From Fake Love to Real Dreams

I smoothed the tablecloth one final time, adjusting the crystal wine glasses until they caught the light from the candles just right. Our fifth wedding anniversary deserved perfection. The dining room in our penthouse apartment looked like something out of a magazine spread—white roses in the center, our best china gleaming, and a bottle of Damien's favorite Bordeaux breathing nearby.

My fingers trembled slightly as I placed his gift—a Swiss watch I'd saved for months to buy—beside his plate. The small velvet box held more than just an expensive timepiece; it contained my hope that tonight might rekindle what we'd lost somewhere along the way.

"What's all this?"

I turned to find Damien standing in the doorway, his tall frame silhouetted against the hallway light. He looked tired, his normally immaculate suit slightly rumpled, his dark hair disheveled as if he'd been running his hands through it all day.

"Happy anniversary," I said, my smile wide and hopeful. "I made your favorite—beef Wellington."

A flicker of something—surprise? annoyance?—crossed his face before settling into polite acknowledgment. "Right. Anniversary."

My heart sank a little, but I pushed the feeling away. He was just tired from work. That's all it was.

"I have meetings early tomorrow," he said, loosening his tie as he approached the table. "Let's keep this brief."

Brief. Our anniversary celebration should be brief. I swallowed hard and nodded, watching as he took his seat without helping me with mine—a small courtesy he'd abandoned years ago.

Dinner proceeded with his usual distracted half-attention. He answered work emails between bites, offering only cursory responses to my attempts at conversation. When I placed his gift beside his plate, he glanced up from his phone with mild surprise.

"Open it," I urged, unable to contain my excitement despite his indifference.

He unwrapped it methodically, his expression unchanging as he revealed the watch I'd spent hours selecting—classic, elegant, with subtle detailing I knew matched his taste.

"Thank you," he said flatly, setting it aside without trying it on.

My smile faltered. "Don't you want to wear it?"

"I have several watches, Natalie." His tone suggested I'd somehow failed to notice this obvious fact.

I pushed my disappointment down and waited. Surely he had something for me. He always did, even if his gifts had grown increasingly impersonal over the years.

After an uncomfortable silence, he seemed to remember. "Oh, right." He reached into his jacket pocket and produced a small box. "Happy anniversary."

My spirits lifted as I carefully unwrapped the gift. Inside was a silver bracelet with small crystal accents that caught the candlelight. It wasn't his usual style of gift—typically more extravagant—but it was pretty.

"It's lovely," I said, slipping it onto my wrist. "Thank you."

He nodded absently, already back to scrolling through his phone.

Three hours later, as I washed dishes alone (he'd retired to his study immediately after dinner), I noticed something strange. The bracelet had left a greenish mark on my wrist. I examined it more closely under