She swore her ex was gone for good, blocked everywhere, ancient history. Then she came home grinning and said he'd just been hired into the sales team at her company.

He kissed me goodbye and said he hated flying alone. Three hours later my best friend texted me a photo from the same airport lounge.

He said it was a mandatory work retreat, three nights, phones-off. Then a delivery van pulled up to our house, and the card on the flowers stopped my heart.

He said he was going off the grid for a weekend of silence in the mountains. I only opened the map out of habit, half-asleep, expecting nothing.

He said he was flying coach to save the company money. The airline app told a different story before his plane had even left the gate.

A gift I never bought turned up in our bedroom drawer. I only wanted to know where it came from. The email I opened answered a much older question.