I was living my ordinary life until one of my students gave me a Valentine. It looked familiar, and when I unfolded it, my heart stopped. It was the card I had written years ago for someone I once loved. I had to know how it ended up in his hands\u2014even if it changed everything.Everyone thinks being an elementary school teacher is the easiest job, but that couldn\u2019t be further from the truth.I wonder, college professors, have you ever had to get slime out of hair while the guilty party giggles in the corner? Have you ever tried to scrub permanent marker off a wall?\n\n\n\n

Or rushed a rug to the dry cleaner because a student didn\u2019t make it to the bathroom in time? I don\u2019t think so. For me, that was just part of the job.\n\n\n\n

Still, I loved my work. Kids had a way of making even the most exhausting days feel rewarding.\n\n\n\n

But sometimes, I swear, I was teaching tiny tornadoes disguised as children.\n\n\n\n

Mark was different. He was the kind of child people called a real angel. He was quiet but not shy, polite but not stiff, always kind.\n\n\n\n

And, to my surprise, often brought me little gifts\u2014a drawing, a flower he\u2019d found, even a neatly folded napkin he thought looked like a swan.\n\n\n\n

He had only been in my class for a month, and I could tell he was still adjusting.\n\n\n\n

Many kids hadn\u2019t fully accepted him yet, and I found myself stepping in when they left him out. But Mark never seemed upset.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just feel sorry for them,\u201d he told me once. \u201cThey don\u2019t know how to be nice.\u201d See? A real angel.\n\n\n\n

During breaks, he\u2019d come up just to talk. He told me his family had moved a lot\u2014different cities, different countries.\n\n\n\n

His dad was a journalist, and now, finally, they were staying here. I often wondered who had raised such a wonderful child.\n\n\n\n

But since his nanny always picked him up, I never had the chance to find out.\n\n\n\n

On Valentine\u2019s Day, Mark walked up to my desk, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.\n\n\n\n

His small hands clutched something behind his back. His eyes darted up at me, then back down.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to give you a Valentine,\u201d he said. His voice was soft.\n\n\n\n

Mark\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cOh!\u201d He pulled a small card from behind his back and placed it on my desk, almost dropping it in the process.\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo the funniest and smartest boy I know. Don\u2019t you dare forget me. Yours, Annie.\u201d\n\n\n\n

My breath caught. My hands tightened around the paper. I knew this handwriting. My handwriting.\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn my dad\u2019s stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cIt even has your name on it. Do you like it?\u201d\n\n\n\n

He hugged me, then ran off, leaving me frozen. Had he really kept it after all these years?\n\n\n\n

Memories crashed over me, pulling me back to a time I thought I had left behind. Jason.\n\n\n\n

My first love. My only real love. Even now, saying that felt ridiculous, like something out of an old romance novel. But it was true.\n\n\n\n

We had spent high school dreaming together, mapping out a future that felt certain.\n\n\n\n

College, careers, a life side by side. Nothing could touch us. Nothing could break us.\n\n\n\n

Until one day, Jason walked into the school hallway looking like his whole world had shattered.\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re moving to Europe,\u201d he said, his voice cracking. \u201cMy dad got a job offer there.\u201d\n\n\n\n

He didn\u2019t even try to hold back the tears. He just collapsed into my arms, his body shaking.\n\n\n\n

I held him as tightly as I could, trying to breathe through the lump in my throat.\n\n\n\n

\u201cJason, no,\u201d I whispered, though I already knew there was nothing I could do.\n\n\n\n

Our last day together was Valentine\u2019s Day. I gave him that card, the one Mark had handed me. I watched him read it, his eyes glassy.\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven if I wanted to, I could never forget you,\u201d he said. Then he pulled me into his arms, squeezing like he could stop time. But time didn\u2019t stop. Jason left.\n\n\n\n

Our love had no happy ending. Over time, we lost all contact, and as far as I knew, he never returned to our town. At least, that\u2019s what I thought until Mark brought me that Valentine.\n\n\n\n

I needed answers. I opened Mark\u2019s file, heart pounding. His father\u2019s name: Jason. This wasn\u2019t a coincidence.\n\n\n\n

As soon as school ended, I drove to the address. Standing at the door, my hands shook.\n\n\n\n

Pull yourself together, Annie. Don\u2019t be a coward. I took a deep breath and rang the bell.\n\n\n\n

The door swung open, and a woman stood before me. She was stunning\u2014tall, graceful, perfectly put together.\n\n\n\n

