Part 2: Two Defective Gifts
Twenty minutes into the flight, Ryan finally appeared beside my seat.
“Kylie?”
I looked up calmly.
“Hello, Ryan.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Flying to Chicago.”
“Why?”
“Mom’s in the hospital.”
His expression changed.
“Is she okay?”
“She’s stable.”
He reached for my hand.
I pulled away.
“Don’t.”
Ryan glanced nervously at the other passengers.
“We need to talk.”
“About the jewelry box?”
He swallowed.
“Kylie, things aren’t what they seem.”
I almost laughed.
“I watched you kiss Megan.”
His shoulders dropped.
“It’s complicated.”
“Eighteen years of marriage, three children, and that’s your explanation?”
“Please lower your voice.”
I hadn’t raised it.
“Go back to your seat, Ryan. My mother needs me right now.”
He lingered for a moment before walking away.
I turned toward the window, trying to understand how two people I’d trusted completely could betray me together.
Once the plane reached cruising altitude, I connected to the onboard Wi-Fi.
A message appeared.
It was from Dawson.
Megan’s husband.
Kylie, strange question. Are you traveling with Megan?
I frowned.
No. Why?
His reply came almost immediately.
She told me you two were spending the weekend in Chicago together.
I closed my eyes.
Megan had used me as her excuse.
Then another message arrived.
She also said you were having marriage problems and needed some time away.
My hands began to shake.
Ryan had invented a business trip.
Megan had invented a girls’ weekend.
And both had built their stories around me.
I typed carefully.
Dawson, Megan isn’t traveling with me. She’s on my flight with Ryan. I saw them kissing.
Several minutes passed.
Then he replied.
Are you absolutely sure?
I wish I weren’t.
He tried calling, but I explained that I couldn’t talk during the flight.
His next message hurt even more.
Megan told me she spent last month helping you through problems with Ryan.
I remembered those visits.
She’d come to my house three times, hugged me, asked about my marriage, and listened sympathetically.
I’d believed she was checking on me.
Now I wondered whether she’d been gathering information.
When we finally landed, Ryan and Megan were waiting near the jet bridge.
Megan’s eyes were swollen.
“Kylie,” she whispered.
I walked right past her.
Ryan followed.
“Please. Can we talk?”
I stopped.
“Fine. How long?”
He glanced at Megan.
“Four months.”
She started crying.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen.”
I stared at her.
“You used my name to deceive your husband.”
She lowered her eyes.
Ryan stepped forward.
“We made mistakes.”
“A mistake is forgetting an anniversary,” I replied. “Four months of dishonesty takes planning.”
Neither of them answered.
Megan whispered, “Could we discuss this somewhere private?”
I almost smiled.
“Now privacy matters to you?”
Then I turned away and arranged a ride to the hospital.
Thankfully, Mom was recovering.
Her dizziness had been caused by dehydration and a medication issue. The doctors wanted to adjust her prescription and keep her overnight for observation.
When she saw me, she frowned.
“Kylie, why do you look more exhausted than I do?”
“Long flight.”
She studied me.
“Try again.”
So I told her everything.
She listened quietly, holding my hand.
When I finished, she hugged me.
Then she asked something unexpected.
“Did you at least make him uncomfortable?”
I couldn’t help laughing.
“Mom!”
“I’m seventy-four, sweetheart. I still appreciate a little justice.”
When I described the jewelry box, she laughed so hard that a nurse came to check on us.
“Everything okay?”
Mom wiped her eyes.
“Perfectly fine. My daughter just returned two defective gifts!”
The next morning, Dawson called.
Megan had come home early and admitted the relationship.
Apparently, she’d used my name as an excuse for several trips.
Then he asked about the jewelry box.
“What exactly did you send them?”
“Two bracelets.”
I explained the engravings.
Sisters Before Misters.
Forever Yours.
Then I told him what I’d written in the note.
Dear Megan,
Since you’ve been borrowing my husband, I thought you might as well have the jewelry, too.
One bracelet represented our friendship.
The other represented my marriage.
Apparently, neither promise meant what I believed it did.
Love, Kylie.
Dawson was silent.
Then he laughed sadly.
“She told me that box made her realize she’d lost you forever.”
I looked at my empty wrist.
“She did.”
Three days later, I returned home.
Ryan was waiting in our living room.
The children were at school.
He stood when I came in.
“How’s your mother?”
“Home and recovering.”
“I’m glad.”
He hesitated.
“Kylie, I’m sorry.”
“For which part?”
“The affair. The lies. Everything.”
I sat down across from him.
“Did you ever think about our children?”
He lowered his head.
“I knew I was hurting you, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Then he offered an explanation.
“We’d been drifting apart. Megan listened to me.”
I stared at him.
“I listened to you for eighteen years. I raised our children, ran our home, and supported you through every career change.”
“I know.”
“You decided our difficult moments justified betraying us.”
He started to cry.
A few months earlier, I would have rushed to comfort him.
This time, I stayed seated.
“I want to fix our marriage,” he whispered.
“I don’t.”
His expression changed.
“Kylie, please.”
“I can’t rebuild a marriage with someone who spent months hiding the truth from me.”
I told him I’d contacted an attorney.
We would handle our separation respectfully, especially for the children.
I didn’t want revenge.
I wanted peace.
Ryan nodded slowly.
Then he asked about the bracelet.
“You really gave Megan the anniversary bracelet I bought you?”
“Yes.”
“I thought you loved it.”
“I did,” I replied. “But I loved the promise behind it even more.”
Six weeks later, Ryan had moved into a nearby apartment.
