I had just given birth when my husband looked me in the eye and said, “Take the bus home. I’m taking my family to hotpot.” Two hours later, his voice was shaking on the phone: “Claire… what did you do? Everything is gone.” – Inspiration Station

The night before the trip, I handed him the itinerary inside a heavy black envelope embossed with gold lettering.

“This trip is just for the two of us, Caleb, with no meetings, no business calls, and absolutely no outside distractions,” I told him softly.

Caleb barely looked up from his smartphone as he took the envelope with a dismissive grunt.

“I certainly hope the internet connection is decent out there, because I cannot just disappear from my responsibilities just because you feel guilty about your own schedule,” he replied.

It hurt to hear those words, but I swallowed my pride and forced a smile because I wanted this week to be a fresh start for us.

The next morning, I arrived at the private dock thirty minutes late because of a sudden emergency at the office that required my immediate authorization.

I expected to find him waiting alone and perhaps a bit annoyed, but instead, I saw a crowd of people gathered near the seaplane.

Caleb was standing there with his mother, Margot, his father, Arthur, and Tessa, his ex-girlfriend from college, who was dressed in a flowy white linen dress as if she were the guest of honor.

 

Tessa reached out and touched his arm with a level of comfort that made my blood run cold, and she didn’t pull away when I approached.

Margot looked me up and down with her usual expression of thinly veiled disgust, adjusting her expensive sun hat as I walked toward them.

“It is about time you arrived, Lydia, especially since I invited my parents and Tessa because she has been going through such a difficult time lately,” Caleb said with a shrug.

I felt my throat tighten as I looked at the woman who had been a constant shadow over our marriage.

“You invited your ex-girlfriend to our private anniversary trip without even asking me?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

He sighed and rolled his eyes as if I were being incredibly unreasonable.

“Do not start with your typical CEO drama, Lydia, because you can just focus on taking care of the food and making sure the villa stays tidy while we enjoy ourselves,” he stated firmly.