It’s not every day that a man receives a bouquet from his girlfriend. So when I sent roses to my boyfriend’s workplace as a surprise, I thought he would be flustered and happy. The man who greeted me that evening was the exact opposite. The roses ended up in the trash can.

My boyfriend, Mike, is a mechanic. We’ve been together for about three years, and recently, it felt like the romance was slipping away. I felt like we were stuck in a boring routine, with barely any spark left in our relationship.

We still loved each other, no doubt. But we were never really present when we were together. Often, we’d end the day in bed, on our phones, with nothing more than a “good night.”

I wanted to remind Mike of how much we still love each other, so, one day, I decided to surprise him with a bouquet of roses at work.

I imagined his face lighting up when he saw the card that read, “Just because. Love, your GF.” It was a sweet reminder that I was thinking about him. I sent the flowers to the shop while he was at work, hoping to brighten his day.

I waited the whole day for a message from him, thanking me or letting me know he received it. However, nothing came.

That evening, I was so excited to see him. I was practically bouncing with anticipation when he walked through the door. But instead of the smile I expected, he looked furious. Without a word, he threw the roses in my face and then tossed them in the trash.

“Are you kidding me?” he yelled. “Do you know how many jokes I got from the guys today? They teased me non-stop because of those stupid flowers. You embarrassed me!”

My heart shattered into a million pieces. I only wanted to do something nice for him, and here he was, throwing it back in my face, literally. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.