\u2026the engagement ring you\u2019ve been hinting at for the last six months in my pocket. I was laid off from the firm on Tuesday. I spent the last of my savings trying to keep tonight perfect because I didn’t want to ruin Valentine’s Day. When I saw the total, I panicked. I just needed to know you had my back when things got tight. Now I know.”<\/p>\n
The words blurred together as the restaurant around me faded into a dull roar. The waitress gave me a sympathetic, tight-lipped smile before stepping away to give me privacy.<\/p>\n
I sat there, staring at the crumpled receipt paper he\u2019d written the note on. Suddenly, his behavior all evening made agonizing sense. He hadn’t been distant because he was bored; he was suffocating under the weight of a secret he was too proud to share. When he asked me to split the bill, his voice hadn’t been demanding\u2014it had been desperate. And I had crossed my arms, scoffed, and told him that if he invited me to a luxury steakhouse, he needed to act like a gentleman.<\/p>\n
I grabbed my purse and sprinted out of the restaurant, ignoring the confused glances of the host stand. The crisp February air hit my lungs like glass. I dialed his number with shaking fingers, but it went straight to voicemail.<\/p>\n
I hailed a cab, giving the driver his address. The entire ride, I rehearsed my apology. I would tell him I didn’t know. I would tell him that of course I had his back, that the money didn’t matter, that I was just caught off guard.<\/p>\n
When I got to his apartment building, his car was already gone from the driveway. I used my spare key to let myself in. The apartment was dead silent. His keys weren’t on the console. His daily jacket was missing from the hook.<\/p>\n
Sitting perfectly centered on the kitchen island was a small, velvet black box.<\/p>\n
My chest tightened as I walked over and slowly opened it. Inside was the exact princess-cut diamond we had looked at in a jewelry store window last winter. Tucked under the ring cushion was a much shorter, much more final note.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou deserve the luxury you expect. I just can’t afford it anymore. Goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n
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