The hotel lobby was softly lit, filled with the sweet smell of fresh lilies and polished wood.
I stood quietly, looking around at the shining floors and fancy chandeliers above us.
Jack gently placed his arm around my shoulders as we waited at the reception desk.
His touch felt warm and familiar, the same comforting gesture he’d used since the day we married.
“Fifteen years, Sarah,” Jack said, smiling warmly down at me.
His voice was gentle, as if wrapped in silk.
“Can you believe it?”
I forced a smile back at him.
“It went fast,” I said softly. But my heart felt oddly heavy, like there was something hiding beneath the happiness we showed each other.
Something I couldn’t quite name.
Jack seemed to notice my hesitation. He squeezed my hand softly, his eyes concerned.
“Everything okay?” he asked gently.
I looked up at him quickly, pushing aside the odd feelings in my chest.
“Yes,” I lied gently, meeting his worried gaze.
“Just excited about tonight.”
Jack smiled again, reassured. He turned to talk to the receptionist, asking about our room and dinner plans.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
I had planned a surprise for Jack tonight. Something special and meaningful.
Earlier, when he was busy, I’d quietly slipped out to buy him a beautiful watch—the one he’d admired for years but never bought for himself.
He deserved something wonderful, I thought.
Something to show him just how much I still loved him.
Tonight was supposed to be perfect, a night to remember.
I held tightly to that hope, chasing away the strange feeling that something was off.
I focused instead on Jack’s warm presence beside me, praying quietly that my worries would fade away, leaving only happiness behind.
My heart raced as I hurried down the long hotel hallway toward our room, my purse tightly clutched in my hands.
Inside my purse was Jack’s gift, carefully wrapped in shiny blue paper, just waiting to surprise him.
It was a watch he’d wanted forever, and I imagined the joy on his face when he finally saw it.
But when I reached into my pocket for the room key, panic twisted deep in my stomach.
“Oh no,” I whispered, feeling only empty fabric where the key should have been.
My fingers searched again and again, growing more desperate each time. It was gone.
I started pacing nervously, biting my lip and glancing back down the hall, hoping the key had somehow fallen nearby.
My heart felt heavy and fast, each beat echoing loudly in my chest. How could I lose the key now, on our special night?
Just then, the elevator doors opened softly, and Jack stepped into the hallway. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw me.
“Sarah? What are you doing here?” His voice was warm, full of gentle amusement.
Without waiting for my answer, he slipped off his jacket and placed it tenderly over my shoulders.
“You’re cold. Here.”
I looked up at him, embarrassed and nervous.
“I… lost our room key,” I admitted, forcing myself to laugh a little, as though it was nothing important. “Can you believe it?”
Jack laughed softly too, shaking his head. His smile was calm, never irritated or bothered by little problems like these.
“Wait right here. I’ll go get another one from reception.”
I watched quietly as he walked away, his easy stride relaxed and confident.
Pulling his jacket tighter around me, I suddenly felt comforted by his warmth.
Absent-mindedly, I slid my hand into his jacket pocket, my fingers brushing something hard and smooth.
A wave of relief filled me immediately—a spare key!
But as I pulled the plastic card from his pocket, my breath stopped short in my chest.
The room number printed on it was not ours. Instead, it read “326,” a room farther down the hall.
My heart hammered painfully, the sound loud in my ears. Confusion and worry tangled inside me, making my hands tremble.
Why did Jack have another room key? What was waiting behind that door?
A sudden chill moved through my bones, making the jacket feel heavy and unfamiliar.
My mind raced, questions swirling without answers.
I stood frozen, staring at that strange number, wondering if the perfect evening I’d dreamed of was already slipping quietly away.
The key felt heavy in my hand as I walked quietly toward room 326.
The hallway stretched in front of me like a tunnel, dimly lit, long, and endless.
My heart was beating hard, filling my ears with a dull, echoing sound.
Each step took effort, as if my feet were sinking into thick mud.
Something inside me begged to stop, to turn back. But I had to know.
With trembling fingers, I raised the key to the lock.
It slid in smoothly, the small green light blinking easily, mocking the fear twisting inside me.
I gently pushed the door, and it clicked open without resistance.
A faint sound drifted toward me from inside, soft voices tangled in quiet conversation.
Instinctively, I pulled back, holding my breath, waiting in silence.
The door opened wider, and Jack stepped out into the hallway.
His face looked gentle and warm, his eyes shining softly as he turned to someone still hidden from my view.
“You mean so much to me,” he whispered, his voice filled with emotion I recognized too clearly.
I saw him reach forward, wrapping his arms around a woman, holding her close, protectively.
Her face was hidden behind his broad shoulder, her form blurred by the dim hallway lights.
My stomach twisted painfully, and a sharp ache filled my chest.
My knees suddenly felt weak, like they might collapse under me.
Fear rushed through my veins, burning and cold all at once.
I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. I stood there frozen, invisible in the shadows, heartbroken.
Questions screamed silently in my mind.
Who was this woman Jack was holding so lovingly? How long had this been happening, right under my nose?
Panic flooded me.
Without thinking, I turned sharply, desperate to escape before they noticed me standing there.
I rushed silently back to our room, the jacket slipping from my shoulders and falling forgotten behind me.