It took 4 boutiques until Victoria found a dress that she approved of. It was a deep shade of purple with black lace details and a black Peter Pan collar. The hem was slightly shorter than most of her dresses, but that was what she was going for. Not that she needed them, but she bought black peep toe pumps to match.
She twirled around in her bedroom, checking the mirror from every possible angle. She had gone to the salon for a blowout early this morning and was trying not to mess up her hair. She felt a wave of insecurity creeping up. It was such an unusual feeling for her and she didn't know how to handle it. The only thing she was certain of was what brought it on.
She wasn't stupid. She could practically smell her on him when he came home in the evenings. He smelled like cheap perfume and bottled blonde hair dye.
Lydia.
She couldn't believe they used to be friends. How could she betray her like that? How could Conrad? It hurt more than it angered her, which only made her angrier. She constantly felt like she was suffocating. She was tempted to run into the ocean, jump under the waves and scream until her lungs ached. But she didn't.
Instead, she had spent months planning on their anniversary. She normally pretended not to realize the date and let Conrad shower her with things that she refused to reciprocate. Cards, presents, romantic gestures were all one sided. Except this year. She originally thought it was a part of her competitive streak, forcing her to push Lydia out of Conrad's mind. Even as a child she had been fiercely competitive, even when it came to things she didn't care about. She even chalked it up to her stubbornness refusing to let herself give up on their crumbling marriage. Ultimately, she knew that she loved Conrad more than she cared to admit and so much that it terrified her. His affairs had brought out a self conscious version of herself, someone she didn't want to get to know. She suddenly noticed small lines around her eyes and mouth. She found herself wondering what Conrad liked about Lydia and what, if anything he still liked about her.
She had gotten Conrad a pair of cuff links that had his birthstone and his next to one another. She hoped they would serve as a small reminder of their commitment to one another. Really, she hoped it would hit his conscience, making it difficult to be with Lydia even if only when he wore them.
She had also ordered him a new set of golf clubs and arranging it as a surprise for when he visited next.
And finally, against her judgement she wrote a beautiful note in her card to Conrad. She explained her distance, their past and how much she wanted to fix things with him. She even went as far as to mention all the things she loved about him, which is probably why the note ended up being 3 pages long.
She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, preparing herself for what would happen after she left her room.
Her heart was beating like a drum as she attempted to eat her grapefruit. Every time she lifted her tea, she noticed her hands shake and force the tea to splash in the mug. She kept glancing at the unopened card placed at Conrad's seat.
After what felt like an eternity he entered the dining room. She watched as he sat down, immediately reading the paper. She tried not to stare at him too intently, but she quickly realized he wouldn't have noticed anyway. He didn't notice her hair or her dress. She wasn't sure if he noticed her sitting across the table. He certainly didn't notice the card. He had always been so eager to celebrate their anniversary that they idea of him forgetting hadn't even crossed her mind.
"Do you have any meetings or anything planned for today?" She pressed.
"One or two. Nothing out of the ordinary. What about you? Another charity event?" He said without looking up. The sudden realization hit Victoria. He hadn't remembered their anniversary. He hadn't remembered her. He finally looked up at her.
"Well? What are your plans?" He repeated.
"The plans I thought I had seemed to have fallen through," she practically whispered. She could feel her cheeks burning with humiliation. She stood up from the table, anxious to escape but desperate to get the card back. She couldn't tell him all those things now, not after he clearly chose Lydia over her.
She tried to subtly grab the card, but Conrad was just finishing with the paper. He was intrigued by whatever Victoria was focused on. At the same time they slammed their hands down on the table, both covering the card with their hands. As always, Conrad was stronger than her and easily snatched the card out of her reach.
"What is this?" He said, twirling the card between two fingers.
"Give it back!" She yelled, the situation suddenly sparking her anger.
"It's clearly meant for me. It has my name on it." He teased as he ripped the envelope open. His expression changed from amusement to embarrassment. He hadn't even opened the card before the realization hit. He had forgotten their anniversary. What made it worse was that Victoria had remembered. She had clearly put in effort, judging from the thickness of the card. By the time he looked up, her face was bright red and tears readily fell down her cheeks.
"You're despicable." She snapped before hurrying back to the comfort and isolation of her bedroom.