A Small Lie That Stuck With Me

So I've been married for nearly two decades now and things have always been pretty solid between my wife and me. But there's this one thing that happened a few years back that I still feel kind of guilty about, even though it was just a tiny little white lie. It’s funny how the smallest things can stick with you like that. I had started reading some books about magic, which is something I never really got into before but found myself drawn to for some reason. It's nothing too crazy, just a bit of fun and escapism, right? Well, one day while out shopping at a local bookstore, there was this crystal orb on display that caught my eye. It looked cool enough to have around the house, but when I asked about it, the salesperson said they had some sort of rare magical property, like it could attract good fortune or something like that. Now here's where things get a bit dicey. The thing was expensive and I didn't really want my wife asking too many questions about why I wanted to spend so much on what looked like just a pretty glass ball. So, I decided to keep the true reason a secret, I told her it was simply a nice piece of decor that would fit perfectly with our living room setup. Looking back, this feels almost childish. It wasn't anything important enough to justify the fib, and she's never actually questioned me about why I wanted it so much. But still, every time I see that orb on the shelf in the corner of the room, my brain goes back to that little white lie and wonders if I should've just been upfront from the start. I'm not sure if this counts as a confession or what, but there's something about keeping secrets, even small ones, that doesn't sit well with me. Maybe it’s because my marriage is built on honesty and transparency? Whatever the reason, the guilt has stuck with me for years now.