Putting An End To It
After two long years of his little game, he knew it was time to put an end to it. He slid her beloved necklace off her neck and told her he wanted to take some photos of it among the rocks on the beach.
Slyly, he felt around the piece of polished wood until he located the seam with his fingers. With her eyes widening when she saw him slide the knife in, she screamed.
Terry And Anna
Anna and Terry from Australia weren’t always in the media spotlight. Before that fateful moment in Scotland, Anna had never suspected that Terry had been holding onto a mind-blowing secret for years.
After three years of dating, Anna thought she knew all there was to know about her boyfriend. But she was so very wrong.
A Special Gift
It all started in 2014. Terry and Anna had been dating for a year before Terry presented her with the gift on their anniversary.
He had been practicing on his woodworking skills and he wanted to give his girlfriend something meaningful to mark their first year together. So, He sat down at his lathe and got to work.
More To It Than Met The Eye
After days of careful planning, Terry decided to craft a pendant for Anna out of Huon Pine, which can only be found in Tasmania. He inlaid a spiral seashell that they’d found on one of their trips into the wood and smoothed it down into a teardrop shape.
To complete the finishing touches, he hung the pendant on a piece of white string. It seemed like the perfect anniversary gift. But there was more to it than met the eye…
Nervous
Terry was nervous on the day of their anniversary -- he hoped Anna liked his unorthodox gift. He took her out to her favorite restaurant, where he planned to reveal the big surprise.
He ordered a bottle of champagne and made sure the setting was perfect. Now, all he could do was wait for her to finish her dinner.
The Moment Arrives
All the weeks of waiting and careful planning had all been in preparation for this moment.
When dinner was over and it was time to reveal the gift, he slid the handmade necklace out from his pocket and gave it to her. But her reaction was far from what he could ever have expected.
She Wore It Every Day
When Terry presented the necklace to Anna, she was ecstatic. She loved this token of their love so much that she wore it “every day and everywhere we went,” Terry confessed.
But little did Anna know, this necklace held a secret. But it was only two years later that she’d find out what it was.
Nobody Would Find It
You see, Terry had hidden something inside the necklace. He knew that hiding it inside Anna’s gift was the only way to be sure nobody else would ever find it.
And for a long while, his plan seemed to be working. Until one day the truth came out. And it put their relationship on the line.
Almost Caught
There was one time in particular when Terry thought his secret would come out. The couple was going on a trip together for the first time by plane.
He was terrified to go through the security check, knowing how strict the airport police were. Thankfully, the security check went without a hitch. But he knew he couldn’t hide it from Anna forever.
Oblivious
The next few months flew by, to Terry’s relief. Anna was still unaware of what he had done.
She was still oblivious about what was hidden inside her necklace. But the guilt was beginning to eat Terry alive. The secret was always in the back of his mind. He knew he couldn’t keep it hidden for much longer.
Terrified
Terry had been terrified that the secret would come out. If Anna ever discovered what was hidden inside her gift, there would be no undoing it.
Despite his anxiety about the repercussions, everything did come to a head one fateful day. They were far from home and there was no turning back -- Terry’s plan completely unraveled.
Wanderlust
The Australian couple had always loved traveling to different corners of the world — this is what they had first noticed about each other when they first met. And traveling and going on adventures together had cemented their bond over the years.
They even kept a “bucket list” of places they would like to explore together. However, one destination on their list was about to change their lives forever.
To A Remote Place
And so, in November 2016, Terry and Anna journeyed to a remote location in Scotland. Little did Anna know, it would be a holiday she’d never forget.
The couple had planned to go and explore Smoo Cave, a sea cave a short distance from the village of Durness, on the coast of the Scottish Highlands. But Terry had other things on his mind…
He’d Planned It All
In fact, Anna knew that Terry had gone to great lengths to plan this particular trip. As they walked along the beach and around to a secluded spot among the rocks, she truly appreciated how isolated they were.
But nobody could have anticipated what he would do next. Now that they were completely alone, it was time for Terry to finally drop the act.
A Devious Move
Just before Anna and Terry were about to head down to see what they’d come here for — Smoo Cave –Terry turned to Anna and asked her a question.
He asked if he could take her necklace off and take some photographs of it among the rocks. Oblivious, Anna agreed. She let him slip it off her neck. But when she saw him take the knife out, she screamed.
Alarm
Terry had set up a camera with a timer and had positioned it carefully. He wanted to capture this moment forever. He slid his knife into the seam that held the necklace together and twisted it with one smooth motion.
Anna, alarmed that he was breaking her beloved pendant, yelled: “What are you doing?” But when he turned to face her, her yells became hysterical.
Hidden Inside
As Terry kneeled down, the camera’s flash snapped — capturing the moment forever. He opened his hands to reveal two halves of the wooden pendant that he had so lovingly carved for Anna two years before.
Anna looked down, puzzled. Then, she saw something glimmering in Terry’s hands. Had this been hidden inside the entire time?
“Yes!”
Looking from the engagement ring and back to Terry’s face as he stood there kneeling, Anna couldn’t contain herself. Terry proposed, and Anna said, “Yes,” before leaping into his arms.
Anna couldn’t believe that the ring had been hanging around her neck for two years without her realizing it! She was touched by Terry’s romantic gesture, but she also couldn’t hide the anger that she felt…
Dumbfounded
"She stood there with this completely confused and dumbfounded look on her face, and when she finally worked out what had just happened, she yelled, ‘Yes!’ and pounced on me," Terry explained in an interview.
It takes true patience to hold on to a secret like this one for so long – congratulations Terry and Anna!
“You Idiot!”
“Wait… it’s been in there the entire time?! I could have lost it, you idiot!” Anna yelled. But Terry had clearly had enough faith in his girlfriend and trusted her not to lose it. And she had managed to keep the necklace safe for two whole years, after all.
Speaking to ABC News about his romantic gesture, Terry said he had “always loved the idea of giving someone a gift where they didn’t know its true value until years later.”