This soulmate thing is no trivial matter.
Don't think for a second that you're reading some foolish fable.
It is 1994. And since the dawn of time, humanity has followed a rule that, according to legend, came directly from God himself: the rule of true love.
This universal law is governed by a worldwide order of abbots, recognized as the divine's representatives on Earth. They are seen as Christian Cupids — spiritual guides who safeguard the sacred union. At the age of eighteen, every person must visit the local abbey, where these abbots, gifted with the Don, help the young find their other half.
According to this divine law, no one is allowed to engage in a romantic relationship until they've met their soulmate. And once the union is sealed, several prohibitions take hold: it is strictly forbidden to argue, to be angry, and above all, to break up. Breaking up with your soulmate would be the same as severing your bond with God himself. Only death can justify a separation — yet even then, love endures. For one soul can only ever be bound to one other, in this life and in the afterlife.
Everyone, regardless of skin color, origin, or past, believes in this absolute truth. Everyone… except one young couple.
And this, Madame Dumas simply could not accept. She loved her daughter with all her heart, but why did it have to be her?
In just one month, Mylova would turn eighteen. In her mother's eyes, it was high time she ended things with Louis.
But Madame Dumas knew she couldn't handle this on her own. Desperate to bring her daughter back onto the right path, she picked up the phone and dialed the number of the abbot from the French Quarter.
---
— Good evening, Abbot. I hope I'm not disturbing you. This is Madame Dumas speaking.
— Ah! Good evening, Madame Dumas. May the peace of God be with you. What can I do for you, my child?
— Abbot Baptiste, I have some good news… and some less good.
— Then start with the good!
— My daughter, Mylova Dumas, will soon turn eighteen. In exactly one month.
— Wonderful! Such a radiant young lady! I would be honored to help her find her soulmate.
— That's precisely where things get complicated, Father… and I fear you may not like what I'm about to tell you.
— What do you mean? She refuses to meet her soulmate? Don't worry. Such hesitation happens from time to time, and we always find a way to resolve it.
— It's not simply that, Abbot Baptiste… It appears my daughter is already in love.
— What?! What did you say?! In love? And not with her soulmate?!
— Yes, Abbot… She claims to have found true love, but not through the Bellie. Worse still, she snuck out of the house in the middle of the night to be with him.
Madame Dumas was on the verge of tears. Her voice trembled.
— This is unacceptable — blasphemous, even! Your daughter has broken divine law, Madame Dumas!
— I know… but I can't convince her to come back to reason. She rebels, rejects everything… even me.
— Do not worry. Your family has always been exemplary. Tomorrow morning, find your daughter and bring her to me. I will see what I can do to make her understand.
— Thank you… for your support, and for your wisdom.
— Do not thank me, Madame Dumas. Instead, send your prayers to God. Your daughter will need them. Good night.
— Good night to you as well.