My Husband Missed Our Anniversary for Another Woman

Synopsis

On our seventh wedding anniversary, I sat in a restaurant and waited four hours for my husband, Daniel Shaw. At ten past six, he texted me. Daniel: [Something came up at work. Go ahead and order. I'll be there soon.] I texted back an okay. At seven, the server came by and asked if I wanted to start with appetizers. I shook my head. "We'll wait a little longer." At eight thirty, the cake came out, and the frosting was already melting at the edges. I called Daniel, and nobody picked up. At nine forty, the server came over for the third time. She glanced at the untouched place setting across from me and asked carefully, "Ma'am, we close at ten thirty. Is your other guest still coming?" I paused. "He is." The words were barely out when my phone lit up. Lydia Lynn, the wife of my husband's best friend, had posted on Instagram. In the picture, Lydia's daughter, Stella Winters, wore a birthday crown and held a chocolate cake, laughing hard enough to crinkle her eyes. Daniel stood behind her with his sleeves rolled to the elbows, leaning in to set the candles for her. There were four place settings at the table. The four of them were Lydia, Stella, Daniel, and Elaine Winters, who was Charles Winters's sister. The caption was one line. [Thank you to the one who has never missed a single year.]