We always laughed the idea off. Then, somehow, that’s precisely what ended up happening.
By the time we crossed that graduation stage, we were already quietly in love.
After college, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, and I said yes before he’d even fully finished asking.
The years that followed felt genuinely close to perfect. I was happy — truly, deeply happy.
As our fifth wedding anniversary approached, I wanted to surprise him with something meaningful.
So I told him I was going into work that morning. In reality, I’d taken the entire day off to pick up a watch I’d special-ordered from a shop on the other side of town.
I came home early that afternoon, gift in hand, expecting an empty house.
Instead, I heard his voice drifting from the kitchen. He was on the phone.
The second I heard him say my name, I froze completely still behind the door.
