The moment I saw the gold bracelet that had disappeared a month ago on the nurse’s wrist was a real shock for me. I recognized the bracelet immediately – it was not just a piece of jewelry, but a precious heirloom from my grandmother that I had lost without knowing that I would ever see it in such a place again.
Before I went to the hospital, my life was calm and quite happy. Toby and I had been married for three years. He worked a lot and was often away on business, but I never complained because we made plans for the future together. We dreamed of having our own house, talked about children and how we wanted to shape our lives. In the evenings, when Toby came home, we talked about what we would do when we finally bought a house and how wonderful it would be to have children.
One day, when Toby was away on business again, I fell down the stairs while trying to fix something in the house. The pain was unbearable, I had to call an ambulance. At the hospital, I was given a cast and the doctors said I would have to stay in the hospital for a few days to monitor my condition.
I immediately called Toby, he answered quickly but was very worried. “I’ll come as soon as possible,” he said, and I felt that he was ready to do anything to support me.
When Toby ended the call, a nurse entered the room. Her name was Stephanie and she was very caring. We started talking and soon she asked if Toby and I had children. I replied that we didn’t have any yet, but we dreamed of buying a house and then thinking about having children.
“That’s reasonable,” Stephanie said. “Children are expensive.”
I smiled and asked her if she was married. Stephanie replied that she wasn’t married but was dating someone. We continued the conversation and at some point I noticed that she was wearing a bracelet on her wrist that I had lost a month ago. I recognized it immediately – it was the same gold bracelet with a small heart that my grandmother had given me.
“What a beautiful bracelet,” I said, trying to hide my emotions. “Where did you get it?”
Stephanie smiled and replied, “My boyfriend gave it to me.”
I felt my heart stop. The bracelet had disappeared just as I was getting ready for a party, and now it was with her. At first I didn’t want to believe what I was hearing, but slowly I began to put the facts in order. Suddenly I realized that Toby must have taken the bracelet and then given it to Stephanie.
I thought for a long time about what to do next, but I decided to act. I asked Stephanie to help me find out the truth. When Toby returned that evening, I was ready to ask him questions.
When he came in, I showed him a photo we had taken during our anniversary. It was a picture of Toby and me in a restaurant where we had celebrated that day. I showed it to Stephanie and she recognized Toby immediately. Then I asked her how it was possible that he had said he was single when he was my husband.
Toby was silent. He understood that he could no longer hide the truth. He confessed that he had taken the bracelet from my jewelry box and given it to Stephanie.
He said that he had done it after our argument and did not think it would have such consequences.
He tried to apologize, but I could no longer listen. I had had enough. I calmly said, “Just go.”
Toby left and I never saw him again. The divorce was quickly settled and I felt myself growing stronger every day. It was a painful lesson, but I understood that a betrayal is something you cannot live with. And now, looking back, I know I made the right decision to leave that toxic part of my life behind.
