The Gifts Begin

When it came time for gifts, my heart raced with the same excitement I felt as a kid. My parents handed me an envelope with money, saying it was for “whatever dream I hadn’t chased yet.” Mark’s sister gave me a set of skincare products, thoughtful and sweet. His mom, Linda, offered me a soft towel—practical, just like everything she chose.

Then Mark stood up and handed me a small, velvet box. My palms grew damp. I opened it slowly, and there it was—a delicate gold ring with a diamond that shimmered under the light. It was the exact ring I had admired so many times but never dared to ask for.

“Mark… this must have cost a fortune,” I whispered, my voice shaking.

“For you? Nothing is too much,” he said, smiling with that look that makes my heart melt.

I hugged him, kissed his cheek, and for a moment I was on cloud nine.

But then, the air shifted.