Regret on Valentine’s Day: A husband’s harsh words and a gift too late

A man lost his patience with his wife on Valentine’s Day, calling her a terrible homemaker, and threw away her gift in anger. But he regretted it when a stranger showed up at his door later that day.

Cora Morales spent the morning wrapped in a bubble of happiness, surprised at how joyful she felt. Sitting in the living room, she was crossing off tasks from her to-do list for the evening, blushing and imagining how happy Eric would be when he saw the surprise she had prepared for Valentine’s Day.

Cora had met Eric for the first time at a business conference in Texas. Both orphans raised in foster homes, they dreamed of having a big, happy family someday.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long: they got married after just a few dates, and two years later, they welcomed triplets.

However, tensions started to rise when Cora had to take on most of the childcare, while Eric became the main breadwinner.

Eric worked tirelessly to support their family of five, which caused him a lot of stress and guilt for not being able to spend enough time with them. To make matters worse, he barely had weekends off and still struggled to save money by the end of each month.

Because of this, they hadn’t taken any trips or gone to fancy restaurants for years—not even on special occasions. Eric was determined to save every penny, and Cora fully understood that, so she never wasted the little money they had and always spent wisely.

On Valentine’s Day, she even wore an old red dress Eric had given her on their first wedding anniversary. It was a bit outdated but special to her, and since it helped save money, she didn’t mind dressing up in it for the special day.

When she realized Eric was almost home, she quickly set the table for two with his favorite red velvet cheesecake—carefully baked in the shape of a heart—along with a bottle of wine, several other dishes she had prepared, and placed a gift box beside his plate—a gift she was especially excited to give.

“Perfect!” she thought to herself as she lit scented candles around the room and turned on fairy lights. About half an hour later, the doorbell rang and Eric arrived home.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, honey!” she said, kissing him on the cheek and guiding him inside.

But when Eric entered the room, he was stunned by the table full of food, the candlelit ambiance, and rose petals scattered from the hallway to the table.

“What the hell did you do, Cora? Are we some stupid teenagers?” he exploded, overcome with anger.

Cora’s smile vanished instantly as Eric turned on all the lights and glared at her furiously. “Honey! What’s wrong? Are you upset about something? Did something happen at work?”

“Are you serious?” he shouted. “Is this what I work so hard for? So you can waste it all on this nonsense?!”

“Eric, please calm down! I didn’t go overboard! The ingredients cost a little more, but it wasn’t much,” she replied softly, leading him to the table. “Please, sit down and tell me what you think of the food.”

Eric was furious—actually, beyond furious. He took a bite of the Aglio e Olio and spat it onto the table.

“What the hell is wrong with this spaghetti? And why does the sauce taste awful?” he yelled loud enough to wake the triplets, who were sound asleep in their rooms.

“Eric!” Cora exclaimed. “What’s wrong with you? The babies… I put them to sleep about half an hour ago, and you just woke them up!”

“So? That’s my fault too? Cora, I work all day while you stay home playing with the kids! And what’s this?” he snapped, grabbing the gift box. “A present?” He threw it on the floor and stared at her. “I’m not a child to be impressed by these things, okay? Have you seen the kitchen? Do you know why it’s full of dirty dishes? Let me explain: because you were too busy making this nonsense instead of taking care of the house!”

“You’re impossible, Eric! I can’t believe you’re the same man I fell in love with and married! You can’t… ugh, get out…” she muttered, heading to the kids’ room. But the crying continued, making Eric even more irritated.

“Why are the children still crying? Aren’t you the perfect homemaker and mother? Learn to do at least one thing right, Cora!” he shouted from the living room.

Hearing the taunts, Cora stormed out of the room angrily. “They’re crying because I need to change their diapers, but we don’t have any at home! So shut up and take care of them until I get back. The store is a bit far, it will take a while!” she yelled, leaving the house and slamming the door.

“Yeah! And you still say you’re a homemaker, staying at home…” Eric continued complaining and mocking Cora for being a terrible homemaker as he went to the kids’ room.

Almost an hour passed. The kids were still crying and Cora hadn’t returned. “What’s going on with you, Cora?” he groaned, going to the living room to grab the phone and call her. “I can’t believe it’s taking so long just to get a pack of diapers!”

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. “Here she comes! Cora, how long are you going to take just to—” he started to ask, but stopped when he noticed a police officer standing on his porch.

“Does Cora Morales live here?”

“Yes?”

“Are you, uh, her husband?” the officer cleared his throat before speaking.

Eric nodded.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but your wife died in a car accident. You need to come with us to identify the body. We found her address on her driver’s license.”

A shock hit Eric, and his face turned pale. The officer glanced inside the house and noticed the candlelit table. For a moment, he felt guilty for delivering such terrible news but had no choice.

Still trembling from the shock, Eric managed to call their neighbor, Mrs. Nelson, and asked her to take care of the triplets while he was away. At the morgue, he couldn’t believe the pale, lifeless body was Cora’s. He broke down in tears, feeling horrible for having taken his anger out on her. After the funeral the next day, he locked himself inside the house, not wanting to think or do anything.

The table Cora had set was still there, and as he looked at it, all the events of the previous night flashed through his mind. Suddenly, he remembered the gift Cora had prepared.

“The gift… I… I never even opened it.” He frantically looked around the room and finally spotted the box lying on the floor.

With trembling hands, he unwrapped the present and found a note inside along with two plane tickets to Hawaii. He wiped away tears before opening the letter to read.

To the love of my life, Eric,

Happy Valentine’s Day, my dear!!! Guess who got a job this month? I saw how exhausted you were working alone, so I started applying here and there, and yesterday afternoon, I got the call saying I was hired!!

I also spoke to Mrs. Nelson, and she agreed to take care of the babies so I can work without worries, knowing our children are in good hands. But wait, that’s not the only surprise! See these tickets? They’re for our vacation to Hawaii, just the two of us!! (I have other plans too, but you’ll find out later, hehe!)

When Eric finished reading the letter, he broke down crying like a child. But there was nothing he could do. Cora was gone, and he would have to live with that for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened.

Eric’s life was never the same after that day, and he never fell in love again. He dedicated himself entirely to working hard to provide the best for his children and raise them with love and dedication. Now, every Valentine’s Day, all he does is visit Cora’s grave and spend hours talking to her—about everything and anything that comes to mind—wishing from the bottom of his heart that he had had the chance to ask for forgiveness.