Shocked, confused, and reeling, I didn’t know what to believe. Was it a cruel joke? A mistake? Moments later, my phone rang again—it was my mother-in-law, Gloria. She casually chatted about a ring Thomas had supposedly given me. But there was no ring. Then she mentioned he was staying at the same hotel we’d visited on our honeymoon. My instincts kicked in. I booked a flight immediately.
When I arrived, I found the room—614. I knocked.
A woman opened the door, elegant and poised. “Thomas is in the shower,” she said.
I recognized some of Thomas’s belongings behind her. I held up the cake box and calmly stepped forward. “This might be more for you than him,” I said, setting the box on a nearby table.
Then came a twist I didn’t expect—Gloria, in a bathrobe, sipping champagne. “You weren’t supposed to barge in,” she said, smirking. “You’re always so… predictable.”
I asked where Thomas was. “Another hotel,” she said. “Alicia”—the woman at the door—“is a better fit for my son.”
I stood in stunned silence. “Why?” I asked.
“You were never right for him. Alicia’s a model. She’s perfect.”
But what Gloria didn’t know was that I had already called Thomas. And I’d left the line open.
Suddenly, his voice boomed through the speaker. “Mom, I can’t believe you! Anna, I’m on my way.”
Gloria’s face dropped.
“Thank you for the cake,” I said, glancing at Alicia, who looked less confident now. “It’s… quite memorable.”
Downstairs in the lobby, still a little shaken but feeling stronger than ever, I waited. When Thomas arrived, he was breathless and full of apologies. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“Start with ‘my mom is completely out of line,’” I replied.
Later that evening, over a quiet dinner, he handed me a small velvet box. Inside was a ring—the ring. “You still want to be married to me?” he asked.
“Only if you never travel on our anniversary again,” I said with a smile. “Next year’s cake might come with a message too—but this time, maybe just ‘Happy Anniversary.’”
That night didn’t go the way I planned. But in the end, it taught me something important. I wasn’t just a disappointed wife—I was someone who stood her ground and reclaimed the moment. And that’s something worth celebrating.