The day my boyfriend planned to propose, I found an opened tampon in his jacket pocket.
I asked him whose it was.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel, and the answer came out before he could think：
“Probably from the last team outing. One of the girls on my project team must've left it in my jacket.”
He scrambled to make several calls to back up his story, men and women both.
Every voice on the other end sang the same tune：
“Hey, Eva Henson! Everyone got so wasted that night. One of the girls borrowed Zane Harding's jacket and must've left it behind. Don't overthink it!”
A sheen of cold sweat gathered at Zane's hairline：
“See? I wasn't lying.”
I stared at his face. I didn't smile.
While we were stopped at a red light, I caught him sneaking a glance at his phone, thumbing a row of likes into his minimized bros' group chat.
「You absolute legends. That was a lifesaver. I owe you all forever!」
The replies piled in：「Boys help boys! Damn, Zane, getting wild in the car like that! King shit!」
「You point, I shoot. Think the fat cow bought it?」
My heart plunged into ice water. What started as a joke turned into something I could never take back.
Because that tampon was mine. The whole thing had been a spur-of-the-moment tease.
——
The car pulled into our garage, but the usual ease I felt coming home was gone.
Zane didn't notice my ashen face. He hummed a tune and headed for the trunk.
I knew what was back there. He'd filled it with Siberian roses, my favorites, along with a haul of designer gifts.
Today was our five-year anniversary. He'd planned the whole proposal down to the last detail.
For months, I'd been dropping hints about wanting to settle down.
Zane was steady, dependable. He wanted to build a life together too, and he'd promised me a surprise with nothing but warmth in his eyes.
I'd guessed he would pick our anniversary. I'd already chosen my outfit and booked the perfect makeup appointment.
But now, staring at the ash-gray face in the rearview mirror, I didn't recognize myself.
All the certainty just drained out of me.
One joke. One tampon. And it had exposed a guilty conscience I never knew existed.
Over eighteen hundred days together, reduced to a punchline.
I watched him fussing with flower boxes and gift bags in the trunk, then picked up the phone he'd left behind.
The passcode was still my birthday. The app lock was still our anniversary.
His message list was practically empty. Apart from Boba Tea Reviewer, the contact he always used to order my drinks, there was nothing.
I tapped into his hidden chats. The group messages had already been swiped away and deleted.
I steadied myself and scrolled through his contacts. Most of the profile pictures and names I recognized.
His coworkers' chat threads were still open, and their last messages were all about helping him plan the proposal.
「Siberian roses? My buddy runs a cold-chain air freight company. Just say the word and I'll have them flown in by tonight!」
「Zane, you need a connect for luxury brand discounts? My girlfriend's got a hookup at one of the big outlet stores. Whatever you want, just name it. Gotta give Eva the perfect surprise!」
「For real though, skip the overtime tomorrow. I'll cover your shift. Don't waste a night like that on work, you know what I'm saying?」
I started to wonder if what I'd seen was just my temper playing tricks on me.
His coworkers shipped us harder than anyone. They'd poured real effort into this proposal……
Would they really cover for him and trash-talk me behind my back?
I put the phone back where it was and blinked against the dryness in my eyes.
I drank the herbal supplement Zane had bought me for my nerves.
I'd been grinding through a company pitch all week, dizzy and ears ringing from the strain, and he'd been looking out for me through every bit of it.
I turned to watch Zane behind the car, rehearsing his proposal speech over and over.
Inside the red velvet box was a diamond ring from Chaumet Paris. He'd saved an entire year's worth of bonuses to buy it.
