddenly cancelled.
"I wonder what could be more important than us spending time together at one of the most beautiful places on the planet." She thought.
Nonetheless, Abby's decision to go alone was not in vain as she enjoyed every moment of her visit and the festivities of Christmas in general. Spending the holidays in Paris was the best decision she had made this year. That is, after saying yes to her fiancé's proposal at a dinner.
A smile formed on Abby's face as she strode towards her G7 VIP Parisian taxi ride that arrived to pick her up.
As much as Abby still wanted to bask in the Eiffel tower's grandeur, she had to leave. Especially after receiving a text with a location from her fiancé and an instruction.
Hubby: "Hotel Maria Du 16e Arrondissement
Come meet me. 7:15 pm"
"Hotel Maria Du 16e Arrondissement," Abby voiced in her silky British accent, showing her phone screen to the middle-aged dark-skinned driver.
"Oui Madame," the driver replied in an afro-accent before he opened the door for her.
The car rolled into traffic.
During Abby's first visits to Paris, she would practically refuse to use exclusive rides, eat at popular restaurants, sleep at five-star hotels or hoard with other tourists at popular spots.
Rather, she preferred taking walks, eating at local food spots, residing at flat buildings, and hanging out at karaoke bars.
"La vie, n'est-elle pas belle?" Abby began, asking if life wasn't just so beautiful.
"Oui Madame," the driver agreed, making a turn to head straight down to arrondissement fifteen.
"It's beautiful how interconnected we Humans are," Abby started in French, switching to English. "We are bound by the same emotions, dreams, and wants. Spending the last eight years in humanitarian services taught me the privilege of happiness, emotional stability, and basic amenities is for everyone. And spending the holidays at famous locations in a different country away from home re-enforces my belief on how important my job is."
"C'est super!" the driver replied, sounding engaged in whatever conversation his enthusiastic passenger had set in motion. "What's more magical than the Eiffel tower, Christmas, and the celebrative acts of love?" he added, his eyes focused on the road.
Abby wound the window down and drew in a cold breath of fulfilment.
"Avec ton accent Africain, es-tu né ici?" Abby inquired, asking if the driver was born here in Paris, considering his accent.
"Sept ans pour demander la citoyenneté," he replied, revealing that he had been applying for a citizenship for seven years.
"France is a beautiful country. Great culture!" Abby complimented.
"Except when the government isn't busy passing unfair bills," the driver opposed as he slowly halted the car at the entrance of the hotel.
"That's if we let them," Abby retorted as she placed her hands on the door opener.
The driver fixed his sight on Abby as she unbuttoned her coat.
"Your visit to Maria Du Hotel is to meet someone?"
"Yes. My fiancé."
The driver's lips were filled with words that they refused to spill. He kept on staring at Abby fumble over her coat who was painfully oblivious of what awaited her inside the hotel.
"Hopefully, we will meet again," Abby said as her eyes met the driver's stern gaze. She alighted the car.
"Madame!" the driver called out.
"Yes?"
The driver opened his mouth to utter some words, then shut his lips gently, shaking his head with a humble smile. "Rien," he replied, telling her it was nothing.
"I hope you get your citizenship!" Abby wished in French in an optimistic tone.
"And I hope you hold on to your happiness. Abby Edwards!" he replied in the same fashion.
"Thank you," Abby gushed back.
She loosened her blonde hair that had been tied into a ponytail and advanced towards the revolving doors. "Wait!" she called out, turning around.
'I never told him my name'.
Before Abby could turn back and query, the driver was long gone.
Abby navigated the map on her phone screen as she made her way into the lobby.
The elite crowd at the entrance and the hastiness in which chauffeurs roamed the premises made her suspect her fiancé had invited her for an event.
Why have my calls been going to his voicemail all day?
Still following the marked spot on her phone, Abby made her way past two identical doors and entered into a long hallway where hotel attendants wheeled baggage carts.
Was this some kind of surprise?
A beep notification sounded, indicating she had arrived at her destination. Abby stood awkwardly before a gold plated door and knocked repeatedly. No response. She took another look at the marked location of her fiancé's phone.
This is the room.
She placed her hands on the doorknob and twisted it.
As the door swung open, Abby's adrenaline spiked.
Her bag fell from her elbows that suddenly became numb. Abby froze at the jolting scene unfolding before her naked eyes.
Her Fiancé jumped out of the bed with his cock in his hands. With haste, Abby backed out of the room and sprinted down the hallway into the elevator as her fiancé loudly pleaded.
"Abby, wait! I can explain!" he screamed, calling after Abby who had long fled the horrid scene.
The collision of frost and snow pricked Abby's skin like daggers falling from the sky as she stepped down from a taxi in front of Eurostar metro station.
Abby stormed into the train station with a bag containing her passport and other travel documents, hoping to find a train to London.
'I need to leave Paris; I need to leave France'.
She pulled off her coat, spread them across her thighs and placed her head on the window, drawing deep breaths she hoped will pacify her.
But the endless spin of the train wheels replayed what she wished she had never seen, but more, what she wished had never happened.
"Si vous plait, combien d'heures avant d'arriver à Londres?" a little boy asked, tugging at the commuter's pants. He was asking with an innocent smile, how long before the train arrived in London.
"Four hours!" the commuter replied jovially.
The mood in the cabin was promising, positive, and pleased. The opposite of what Abby was feeling at the moment. She never imagined her departure would be in this manner, this weather, this season.
Abby recalled memories from Christmas eve's dinner at Le Pre Catelan when her Fiancé dropped on one knee.
"Abby Edwards, in you, my life becomes whole, with you my days become bright. In your hands I would love to lay, this night and for the rest of my life! Abigail Edwards my heart, my love, will you do me the greatest honor of being my wife?"
A moment she had anticipated for years, a moment she dreamed was the beginning of forever. But that is all it was—a dream.
The train approaching a pitch-black tunnel awoke Abby to the unfortunate reality she felt trapped in. The reality she silently wished was a bad dream she could pinch herself out of.
Abby's eyes wandered around the euphoric aura inside the train. She couldn't comprehend the fact that she was heading back to London so soon. She never expected her to stay to be this brief, nor her blissful year to end this way.
Abby's hands fidgeted as she fiercely pulled out her engagement ring. She couldn't wrap her mind around this soul-crushing affair.
Abby Edwards had just caught her older sister and her soon-to-be-groom Fucking.
Quick Question
1. Do you feel sorry for Abby?
2. Did you see this chapter ending this way?
3. How do you think the driver knew Abby's Name?