A man lashed out at his wife on Valentine’s Day, accusing her of being a poor housekeeper, and threw away her gift in anger. But he regretted his actions when a stranger appeared at their doorstep later that day.
Grace Turner spent the morning in a bubble of joy, surprising herself at how joyful she was. She was sitting in the living room, checking off the tasks on her to-do list for the evening, blushing and wondering how delighted Owen would be when he saw the Valentine’s Day surprise she’d planned for him.
Grace first met Owen at a work conference in Texas. Because they were both orphans raised in foster care, they wished to have a large, happy family one day.
Luckily, that didn’t take long as they got married soon after a few dates and welcomed triplets two years later.
However, things started getting tense when Grace had to step in to care for the children, and Owen became the main breadwinner for the family.
Owen had to give his all to support a family of five, which led to stress and a feeling of guilt that he could never spend enough time with his family. Worse, he didn’t get much rest on weekends and still couldn’t save enough money by month’s end.
As a result, they hadn’t gone on a trip or dined at a fancy restaurant in years, even on special occasions. Owen was focused on saving every penny, and Grace understood this well, so she never wasted the little money they had and spent it carefully.
Even on Valentine’s Day, she dressed up in an old red dress that Owen had given her for their first wedding anniversary. It was a bit outdated, but it was special to her and saved extra costs, so she didn’t mind wearing it for the occasion.
When she realized it was nearly time for Owen to arrive, she quickly set the table for two with his favorite red velvet cheesecake – which she’d carefully baked in a heart shape — a bottle of wine, a few other dishes she’d made, and placed a gift box beside his plate – something she was most excited about.
“Perfect!” she thought to herself as she placed scented candles around the room and turned on the fairy lights. The doorbell rang about half an hour later, and Owen was home.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, honey!” she said as she kissed him on the cheek and led him inside.
When Owen entered the room, he was stunned by the food-laden dining table, the candle-lit room, and the rose petals placed from the entryway to the table. “What on Earth have you done, Grace? Are we some silly teenagers?” he lashed out as a wave of anger hit him.
Grace’s smile faded instantly as Owen switched on all the lights in the room and glared at her. “Honey! What’s wrong? Are you upset about something? Did something happen at work?”
When we are furious, we lose our ability to think sensibly. “Are you serious?” he yelled. “Is this why I work so hard? So you can waste money on this kind of crap?!”
“Oh, Owen! Relax! I didn’t go overboard! The ingredients cost a bit more, but it wasn’t much,” she said gently as she led him to the table. “Please sit and tell me how you like the food?”
Owen was pissed. In fact, he was really pissed. He took a bite of the Aglio e Olio and spat it on the table. “What’s wrong with this spaghetti? And why does the sauce taste so bad?” he shouted, loud enough to wake the triplets, who were fast asleep in their room.
“Owen!” cried Grace. “What’s wrong with you? The babies…I put them to sleep about a half-hour ago, and you just woke them up!”
“So? Is that my fault too? Grace, I work all day while you stay home with the kids! And what’s this?” he snapped as he picked up the gift box. “A gift?” He threw it on the floor and glared at her. “I’m not a kid who’d be impressed by that, okay? Have you seen the kitchen? Do you know why it’s piled high with dishes? Let me tell you why. Because you were too busy with this nonsense to look after the house!”
“You’re impossible, Owen! I can’t believe you’re the same man I fell in love with and married! Can’t you…ugh, just leave…” she grumbled as she walked to the kids’ room. However, the crying continued, which irritated Owen even more.
“Why aren’t the kids quiet yet? Aren’t you the perfect housewife and mom? Learn to do something properly, Grace!” he yelled from the living room.
And hearing his taunts, Grace stormed out of the room angrily. “They’re crying because I need to change their diapers, but we don’t have any at home! So keep quiet and watch them until I get back. The store’s a bit far, so it’ll take time!” she shouted as she left the house and slammed the door.
“Yeah! And you call yourself a housewife, staying at home…” Owen kept grumbling, mocking Grace for being a poor homemaker as he walked to the kids’ room.
Almost an hour passed. The kids kept crying, and Grace didn’t return. “What’s wrong with you, Grace?” he groaned as he went to the living room to grab his phone and call her. “I can’t believe it’s taking you so long to buy diapers!”
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. “Here you are! Grace, how long does it take to just…” he began but stopped when he saw a cop on the porch. “Does Grace Turner live here?”
“Yes?”
“You, uh, her husband?” The cop cleared his throat as he spoke.
Owen nodded.
“I’m sorry to say this, but your wife died in a car accident. You need to come with us to identify the body. We found her address on her driver’s license.”
A shock ran through Owen, and his face went pale. The cop glanced inside and saw the candle-lit table. For a moment, he felt guilty for delivering such awful news, but he had no choice.
Still trembling, Owen called their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Walker, and asked her to watch the triplets while he was gone. When he reached the mortuary, he couldn’t believe the pale, lifeless body was Grace’s. He burst into tears, feeling terrible for yelling at her, and after the funeral the next day, he shut himself away at home. He didn’t want to think or do anything.
The table Grace had set was still there, and when he looked at it, the events of the previous evening flashed through his mind. Suddenly, he remembered Grace’s gift. “The gift…I didn’t even open it.” He searched the room and found it lying on the floor.
He unwrapped the gift with shaky hands and found a note inside with two plane tickets to California. He wiped his tears before opening the letter to read it.
To the love of my life, Owen,
Happy Valentine’s Day, honey!!! Guess who got a job this month? I saw that you were worn out from working alone, so I started applying to a few places, and yesterday afternoon, I got a call that I was hired for the position!!
Also, I spoke with Mrs. Walker, and she agreed to look after the babies, so I can work knowing our kids are safe. But wait, that’s not all! You see those tickets? It’s for our vacation to California, just the two of us!! (I’ve got other plans too, but you’ll find out later, hehe!)
When Owen finished reading the note, he burst into tears like a child. But there was nothing he could do. Grace was gone, and he’d have to live with it for the rest of his life. Sadly, that is exactly what happened.
Owen’s life was never the same after that day, and he never fell in love again. He simply worked hard to provide the best for his children and raise them well. Now, every Valentine’s Day, all he does is visit Grace’s grave and spend hours talking to her about anything and everything on his mind, wishing he could have asked for her forgiveness.