Once Lost Twice Loved; Love's Second Act

Danielle hummed the tunes of the classical love music playing from the television set. She had her eyes fixed on the well decorated dining table, her lips curved in a happy smile.

"Perfect," Danielle felt the need to pat herself in the back for a job well job.

The oven dinged, calling her attention back to the kitchen. She quickly hurried in, and a few minutes later, she walked back into the dining room carrying a homemade chocolate cake with the messy frosting inscription 'Happy Anniversary Love," written on it.

Danielle admired the cake for a while, her eyes beaming with love and admiration. She let out a happy exhale before her eyes moved towards the wall clock. The happy smile plastered on her face drifted away, and her forehead furrowed.

"He should be back by now?" Danielle said, getting worried. Ronnie wasn't the type that kept late nights, at least not without calling her beforehand, and knowing how special today was, he couldn't have been intentionally late.

It was their fifth wedding anniversary, a day Danielle had been saving tirelessly from the beginning of the year, just to save enough to get Ronnie something really good for their anniversary, not that she hasn't been putting a lot of effort in her anniversary gifts to Ronnie but this time, she just wanted to give him something he could never guess.

Since Ronnie knew she wasn't the best chef, Danielle secretly took a cooking and baking class. She wanted to prepare her anniversary dinner for the first time and not rely on takeout foods.

The sound of the doorbell snapped her out of her thought, and Danielle quickly rushed towards the door.

"Happy Anniversary!!!" Danielle yelled excitedly immediately she opened the door, but she was met with a surprised face of a middle-aged man.

"Good evening ma'am, your package is here," the delivery man said.

"Oh..." Danielle let out an awkward smile, feeling too embarrassed to talk.

"I thought it was my husband. You know today is our anniversary. That's why I ordered the flowers," Danielle said.

"I understand. It's good to know that some women still remember the day they got married. I have been married to my wife for eleven years, and not even once did I get a surprise anniversary," the delivery man said, his eyelid lowered to the ground in sadness.

"I'm so sorry..." Danielle paused. She wasn't sure if she should be apologizing, but that was the only thing she could come up with.

"Why don't you suprise her then. Now that I think of it, Ronnie hasn't really surprised me on our anniversary, I have always been the one arranging the dinner and buying the presents. Last year he forgot our anniversary but I get it, He is busy with work and it's easier for him to forget such things," Danielle zoned out as her mind flashed to her anniversary day last year.

She had booked a dinner reservation for her and Ronnie in the dinner where she worked, but Ronnie never showed up even though she had texted him a few times just to remind him. Ronnie did call three hours after. Apparently, he had traveled to New Jersey for business and couldn't make it to the dinner.

Danielle forgave him, just as she had forgiven him for not getting her any presents on their first, second, third, and fourth anniversaries.

"Ma'am, Ma'am," the delivery man called, snapping her back to reality.

"Eh..."

"You haven't signed yet," He said, handing her over the book.

"Oh... I am so sorry," Danielle said and signed the book.

"Have a lovely evening ma'am and Happy Anniversary," the delivery man said before he left.

Danielle smiled, her eyes fixed on the vibrant red tulip, which its velvety petals seemed to glow softly in the dark.

She gently placed it on the dinner table before reaching for the gift bag. She took out a black box that had a pre-owned Rolex Oyster perpetual watch, which she had scored for $3,400 dollars using all her savings and tips from the dinner.

"Ronnie would be stunned for sure," Danielle smiled, looking around the house admiring all her decorations.

She paused, remembering one thing, Ronnie wasn't home yet. She scanned the room, looking for her phone before her eyes found it lying on top of the dining table.

She called Ronnie, but he didn't pick up, quite very unusual of him. Danielle took a quick glimpse at the wall clock, just enough to see the time. It was already past 7 pm, it was getting dark, and the weather was beginning to show signs of heavy rain.

Danielle exhaled, trying to calm herself down as she called him for the third time, but just like the first two, the phone just rang without Ronnie answering the call.

