On Valentine’s Day, what was meant to be a night of love and appreciation turned into a tragedy that Eric would never recover from. Cora had spent the entire morning filled with excitement, carefully preparing a surprise dinner for her husband. She wore an old red dress he had gifted her years ago, baked his favorite red velvet cheesecake, lit fragrant candles, arranged rose petals, and set a table with his favorite wine and a homemade meal.
She even placed a small wrapped gift next to his plate, beaming with pride at her efforts. Cora and Eric’s love story had begun at a business conference in Texas, where their shared experience of growing up in foster care bonded them. They married quickly and welcomed triplets two years later. But the demands of parenting and the stress of being a single-income household began to erode the joy they once had. Eric, overwhelmed with work and financial pressure, often felt underappreciated, while Cora stayed home caring for their children and managing the household. That night, when Eric came home and saw the surprise dinner, instead of feeling touched, he exploded in anger. He accused Cora of wasting money, mocked the decorations, and even spat out the pasta she had made.
He shouted about the dishes piling up in the kitchen and criticized her for being a bad housekeeper. When Cora tried to calm him and asked him to sit down, he lashed out even more, flinging the gift box across the room. Their argument escalated, waking the triplets. Cora, frustrated and heartbroken, told Eric she needed to go buy diapers since they were out, and stormed out of the house. Eric, still angry, grumbled to himself as he tried to quiet the children, unaware of the fate that awaited them. An hour passed, and Cora still hadn’t returned. Just as Eric was about to call her, the doorbell rang.
Expecting to see her, he opened the door only to find a police officer. The officer asked if he was Cora’s husband, and when Eric confirmed, he delivered devastating news—Cora had died in a car crash. Her license had led them to the house. Shocked and pale, Eric barely registered the officer’s words. He called their neighbor, Mrs. Nelson, to watch the children and then left to identify his wife’s body at the morgue. Seeing her lifeless face shattered him.
The next day, after the funeral, Eric returned to the house in silence. Everything was still just as Cora had left it. The candles, the rose petals, the uneaten dinner—all untouched. Then he remembered the gift he had thrown to the floor. With trembling hands, he unwrapped it and found a note along with two plane tickets to Hawaii. The letter read that Cora had secretly been applying for jobs and had just gotten hired. She had arranged for Mrs. Nelson to watch the kids while they went on a romantic vacation to celebrate. The tickets were her way of thanking him and rekindling the love they once shared.
As Eric read her words, he collapsed in tears. The guilt crushed him. She had done all of it for him—for them—and he had thrown it back in her face. There was no way to take it back. From that day forward, Eric’s life changed completely. He never dated again, never remarried. He poured himself into raising their children the best he could, making sure they never lacked love or care. Every year on Valentine’s Day, he visits Cora’s grave. He sits there for hours, telling her everything happening in his life, apologizing for that final night, and hoping that, wherever she is, she forgives him. The man who once dismissed his wife’s love would carry the burden of that mistake for the rest of his life, a painful reminder of how fleeting life is—and how sometimes, we don’t recognize the most beautiful acts of love until it’s far too late.
