My heart stopped when I saw the bracelet on Stephanie’s wrist. It was the same gold chain with a heart charm that my grandmother had given me. I had searched for it for weeks, convinced it was gone forever. But there it was, on the wrist of the nurse who had been caring for me in the hospital.
Life had been good before my accident. Toby and I had been married for three years, building a comfortable life together. He worked in finance, and I was a consultant for a clothing company. We dreamed of buying a house and starting a family someday.
But that dream felt distant after I fell off a ladder while cleaning our apartment. I broke my leg and was rushed to the hospital. Toby was on a work trip, but he promised to come home early to be with me.
In the hospital, I met Stephanie, my nurse. She was kind and attentive, always going out of her way to make me comfortable. We even started talking about our lives. She mentioned her boyfriend, how he was thoughtful and had been spoiling her lately. I smiled, thinking how nice it was to feel appreciated.
Then I noticed the bracelet on her wrist. My bracelet. The one with the tiny smiling face engraved on the back, a detail my grandmother had added just for me. My stomach dropped as I asked her where she got it. “My boyfriend gave it to me,” she said.
I felt sick. Toby had taken it. He had given it to her.
I showed Stephanie a photo of Toby, and her face went pale. “That’s my husband,” I said, my voice shaking. She was stunned, but as the truth sank in, she agreed to help me confront him.
When Toby arrived at the hospital that night, he acted concerned, but I saw through it. Stephanie and I had planned to call the police, but when they arrived, she betrayed me, denying everything. Toby tried to play innocent, but under pressure, he confessed. He admitted to stealing the bracelet and giving it to Stephanie after they met at a bar.
I didn’t press charges, but I couldn’t stay with him either. Our marriage was over. It was painful to let go of the life we’d built, but I couldn’t stay with someone who had betrayed me so deeply.
