Jane lifted her head, a look of hurt etched on her face. Her eyes were reddening with tears when she stared at me.
"Honey, why treat me coldly?"
She felt wronged as if I had wronged her.
"I'm weary. I think I should sleep early."
I retreated to the study instead of the bedroom because I was unwilling to share her bed again.
Yet, no sooner had I lain down than she followed.
She perched on the bed, shaking my frame. "I brought you a gift, yet you greet me with a scowl?"
Then, she presented me with a beautifully wrapped box, jiggling it. "Ta-da! I got you a watch. Come see if it pleases you."
As she spoke, she unpacked the box.
The watch was a Patek Philippe 5270p, a piece I knew well, valued at around two million dollars.
Why did I recognize it? Because it was Josh's prized possession, and Jane had promised it to him as a birthday gift.
Just today, I had seen Josh's social media post: a photo of him sporting a Patek Philippe 6300a, boasting: [Jane said the Patek Philippe 5270p pales beside me; only the 6300a, a rarity, befits my stature.]
Another image showed the 5270p discarded in the trash, the very one Jane now offered me.