Valentine’s Day was supposed to be a fresh start for Cora and Eric. Instead, it became the day their love story ended in tragedy. Their romance had begun years earlier at a Texas business conference—two souls from broken homes who found solace in each other. They dreamed of building the stable family they’d never had, and for a while, life was beautiful. Then came the triplets, the bills, and the slow erosion of their connection beneath daily stresses.
That February evening, Cora dressed in the red gown Eric had given her when they were newly in love. She lit candles, baked his favorite cheesecake, and placed a carefully wrapped gift on the table—plane tickets to Hawaii with a note about her new job and childcare plans. But when Eric arrived, exhausted from work, he saw only messes and “pointless” gestures. He mocked the dishes in the sink, ignored the dessert, and left the gift unopened as he vented his frustrations.
Cora left without a word. An hour later, police arrived with unbearable news. In the crushing silence afterward, Eric found her gift—and realized too late what he’d destroyed. Now, he visits her grave each year with cheesecake and regrets, a cautionary tale about how anger can blind us to love’s last chances.