I swallowed and forced a smile. \u201cI\u2019d like to speak with Jason.\u201d\n\n\n\n

She raised an eyebrow. \u201cHe\u2019s not home. What is this about?\u201d\n\n\n\n

I hesitated. \u201cAre you Mark\u2019s new nanny? I\u2019d really like to speak with Jason.\u201d\n\n\n\n

A slow, knowing smile spread across her face. \u201cI\u2019m Katherine. Jason\u2019s wife. Mark\u2019s mother. And you are?\u201d\n\n\n\n

The words hit me like a slap. Jason\u2019s wife. Of course. My stomach twisted.\n\n\n\n

What had I expected? That he\u2019d be waiting for me all these years? What an idiot I was.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m Miss Annie,\u201d I said, keeping my voice steady. \u201cMark\u2019s teacher.\u201d\n\n\n\n

Her expression didn\u2019t change. \u201cIs Mark having trouble at school? You can speak to me.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot at all,\u201d I said quickly. \u201cMark is wonderful. I just wanted to meet his parents.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cSame here,\u201d I murmured, then turned and walked back to my car.\n\n\n\n

The moment I got into my car, the tears came. Hot, unstoppable. My hands gripped the steering wheel as sobs shook my chest. What a fool I was. A complete fool.\n\n\n\n

What had I expected? That I\u2019d knock on the door, Jason would open it, his face lighting up in recognition?\n\n\n\n

That he\u2019d still be single, still waiting, still thinking about me after all these years?\n\n\n\n

That he\u2019d tell me he had never stopped loving me, and we\u2019d somehow rewrite our story with a happy ending?\n\n\n\n

Reality hit hard. Jason had a wife. A family. A life that didn\u2019t include me. That Valentine had probably been stuffed away in some forgotten box, mixed in with old papers, meaningless now.\n\n\n\n

I wiped my face and drove home in silence. That night, I curled up on my couch with a tub of ice cream, drowning my sorrows in sugary comfort.\n\n\n\n

Romantic comedies played on my screen, taunting me. They had made me believe in love, in fate. Look where that got me.\n\n\n\n

I tried to move on. I almost managed\u2014until one afternoon, after class, as I picked up scattered toys. A deep voice stopped me in my tracks.\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood afternoon. My son gave you a Valentine a few days ago. I know this is a terrible thing to ask, but that Valentine is really important to me. I\u2019d like to have it back.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I stood up too quickly and smacked my head against the wooden shelf above me. Pain shot through my skull.\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, are you okay?\u201d the man asked, stepping forward. His voice held concern. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to startle you.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, you didn\u2019t\u2014\u201d I started, then stopped cold. I finally looked at him.\n\n\n\n

His eyes widened. \u201cAnnie\u2026\u201d He took a slow breath, as if trying to steady himself. \u201cI\u2026 I never thought this could be real. When Mark told me his teacher\u2019s name was Miss Annie, I thought it was just a coincidence.\u201d\n\n\n\n

He nodded, his gaze locked on mine. \u201cI wanted to find you, but\u2026\u201d His words trailed off.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to see you too,\u201d I admitted. \u201cI even went to your house after Mark gave me that Valentine, but your wife said you weren\u2019t home.\u201d\n\n\n\n

Jason sighed, shaking his head. \u201cShe\u2019s not my wife. I mean, she was. But we divorced years ago.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I frowned. \u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 odd. She told me she was your wife.\u201d\n\n\n\n

Jason let out a tired laugh. \u201cThat sounds like Katherine. She thinks she can win me back by scaring away any woman who comes near me.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I stared at him, then let out a small, surprised laugh. Even after all these years, he still had a way of making me smile.\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo,\u201d he said, nodding toward the Valentine. \u201cAm I still the funniest guy you know?\u201d\n\n\n\n

I swallowed, my fingers tightening around the edge of my desk. \u201cWhy did you keep it all these years?\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cJason, I don\u2019t want to get caught up in some messy drama with your ex,\u201d I started, forcing myself to stay logical.\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no drama,\u201d he cut in. \u201cKatherine lives in London. She\u2019s only here visiting Mark.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I hesitated. \u201cJason\u2026 why did you keep the Valentine?\u201d I asked again.\n\n\n\n

He stepped closer, his voice quieter now. \u201cFor the same reason I came back here. Because of you.\u201d\n\n\n\n

Jason nodded. \u201cI was too scared to look for you. I thought you might not remember me.\u201d\n\n\n\n

His face broke into the same smile I had fallen for all those years ago. Maybe we will have a happy ending after all.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"