I thought it was just a cheap bottle of perfume — plastic cap, no brand name, the kind you’d find on a discount shelf. I didn’t know it carried a secret I wouldn’t uncover until it was far too late.
The Last Anniversary
It was our tenth wedding anniversary, a milestone I had dreamed about for months. I’d saved for weeks to buy my husband the one thing he’d always wanted — a beautiful, classic watch he’d admired for years but never bought for himself. When I handed it to him that night, the joy in his eyes made every sacrifice worth it.
A small box. A bottle of perfume. The kind that came in a plastic container with a wrinkled label.
I forced a smile, but disappointment burned in my chest. I had imagined something different — not expensive, just thoughtful. Something that said, “I see you.”
Instead, all I saw was a cheap bottle.
I remember setting it down on the dresser with a sigh. “Thanks,” I said softly, already trying to hide my hurt.
He smiled — that easy, gentle smile I’d fallen in love with — and said, “You’ll like it once you wear it.”
But I never did. I tucked it away in a drawer and tried to forget it.
