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 Tolbermy wanted to take some photos of it among the rocks on the beach. Slyly, he felt around the piece of polished wood until they located the scene with his fingers. With her eyes widening when she saw him slide the knife in, she screamed.
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.
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 his woodworking skills and wanted to give his girlfriend something meaningful to mark their first year together. So, he sat down to his lathe and got to work. 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.
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 they went, Terry confessed. But little did Anna know, this necklace held a secret. It was only two years later that she found out what it was.
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.
In November 2016, Terry and Anna journeyed to a remote location in Scotland. Little did Anna know it would be a holiday she would never forget. The couple had planned to go and explore a smooth cave, a sea cave a short distance from the village of Gernas on the coast of the Scottish islands. But Terry had other things on his mind. 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.
Just before Anna and Terry were about to head down to see what they’d come here for, Smooth K, 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.
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 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? Looking from the engagement ring and back to Terry’s face as he stood there kneeling, Anna couldn’t contain herself. Kerry 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. “Wait, it’s been in there the entire time? I could have lost it, you idiot!” she 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 full years, after all.
Speaking to ABC’s 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.