Danielle was about to call him again when she got a text message from an unknown number. She frowned, clicking on the message. It took a while for the message to load, showing a picture of Ronnie standing with a woman holding a baby in her arms, a happy smile on her face.

Danielle froze, with her eyes staring deeply at the picture. She couldn't place her thoughts. Then the phone dinged again. It was another picture. With the Ronnie standing with the same woman, only this time the baby was a little older, and they all had a party cap on their head and a happy smile plastered on their face.

The picture was a snapchat photo, so it came with a date and time. Today's date, and was taken a few minutes ago.

A tear dropped from Danielle's eyes down to her phone screen as she stared at the picture and the message that accompanied it. 'Guess where he is right now?'

Danielle looked from the phone to the dining table down to every last decoration she had spent the last seven hours trying to put together. It was all for nothing.

She glanced at the phone, which dinged again, staring at the message. 'Come see for yourself, you are invited.....' it was a house address which kinda felt familiar to Danielle.

Without thinking twice, she stomped out of her house, running towards her Audi 360 like a mad dog looking for its prey.

After a rough 30-minute drive, Danielle arrived at the address. From her car, she could see the house. It was a duplex, which was beautifully decorated with pink ribbons and balloons. There seemed to be a birthday party going on, but Danielle cared less. She alighted from her car and walked in, ignoring the side talks and weird stares she got from people.

"Ronnie....." Danielle called, her eyes fixed at the back of a man carrying a little girl.

He turned sharply, a shocked expression plastered on his face, obviously not expecting to see her there.

"Danielle... what are you doing here?' Ronnie asked, looking at her.

Danielle scoffed, her teary eyes fixed on him. "Really, is that all you have to say?" Danielle asked. She wasn't sure what she would have wanted to hear from him at that point, but what he said wasn't it either.

"Are you stalking me now Danielle, is that what you are doing?" Ronnie said hoarsely, trying to play the dominative card.

"Who is that honey?" Morgan said, walking towards them. She chuckled, seeing Danielle's pale face. "Oh, you came. I wasn't sure if you would come," Morgan said.

"Told you she was stupid and desperate," Danielle turned sharply towards the direction of the familiar voice. It was Nancy Heck, her supposed sisters-in-law.

"Nancy???" Danielle called, looking from her to the woman, Frances Heck standing behind her. She had an angry look on her face.

"Mother???" Danielle frowned. "What's going on here?" She asked now, looking at Ronnie, as if telling him that the answer was for him.

"What does it look like?" David Heck said, walking towards them. He had a beer in his hand and on his head, a party cap just like the rest.

"We are celebrating my granddaughters' second birthday," David said, his voice laced with pride.

"Grand daughter? What granddaughter?" Danielle asked, praying silently that everything turned out to be a party joke.

Frances scoffed, "I have always known you to be dumb but to this level is kinda disappointing," Frances snapped, her voice laced with disgust and disdain.

"Don't you get it? My son is celebrating his daughter's birthday with his wife Morgan," France added.

Danielle smiled. She understood what was happening, right from when she got the first photo, she understood what it meant, Ronnie was cheating on her, she understood that, she just didn't want to believe it.

Ronnie loves her. He said so himself. For a million times, Ronnie kept telling her how much he loved her and couldn't live without her, and she believed him because in his eyes that it was true, he wasn't lying to her, he really felt that way but looking into Ronnie's eyes now, Danielle wasn't sure anymore.

That longing and love she saw in his eyes were gone and was replaced by anger and hatred. It left a long time ago, but Danielle thought that if she held on a little longer, it might come back, but it didn't. Ronnie didn't love her anymore.

"Ronnie...."

"Just go home," Ronnie said curtly, "We will talk about it when I get home,"

"Home..." Danielle muttered, her lips twitching in a half smile.

"I said GO!!!" Ronnie yelled, his hoarse voice jerking Danielle.

Danielle stared at him, taking in his angry look before looking at his family, who all seemed to be amused by what was happening. That was it. That was as far as she could take.

She turned and walked out of the house without looking back.