Again. I smiled politely, disappointment gnawing inside. He went to the restroom, and the waiter returned with a salad I hadn’t ordered.
“There’s a surprise inside,” he whispered. Confused, I found a diamond ring buried in the greens. My heart leapt.
Finally, I thought. But when James returned, his face turned pale. “Where did you get that?” he asked, voice tight.
“The salad,” I stammered. “You didn’t…?”
“No,” he said, panicked. “Put it down.
We need to leave.”
The waiter stepped closer. “That ring wasn’t meant for her. It was for my girlfriend — Chloe.
James gave it to her.”
My world stopped. “And she’s not the only one,” he added. I stared at James.
He couldn’t even speak. “How long?” I whispered. He finally said, “It was a mistake.”
“No,” I said.
“Mistakes aren’t gifts and secret girlfriends.”
The waiter looked at me with quiet sympathy. “She didn’t know about you either. You deserved the truth.”
I stood, lifted the salad bowl, and dumped it — ring and all — into James’ lap.
Gasps echoed. Someone clapped. James reached out.
I stepped back. “I loved you. But I’m done pretending.”
I walked into the cool night, heart heavy but head high.
After fourteen years, I finally chose myself.
