Caroline stood in front of her vanity, studying her reflection as she fixed her hair.
It had been five years since she married Oliver, and this year she wanted to celebrate their anniversary in a special way.
For weeks she had been preparing little surprises: handwritten notes with wishes she kept hidden, his favorite meals she secretly learned how to cook, and a photo album telling the story of their life together.
But that morning, Oliver surprised her with something she didn’t expect.
“I’ve planned something too,” he said, forcing a tired-looking smile. “We’re going to the ocean. I rented a private boat. Just you and me.”
Caroline’s eyes lit up.
“You did that?” she whispered, hugging him tightly. “You’ve been so distant lately… I thought you forgot.”
He hugged her back, but his arms were stiff. Caroline didn’t notice. She only saw the man she still loved. To her, that trip meant a fresh start. To Oliver, it was goodbye.
When they reached the private dock in Santa Monica, the ocean breeze played with Caroline’s hair. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in the salty air.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, moved by the golden horizon.
Oliver took her hand and helped her onto the boat. It rocked gently as a lone seagull cried in the distance. Caroline didn’t see Victoria, a woman dressed in white, sitting in a parked car not far away, silently watching them board.
Once they were out at sea, Oliver poured wine.
“To us,” he said, raising his glass. “To a new beginning.”
They clinked glasses with shy smiles. Caroline kept talking for a long time. She remembered their first date, Oliver’s jokes, his laugh she had missed so much, and her dream of having a baby soon.
Oliver looked at her, but he wasn’t listening. His mind was somewhere else—cold, calculating.
“Come stand by the edge,” he said as the sun began to set. “Let’s take a picture with the sunset behind you.”
Caroline laughed and brushed her hair away from her face.
“You and these pictures of me,” she teased.
She stepped toward the edge, arms slightly open, her heart full of emotion.
The rest of the story is in the first comment under the photo