When my husband told me he’d landed a year-long job overseas in Norway, I believed him without question. So you can imagine my shock when I walked into a cozy little bakery just one town over—and saw him there, laughing and holding hands with someone I didn’t recognize.
I’ve always loved being a graphic designer. There’s something incredibly fulfilling about bringing ideas to life—taking scattered concepts and turning them into something visually striking and meaningful.
Most of my days are spent in my small home office, tucked beside the garden, fully immersed in my work with music in my ears and deadlines on my mind.
Honestly, I’ve felt pretty content with the life I’ve created.
My parents still believe in handwritten notes and Sunday check-in calls. They live just 45 minutes away in a tight-knit little town where everyone knows everyone else. My sister Emily lives there too, above a flower shop on Main Street. We don’t see each other nearly as often as we should—life just gets busy.
Five years ago, Liam and I got married in my parents’ backyard. He was in tech consulting—ambitious, always chasing the next big thing. I admired his drive, even if it meant he was on the road more than I’d liked. I believed in his dreams. I thought we were building something together.
Then, about a year ago, he came home with news that changed everything.
“Stacey,” he said, practically glowing, “I just got offered the opportunity of a lifetime.”
I was in the middle of designing a logo when he told me. I paused. “What kind of opportunity?”
“It’s a one-year project in Norway. Super hush-hush. Government-level stuff. It’s the kind of contract that could change everything for us.”
I remember my stomach sinking. “A whole year away?”
He nodded. “It sounds like a long time, I know. But the pay is amazing. And the doors this could open… It’s worth it, Stacey. I’m doing this for us.”
He took my hands, serious and sincere. “I can’t give you details—NDAs and all that—but trust me, this is big.”
Honestly, something about it didn’t sit right. But I trusted him. Why wouldn’t I?
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