Abigail casually strolled through the streets of Orlando the day after she arrived. Fortunately she had some funds remaining from when her parents were killed, so she had enough money to support herself for at least a couple of months while she tried to adjust to her new life. Of course it wouldn't be the luxurious life she had grown accustomed to when she was married to Frank, but all she craved were the simple things in life. Spending a significant amount of time in prison had a huge impact on her outlook in life. The one thing she was looking forward to the most was cooking her own meals. While she was in prison there were days she wondered how they expected a person to survive on the food they were fed. Abigail had come to learn that there were many things people took for granted and she promised herself that she would always be thankful for what she had. After all, she knew better than anyone that it could all be taken away without a moment's notice.

The first thing Abigail determined she needed to do to get her new life in order was open up a bank account. She found a bank located just a few blocks from her apartment and when she went in to open an account, she came close to blowing her cover when she almost signed her name as Alison Summers. It certainly wasn't going to be an easy transition going from being Alison Summers to Abigail Phillips. Fortunately, she caught herself as she formed the 'A' in her first name. 'At least something was the same; it was something she could hold onto.' She thought to herself.

Abigail began by taking a few weeks to settle in and she was slowly adjusting to her new life. She was still Alison at heart, but she was slowly adjusting to being Abigail on the outside. In most ways she was the same person, but after some time she realized with everything she had experienced, that she had inevitably changed in many ways. She still enjoyed many of the same things, but she was much more cautious about who she trusted. She didn't see herself trusting another man any time in the near future.
Abigail was beginning to grow bored and decided it was time to look for a job. Her funds would still last for another couple of months, but she wasn't the type of person who could just sit around and do nothing. She had spent the past three years doing just that and it was driving her insane. So, she was the only person that could turn her life around and finding a job was the first real step. It was time she buried Frank and Alison for good and try her best to move forward as Abigail Phillips. Maybe now she could have the life she always dreamed of, because it wasn't everyday that someone was given a second chance at life. 

Abigail assumed it would be difficult to find employment, but she was astonished when she was offered a job after just two weeks of searching. Unfortunately she didn't have any work experience or references that she could use, but that didn't prove to be a problem. She was able to prove that she had some computer skills, that she had acquired from spending hours on the computer trying to pass the time when she was married to Frank. Abigail secured a job as an assistant for a writer at a well-known national magazine. Her job would include typing up notes that Alexis Fairchild dictated into her tape recorder and anything else Alexis needed done. Alexis was an extremely talented writer, who she was thrilled to be working with, but an unfortunate accident two years earlier had left her paralyzed from the neck down. Alexis proved to be a fiercely determined woman and had successfully pulled her life together after the accident. It was just that type of influence Abigail needed in her life, so she happily accepted the job.

Abigail quickly grew to enjoy her new life. She had started to make new friends and Alexis was extremely pleased with her work. Over the coming months Abigail slipped into a comfortable routine, and with each passing day, it was becoming easier for her to put her old life behind her and continue to move on. She could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

One thing she had difficulties dealing with though was when her friends insisted she needed a man in her life. Abigail was an extremely attractive woman and her friends just couldn't understand why she wasn't interested in dating. It was true that she could have literally any man she wanted, but it wasn't something she was ready to introduce into her new life. It was true that Alison and Frank didn't have a perfect marriage and he was the first and only man she had ever loved. She still needed more time before she would be ready to open her heart to another man. Her friends seemed satisfied when she told them that she had her heart broken and was still licking the wounds. For now it was enough to know that Frank had loved her. After all, it wasn't a lie. Even after three years, she was still mourning Frank's death and she would have done anything to have him back. She did realize that fantasizing about something that would never happen only served to depress her and she would quickly pull herself back up and continue to focus on her new life. She couldn't just sit around and dwell on the past.