My breath caught in my throat as soon as I met Stephanie’s wrist with the beautiful gold bracelet. That bracelet was familiar to me. After weeks of looking for it, I was certain it was gone forever. However, the nurse who was caring for me now had it on her wrist.
Before I wound myself in the hospital, my life had been excellent.
After three years of marriage, Toby and I were content with our life together.
He had a steady job in finance, while I was a consultant in a clothes business. We weren’t making a tonne of money. We had enough for a comfortable lifestyle.
Toby was always tired when he got home. He didn’t have time to enquire about my day. I never complained, though, to be honest.
I knew he was putting forth a lot of effort for us.
I softly held his hand as we sat on the couch one evening.
I whispered, “I can’t wait until we have our own place,”
“Yeah,” he sighed. “All I need is a little more time to accumulate savings. You are aware of the current high cost of housing.
I grinned and said, “I know.” “But I want a large kitchen when we do get it. as well as a backyard.
He made a joke, “For a dog?”
“For a baby,” I clarified, grinning.
He kissed my forehead as his face softened. “We’ll get there.”
I trusted him.
I didn’t give it much thought when hubby left on Friday for a work trip. I had been accustomed to the fact that he had to travel for work.
I decided to thoroughly clean the flat over the weekend.
I had no idea that it was the wrong choice.
The ladder swayed under me while I was dusting the top shelf of the closet in the hallway.
I felt weightless for a moment. Then I started to fall.
The effect was immediate. My right leg experienced a burning ache that was unlike anything I had ever experienced. As I strained to move, I gasped as my eyesight began to blur.
I gripped my phone and gritted my teeth, barely able to swipe the screen. As I pressed 911, my fingers shook.
The paramedics showed within a few minutes after that. As they hoisted me onto the stretcher, the agony was excruciating. As they wheeled me into the ambulance, I was having trouble keeping my eyes open.
The X-ray at the hospital supported my suspicions. My leg was broken.
The doctor put a cast on my leg and said, “You’ll need to stay here for a few days,” “We need to monitor the swelling before we can send you home.”
I picked up my phone and called Toby as soon as he left the room.
He picked up right away. “Kate? Hello! How is my lovely wife doing?
“Toby,” I said in a whisper. “I… I broke my leg.”
“What?” He became panicked instead of playful. “How? What took place?
I let out a trembling breath. “I fell off a ladder while cleaning.”
“Jesus, Kate.” On the other end, I could hear rustling as if he were moving. “I’m heading home. I will shorten my journey.
“No, you don’t have to—”
“Avoid arguing at all. I ought to accompany you there.”
My eyes pricked with tears. “Okay.”
The door opened while I was still talking to him on the phone. A nurse entered.
I hung up after hurriedly telling Toby I will call him later.
“You must be Kate,” insisted the nurse. “My name is Stephanie. While you are here, I will take care of you.”
“Nice to meet you,” I introduced myself, trying to smile despite my uneasiness.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Stephanie reassured me. “We’re going to take great care of you.”
I nodded and released a breath. She had a nice demeanour.
I had no idea that everything I believed to be true about my life would be completely destroyed by this woman in a matter of days.
Stephanie was great at first.
She made sure I was comfortable as soon as she took care of me. She brought me an additional blanket when I was feeling cold, checked on me frequently, and changed my pillows when I was having trouble moving.
One afternoon, she delivered me a plate and remarked, “You must be tired of hospital food already.” “I wouldn’t blame you if you refuse to eat this.”
I chuckled. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but yeah… this is not exactly gourmet dining.”
She smiled. “Don’t be concerned. If I can, I’ll sneak you something better.”
We eventually began discussing our lives.
“So,” she enquired one night while fluffing my pillows, “do you have kids?”
“Not yet,” I said candidly. “My husband and I want to buy a house first, then start thinking about kids.”
She gave a nod. “That’s shrewd. Children are costly.
I grinned. “How about you? Are you wed?
She gave a headshake. “No, but I’m in a relationship. We’re in a relationship. Nothing significant as of now.
“Do you think he’s the one?” I made fun of it.
“Maybe,” she said with a shrug. “He’s fantastic. Kind kinds, you know. Lately, he has been spoiling me.
“That’s sweet,” I acknowledged. “It’s nice when someone makes you feel special.”
When Stephanie entered my room the following day, I noticed something.
A wristband.
This bracelet wasn’t your typical one. It resembled the dainty gold chain my grandmother had given me, complete with a tiny heart emblem.
I had misplaced the same jewellery a month prior.
I initially believed it to be a coincidence. I got a close-up look at it, though, as Stephanie put her arm on the side table to adjust my IV.
A small cheerful face was engraved on the back of the heart charm.
That smiling was what my grandmother had asked the jeweller for. It was specifically for me, she said.
I felt dizzy all of a sudden.
How in the world is this possible? I pondered.
I was certain that I had lost it because I had searched everywhere for it. But it was there now. on the wrist of my nurse.
“That’s a beautiful bracelet,” I replied, trying to make myself grin. “Where did you get it?”
After looking down, Stephanie grinned. “My boyfriend gave it to me.”
A shiver went through my body.
