My husband and I hit our 2nd anniversary. I surprised him with the smartwatch he wanted, his favorite dinner, and candles. As we swapped gifts, he handed me an envelope, with handwriting I didn’t know.

I opened the letter. He had the audacity to give me a breakup letter. It wasn’t even in his handwriting.That’s what threw me first. I blinked at the page, thinking maybe it was a joke. He smiled like nothing was wrong and took a bite of his mashed potatoes.

I looked back down at the letter, and my hands began to tremble. It was signed by him, but clearly written by someone else. The words were cold.

Formal. “I care about you deeply, but I don’t think this marriage is working. I’m sorry.”

I looked up and asked, “Is this a joke?”

He didn’t even look guilty.

Just… calm. “I didn’t know how to tell you. So I asked a friend to help me put it into words.”

I pushed my plate away.

“You had someone else write our breakup?”

“It’s just… you’re emotional. I knew you’d take it badly if I just told you.”

I stood up. “You think this feels better?”

He shrugged.

“At least you can read it a few times and process it. I didn’t want a scene.”

The room felt smaller and hotter with every passing second. My stomach twisted.