I spent a year planning our tenth anniversary, imagining something grand—a candlelit dinner and a gift that showed how far we’d come. I saved to buy him a watch he’d admired for years, hoping to see that moment of pure joy when he opened it.
But when the night came, it felt uneven. He accepted the watch with quiet gratitude, then gave me a small, simple bottle of perfume. I smiled, but inside, disappointment lingered. Walking home, I couldn’t shake the feeling that after ten years, something between us had quietly changed.