“That’s sweet,” I acknowledged. “When did he give it to you?”
“A month ago.”
I held onto the hospital blanket with my fingertips.
Memories suddenly came flooding back.
I had been preparing for a gathering. I realised my bracelet was gone after applying makeup and reaching for my jewellery box.
“Toby, have you seen my bracelet?” Searching through the drawers, I enquired.
“You probably left it somewhere,” he concluded.
“But it’s always in my jewellery box.”
He looked at his watch and sighed. “We’re running late, Kate. Simply put on something different.
At the time, his response had seemed strange, but I dismissed it, assuming I had lost it.
Upon gazing at Stephanie’s wristband, the components began to come together.
It had been taken by Toby.
And Stephanie had received it from him.
I had to be certain before I could say anything more.
As I grabbed for my phone, my heart was racing. I flipped through my pictures and came across a picture of Toby and me during our anniversary dinner.
I then swivelled the screen in Stephanie’s direction.
I enquired, “Is this your boyfriend?”
Her smile lasted a moment before disappearing when she took a quick look at the picture.
Wondering, “How do you know him?” she enquired.
The lump in my throat was swallowed. “Because that’s my husband.”
Quiet.
Her gaze flicked back to me and then back to the bracelet she was wearing.
“What are you saying? Your spouse?” She enquired. “I… I don’t understand.”
“I’m saying that Toby is not just your boyfriend,” I replied. “He is my spouse. What about that bracelet? Before he took it and handed it to you, it belonged to me.
Stephanie crossed her arms and took a wobbly step back. “That… that isn’t possible. He wouldn’t harm me in that way.
I resentfully remarked, “He’s been doing it to me for months,” “You just didn’t know.”
“No,” she murmured. “He claimed to be unmarried. He made no reference to a wife.
It nearly made me chuckle. “Of course, he didn’t.”
As Stephanie took it all in, her breathing became erratic. Then her face became stern.
“I can’t believe this,” she said with a heavy sigh. “I can’t believe I trusted him.”
As a strategy took shape in my thoughts, I looked her in the eye.
“If you’re willing to help me, we can make him confess when he comes here tonight,” I said. “He said he’d be back from his trip today.”
She enquired, “What do you have in mind?”
When I said, “We call the cops,” “And when he comes in, we make him admit to what he did.”
She nodded, “Alright,” said. “I’ll do it.”
She then handed the bracelet to me after removing it from her wrist.
Whispering, “It’s yours,” she said. “Keep it.”
Toby showed up at the hospital that night. He hurried to my bedside and appeared distressed and worn out.
He brushed his fingers over mine and murmured, “Kate, baby, I got here as soon as I could.” “How are you feeling?”
I looked closely at him.
After three years of marriage, he was still the same man. The man I had put my trust in. The individual who had deceived me directly and taken from me.
The door opened before I could reply.
Stephanie entered after two police officers.
“What’s going on?” Toby asked, a puzzled expression on his face.
Stephanie came forward and gestured towards my wristband. “She says you stole that from her and gave it to me.”
Toby’s eyebrows raised. “What?”
The cop gave me a glance. “Ma’am, is it true?”
Stephanie’s voice interrupted me before I could respond. “No. It isn’t accurate. I haven’t got a bracelet. Why she believes her spouse is interested in me is beyond me.
It was unbelievable to me. Had she just consented to reveal Toby’s identity? The same woman who seems to have been as deceived as I was?
“See?” With trepidation, Toby laughed. “This is absurd. I have no idea what this is about.
I heard it when I was still in shock at the treachery.
A sigh.
Then a voice, unsteady and quiet.
“All right… I completed it.
I jerked my gaze in Toby’s direction and saw his disappointed expression as he wiped a palm down his face.
He confessed, “I stole the bracelet,” in a remorseful tone. “I took it from Kate’s jewellery box and gave it to Stephanie.”
“Toby!” Stephanie yelled. “No!”
However, he disregarded her.
“I met her at a pub one night after an argument with Kate,” he admitted. “Things happened even though it wasn’t supposed to be anything serious. I assumed Kate wouldn’t notice, so I took the bracelet. However, she did.
I let out a sigh of comfort.
Before one of the officers spoke, they looked at each other. “Ma’am, do you want to press charges?”
I gave Toby a peek. He refused to look me in the eye.
Saying, “No, officer,” “I don’t want to press any charges.”
Toby’s head jerked up a little in shock.
“I’m not going to ruin your life,” I said. “But I’m not going to stay in it either.”
I turned to Stephanie when the officers had departed.
“What the heck was that?” I shouted at her. “What were you trying to do?”
“I’m… I—”
“Get out!” I yelled. “Please leave this room. “Now!”
After hesitating, she nodded and walked away without saying anything else.
Toby took a step forward and made an effort to apologise. “Kate, I—”
“Don’t.” I spoke quietly. “Just leave.”
I no longer cared, but his eyes were filled with remorse.
That was the final time I saw him before he left. Soon later, our divorce was finalised.
It wasn’t simple to leave him. It was difficult to let go of the life I had created. But I was powerless. Someone who had betrayed me so severely was not someone I could continue to be with.