A young woman stood inside a jewelry shop, staring at a golden bracelet with tiny diamonds around it. The bracelet rested beneath the glass, catching the light every time she shifted her weight. Her fingers hovered above the counter, not touching, just close enough to imagine how it would look on a wrist she knew by heart. She smiled softly as she looked at it, a smile that came easily, one she did not have to think about, and then a salesgirl approached.
"Is that the bracelet you wish to buy, ma'am?"
Charlie lifted her eyes from the glass and nodded. "Yes, I want that one."
The salesgirl followed her gaze and smiled politely. "Anyone special you want to give it to?"
"My lovely wife." The word came naturally. "It's our 8th anniversary this weekend, so I want to gift her this. She has always wanted a bracelet. This particular one, I've seen her admire it whenever we walk by. She didn't say anything, but I knew she wanted it," Charlie said as the salesgirl unlocked the case and lifted the bracelet out carefully, as if it were fragile, as if it mattered.
"You sure do love your wife, huh?"
Charlie did not hesitate. "Yes, I do. I will always love her. No matter what happens, she will always be the love of my life."
The salesgirl smiled wider this time. "Your wife is so lucky to have you."
Charlie shook her head slightly. "No, I am the one who is lucky."
She watched as the bracelet was placed inside a small velvet box, then into a bag. Charlie brought out her phone and scanned for payment without taking her eyes off the package. When the payment went through, the salesgirl handed her the bag. Charlie held it carefully, like it carried more than gold and diamonds.
She stepped out of the shop and into the street, the bag swinging lightly at her side as she walked. Her thoughts drifted without effort, pulled backward to the first time she met her wife, eight years ago exactly. Back then, everything had felt loud and new and possible. Charlie had just graduated from college, her future wide open and undefined. She and her two best friends had gone to a concert to celebrate, shouting over the music, laughing at nothing, pushing through the crowd without care.
At some point, the crowd surged. Someone bumped into her. Her foot caught on nothing, and she stumbled forward. Before she could hit the ground, a pair of arms caught her. Strong enough to steady her, gentle enough not to hurt. Charlie looked up, breath caught in her throat, and saw a beautiful girl smiling down at her, asking if she was okay. That single moment, that simple catch, had changed everything. It was the beginning of their forever.
Two years later, they got married. Even now, Charlie liked to count the full eight years instead of just the six they had been legally married. To her, it all mattered. Every year counted. During those years together, they had two lovely twin boys. Charlie smiled faintly at the thought of them, of their laughter, of the way they clung to her legs when she came home. They were the best things that had ever happened to her, well, after meeting her wife.
Just as Charlie was about to enter a cab to head home, something caught her attention across the street. At first, her mind refused to register it. She stopped walking. Her grip tightened on the bag. She blinked once, then again, convinced her eyes were lying to her. They were not.
Her wife, Lovelyn, stood outside a more luxurious jewelry shop. A man stood close beside her, his arm wrapped comfortably around her waist. Very comfortably. They were laughing, leaning slightly toward each other as if the world around them did not exist. The man held several shopping bags in one hand. Charlie's chest tightened as she recognized the laugh, the one that used to be just hers, the one she fell for.
They walked together toward a large SUV. Lovelyn did not pull away. She did not hesitate. They got inside, and the vehicle drove off.
Charlie stood frozen for a second longer than she realized. Then she moved. She hurried into the cab she had been about to take and shut the door.
"Follow that SUV," she said, her voice strained but steady enough to be understood.
The driver hesitated only a second before pulling back into traffic. Charlie leaned forward slightly, eyes fixed ahead, afraid that if she looked away even once, the truth would disappear. She needed to see. She needed to know.
Her thoughts spiraled as the car moved. Why was Lovelyn with that man? Who was he? Was it because he was rich, because he could buy her things Charlie never could? Her eyes flicked to the SUV ahead. Rolls Royce Cullinan. The name formed in her mind uninvited. Charlie swallowed. She could never afford a car like that in her lifetime. But Lovelyn was never materialistic. She never cared about wealth. She used to say love mattered more. So why?
Even as the questions piled up, Charlie still resisted the answer pressing against her chest. She knew the woman she married. She trusted her. She loved her. Or did she really know her?
The SUV slowed and turned toward a large estate gate. Charlie watched as it stopped. A hand emerged from the window, passing a card to the security guards. They checked it, nodded, and the gate opened. The SUV drove inside, disappearing from sight as the gate closed again.
Charlie's heart dropped.
"Excuse me, sir," she said quietly, forcing the words out. "Can you find a way to get inside?"
The driver glanced at the gate, then back at her. "I'm sorry, but I can't. This estate is private property. If you don't have a pass, we can't go in."
Charlie leaned back against the seat. She met the driver's eyes through the rearview mirror. He had probably noticed her distress, probably wondered why she was following that car. Maybe he thought she was a stalker. Maybe he didn't care. He said nothing. As long as he got paid, that was enough. He drove for money and nothing else.
Charlie turned her gaze back to the closed gate. She wished there was a way to get inside, a way to see with her own eyes what waited beyond it. But deep down, she already knew. The truth sat heavy in her chest. Her wife was cheating on her with a wealthy man.
The driver reversed the car and drove away from the estate, heading back toward Charlie's residence. A song began to play on the radio. Charlie did not recognize it, but the sound filled the car anyway, pressing into her ears. With every note, the weight inside her grew heavier. Tears slipped down her cheeks silently. She stared out the window, wondering where she had gone wrong, replaying moments, searching for signs she must have missed.
If anyone had ever told her Lovelyn would be an unfaithful wife, Charlie would have laughed. She would never have believed it, not in a million years, never in a lifetime.
The car stopped. Charlie stepped out and paid the driver. As she turned to leave, he reached into his pocket and handed her a card.
"What is this?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
"My card. In case you need a driver to take you around. I promise to give you a discount next time."
Charlie took the card without looking at it. The driver drove off. She glanced down at the card briefly. Beam the Cab Guy, with a phone number printed underneath. She slid it into her jean pocket and walked toward her building.
The six storey building loomed ahead. She entered and pressed the elevator button. When the doors slid open, she stepped inside. Her apartment was on the fourth floor. As the elevator rose, she looked down at the bag in her hand and slowly pulled out the bracelet.
The diamonds caught the light again. She imagined it on Lovelyn's wrist. Then her mind twisted, and another image forced itself in. What if that man had bought her a bracelet too? Something bigger, something more expensive or maybe more than one. Something worth ten times what Charlie was holding.
Had eight years together been a lie? Did Lovelyn ever love her the way Charlie loved her? Charlie thought she was lucky. Now she wondered if she had been fooling herself all along.
The elevator dinged, snapping her back to reality. The doors opened. Charlie stepped out and immediately collided with someone walking in the opposite direction. Groceries slipped from the person's arms and spilled onto the floor.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry," Charlie said automatically as she bent down to help pick them up. Then she looked up. It was her wife, Lovelyn.
"How the hell did she get home so fast?"