When I saw the delicate gold bracelet on Nurse Stephanie’s wrist, my breath caught. It was my grandmother’s gift, engraved with a tiny smiley face—lost weeks ago. Stephanie said her boyfriend had given it to her… the same time mine disappeared.
A chill ran through me. My husband Toby had been home then. The bracelet had been stolen. Stephanie froze when I showed her his photo, realizing the truth with me. She agreed to help confront him.
That evening, Toby arrived. Two officers and Stephanie joined me. He broke down, confessing he’d taken the bracelet after an argument with me and lied to both of us. I didn’t press charges, but I told him to leave—and I never saw him again.
Stephanie tried to backtrack, and I threw her out. The bracelet returned to my wrist, but my marriage was gone. Losing Toby hurt, but staying with a man who betrayed me would have been worse. In the end, I kept the bracelet—and myself.
