Failed Anniversary.

The dining room shone in soft golden light, it was a room fashioned to wow people, but tonight, it was designed for intimacy.

Crystal glasses caught the glow of the chandelier, as polished cutlery reflected in the porcelain plates.

At the center of the table was a bouquet of white lilies with a delicate fragrance which spread across the room.

Viola smoothed the edge of the silk tablecloth for the third time. Her fingers brushed over the fabric, which she had carefully chosen weeks ago.

Soon, her gaze glanced toward the clock on the far wall.

Checking the time, she saw that it was quarter past eight, which meant Nathan was late again.

Earlier, she had told herself not to hope too much. After all, four years of marriage had taught her that expectations could be dangerous things, especially with a husband who lived more for business meetings and boardrooms rather than for shared moments at home.

But yet, she couldn’t help herself but felt sad. Four years together, it had to mean something.

She stared at the dishes that were carefully arranged and sighed in defeat.

The chef had prepared Nathan’s favorite dishes and a cheesecake which she had insisted on making herself, despite the protest from her staff.

She wanted to do something special for him, but it seemed like her efforts were not appreciated.

Her hand drifted toward the necklace around her neck, revealing a white pearl necklace Nathan had gifted her years ago during their happy era.

She had purposely worn it tonight, hoping that he would notice and might remind him of the warmth they once shared years back.

The sound of a car pulling into the garage made her return to reality. So, she quickly straightened her back on the chair she was sitting on and brushed off an invisible wrinkle from her dress.

Soon, she began blushing as she imagined Nathan stepping through the door, his tie loosened, his smile tired but genuine. Perhaps he would even remember what day it was.

The front door opened gently and footsteps could be heard echoing down the hall.

Viola rose from her chair and gave a small smile even though she was nervous.

She left the dining room, and walking softly into the living room, she called out “Nathan,”

But he didn’t answer. Instead, she heard the low murmur of his voice on the phone which made her pause in her steps.

He always seems to be enjoying his phone lately.

So feeling vexed, she went back to the dining room, sat down, and folded her hands in her lap as she waited for him.

A moment later, Nathan entered the dining room, his tall build was visible because of the hallway light behind him.

“Welcome home”. Viola stood up and greeted him with pursed lips, but then, a faint scent of cologne and a trace of something unfamiliar reached her nose.

It wasn’t his usual fragrance. This one was sweet, scenting like it belonged to a lady, but she didn’t think much of it.

Maybe it was someone’s perfume from the office, or maybe the lingering scent of a meeting room.

She thought inwardly.

Nathan, who was surprised with how the dining was decorated, failed to remember what day it was.

He looked at the dress she was putting on and seemed to notice her for the first time. “You went to so much trouble just to set this?” he said in a soft tone, but was distracted by the varieties of food laid across the table, as he wondered what special occasion it was.

But after checking for a while, he still didn't know what today was, so he felt that it wasn’t something important.

Viola forced herself to smile, though her lips trembled. “I thought we could celebrate.” She murmured softly.

Loosening his cufflinks, he walked past her to sit on the head chair. “I’m sorry I’m late. Work kept me longer than I expected.”

‘Work?’

For four years, she had been nothing but a shadow in her own marriage, and Nathan had never even noticed.

A few moments later, the click of Nathan’s glass against the table echoed too loudly in the silence. Yet Viola sat unmoving at the table, as she stared at the untouched plates before her.

The intimate moment she had tried to create earlier was nothing more than a mockery.

Just then, she heard his voice,

“Did you already eat?” Nathan asked casually, sipping his drink. His voice carried no warmth or recognition, which should have shown that tonight was meant to be different.

Viola shook her head, her throat tight. “I was waiting.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have waited”. He said and picked up his fork and started eating, oblivious to her stare.

Suddenly, her mind pulled her back through time when he always told her he was busy with work.

She believed him every time. Believed the stories of overwork, of stress, of “not being ready yet.” Believed that his love for work was temporary, and that if she just loved him enough, he would return to her.

But tonight, she felt like she didn’t matter to him anymore, not even enough to be remembered.

Viola lowered her gaze, hiding the storm raging in her eyes. She cut a small piece of meat and placed it on her tongue, though she tasted nothing.

Nathan, meanwhile, ate really well, with half of his attention on his phone as messages buzzed across the screen.

“Father’s been pushing the board harder,” he said absently. “He wants me to take over the expansion project in Singapore. I will need to travel more frequently.” He voiced out.

She nodded her head, not knowing if he was telling lies or not.

In the Grant family, business was the air they breathed. The empire whom Xander, the first born son, had once been groomed to inherit, had now shifted squarely onto Nathan’s shoulders after Xander’s sudden announcement of not being interested in running the empire.

Viola had accepted long ago that she came second to the company, but lately, it felt as though she didn’t even rank at all.

The sound of Nathan’s fork brought her back to her senses. He had finished his meal and was already rising from the table.

“You are not hungry?” he asked, noticing her barely touched food.

“I… I’m fine.” Viola stammered and said.

He gave her a distracted look, then leaned down to brush his lips against her temple. It was the gesture of a husband, but it felt like nothing to her anymore.

“I will be in the study,” he murmured. And just like that, he was gone.

Viola sat frozen, staring at the empty chair across from her. She pressed her hand to her chest, feeling the ache there.

Just then, her phone buzzed faintly against the table. A message from her best friend who was also Nathan and Xander’s sister, flashed across the screen: Happy anniversary, Viola! Nathan’s a lucky man.

“Lucky”. Viola scoffed as she let out a bitter smile.

Not saying much, she replied with a thank you, accompanied with a series of love emoji.

After that, she stood up from the chair as she began gathering the dishes one by one, carrying them to the kitchen.

“Ma’am, let me help you with that”. A maid said and quickly took over.

Giving her a soft smile, Viola walked out of the kitchen in daze.

Today was their wedding anniversary, four years of shared vows, of promises meant to bind them for life. Yet to him, it had been just another ordinary day.

No flowers, no words, not even a glance that hinted he remembered.

She felt her eyes sting, and her chest ache so bad that she almost couldn’t breathe anymore.

Did he really forget? Or did it simply not matter anymore? She thought painfully.

Her throat tightened as she whispered to herself, “What do you take me for, Nathan? A wife? A stranger? Or just another part of your routine?”

And after whispering this, her tears finally came, spilling down her cheeks.

She felt foolish. Foolish for the dress she had chosen, for the dinner she had arranged, and for thinking that tonight could mean something.

She had wanted to make their anniversary memorable, but the only thing it had turned into was a painful reminder of how lonely she truly was.

The ache in her chest tightened until it was almost unbearable. With staggering steps, she headed upstairs and went straight to her room.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Viola clutched the pearls at her throat which felt like a chain.

And soon, tears blurred her vision as she leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and her face buried in her palms.

Her sobs were muffled despite her effort to remain quiet.

She had learned long ago that Nathan disliked displays of emotion, but tonight, something inside her cracked.

For the first time, Viola let herself grieve, not just for the man she had lost, but for the years she had lost herself believing he was hers.

She used to be goofy. But because of him, she had changed.

After remaining in a position for long, she forced herself to stop thinking, because she didn’t want to exhaust herself and end up going crazy.

Her tears suddenly slowed down and were getting dried. She was tired.

So with that, she took off the pearl necklace, and not wanting to do anything with it, she discarded it in the dustbin and finally went to have a bath.