chapter 7

“We are going to Paris," Shawn said, handing her the tickets to the flight while smiling at her. "The City of Love. I figured, what better place to celebrate our honeymoon?"

Eva stared at him in a blink, with her lips parted in shock. "Paris? You mean… we're leaving today?"

"Yeah," Shawn corrected; his eyes danced with excitement. "I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Guilt pulled at her chest, but voicing her protests was impossible as the pure joy on Shawn's face sated her head. "Oh my God, Shawn, I've always wanted to explore that city…”

She paused in an instant and quickly recovered from her emotions, remembering that Ava had gone to Paris a few times for business trips. “I mean, I've been there for business meetings, but I've never gotten the chance to really explore the city.”

"Good," he said, hauling her into the circle of his arms. "Then this will be one to remember. Pack your bags, Mrs. Darlington. We have a plane to catch."

“Aye aye, Mr Darlington.” they both let out a heartfelt laughter.

*******

The minute they were off the airplane, a driver whisked them through the airport. Immediately, Eva felt embraced by the wonder of the city: the freshness of the autumn air, with its very faint scent of newly baked bread and coffee, touched her nostrils while the faraway glimpse of the Eiffel Tower caught her breath in surprise for a while.

Shawn was ever the attentive husband; he wrapped an arm around her. "Welcome to Paris, Mrs Darlington" he whispered, his voice full of the star-struck wonder coursing through her. “Let's pretend you're coming for the first time and savor the moment.” He chuckled, his breath grazing the skin on her neck before planting a soft kiss on it.

"Shawn," Eva whispered in return, and she looked up at him. "Thank you."

He smiled, bending to kiss her temple again. "Just you wait and see what I have in store.”

*********

First up had been the Eiffel Tower; with which Shawn had been insistent that he needed to go right to the top, even when Eva showed a little reservation.

"I'm not good with heights," she said, queuing up for the elevator.

"Don't worry," Shawn said, taking her hand. "I'll hold on to you the whole time. You're safe with me."

The view from there, with the city gold in the early evening, took Eva's breath away as they reached the top.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, clutching at the railing.

"Not as beautiful as you," Shawn replied, slipping his arm around her waist.

Eva giggled, her face reddening. "That's so clichéd."

"Perhaps," Shawn said, smiling. "But it's true."

They had been outside for hours, laughing and taking pictures. For the first time since the wedding, Eva had a spark of real happiness.

*********

Days thereafter melted into a whirl of romance and adventure, apparently endless strolls along the Seine, trips to the Louvre, shared decadent pastries at quaint cafes. Shawn was contagious in his charm, and Eva found herself laughing more than she had in years.

One evening, over dinner in a tiny restaurant overlooking Notre Dame, Shawn leaned into the table, his face long in a mischievous grin.

"Do you know what I have learned about you?" he asked.

"What's that?" Eva replied through a sip of her wine.

"You have the most expressive face," Shawn said. "I can tell just by looking at you what you are thinking."

Eva raised one brow. "Oh, really? And what am I thinking right now?" She relaxed into her seat folding her arms.

"That you're madly in love with your handsome husband," he teased, winking.

Eva burst into loud gales of laughter and then almost spilled her wine. "You're impossible."

"But I'm right," Shawn said as he leaned back in his chair and smiled way too smugly.

Eva merely shook her head but couldn't help the smile. "Maybe."

********

On the third night, Shawn took her to a high-class restaurant where chandeliers sparkled and violin accompaniment played from above. Eva felt she was walking into some sort of fairytale as she sat across from him in the beautiful gown he chose for her.

"You look amazing," Shawn all but purred low.

Eva blushed. "You've said that a million times."

"Because it is always true," he said, his hand reaching across the table and taking hers.

As they dined Shawn regaled his childhood stories, each one more outlandish than the last.

"So let me get this straight," Eva said, bursting out laughing. "You and your cousin thought that flooding the living room to make a 'pool' was a good idea?"

"In our defense, it was the middle of summer and the AC was broken," Shawn said, still chuckling.

"And your parents?"

"Oh, they were pissed," he said, his grin unrepentant. "But they couldn't stay mad too long. My mom said it was the most creative disaster she'd ever seen."

Eva laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth, turning a few amused glances their way from other diners.

It was going so well, until Eva's eyes fell upon a figure across the room. Her heart froze as she locked eyes with one of Ava's business associations, this one woman who seemed to have attended so many parties and events with her sister.

In an instant, Eva whipped her head around; her heart was pounding like a jackhammer.

"Ava?" Shawn repeated this time much more in tune. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she hastened to assure, forcing a smile. "I just thought I saw someone that I knew, but I was mistaken."

Shawn's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't push. "Okay. But if something's bothering you, just tell me."

"I'm fine," she insisted, her tone a little too bright.

Eva spent the rest of the dinner avoiding the woman’s gaze, her appetite disappearing. The encounter left her rattled, a stark reminder of how precarious her situation was.

As they walked back to their hotel, Shawn kept glancing at her, his concern evident.

“Ava,” he said finally, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. “Talk to me. You’ve been off since dinner, did i say something wrong?”

She stumbled over her words trying to find what she was saying. "I guess… being here in such a beautiful city with you-it's just so overwhelming. In a good way," she tacked on quickly as gunfire.

Shawn watched her, his eyes gentling. "I get that. Paris does have a way of making everything feel bigger than life.”

He pulled her into his arms, his warmth anchoring her. "But it wouldn't be, if I wasn't here with you.”

Eva swallowed hard as guilt pressed against her throat. "Same here." she whispered.

That night in bed, Eva stared up at the ceiling as her mind whirled over and over.

Living as Ava was going to be way more difficult than she had ever thought. Her sister's social circle was huge and volatile; any minute, the risk of getting caught was there.

Later, moonlight filtering in through the curtains, they lay entwined, Shawn's arm around her protectively. His breathing was slow, steady-a soothing cadence glaringly at variance with the tempests that raged within her mind.

Eva was still awake, her heart pounding. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to feel this way.

‘You’re doing this for him,’ she reminded herself. ‘For Ava. For Mum and Dad. It’s the right thing.’

But the justification felt hollow, especially with Shawn’s warmth still lingering on her skin.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, slicing through the silence of the room. Eva hastened to pick it up, quite sure she did not wake Shawn up.

That display message made her blood turn to ice inside her veins.

*Hi, it's me Ava. How did it go? Hope Mum and Dad aren't too disappointed.*

The phone felt heavy in Eva's hand as her gaze scanned the words and her breathing grew unsteadily quick.

In less than a second, she deleted the message. She set the phone on the nightstand, but her breathing remained uneven, her hands still shaking.

She lay and watched Shawn lie serenely, totally oblivious to chaos threatening to unravel everything.

Eva vowed silently never to walk down any trails that could prove injurious. She couldn't afford any wrong step that would ruin her already perfect life with Shawn.