I was in the kitchen making dinner when I heard a crash from the living room. 

I raced into the living room and froze when I saw the scene before me.

My fiancé Michael stood in the middle of the room with the shattered remains of my ornamental vase at his feet. 

He looked up from the vase, guilt on his face.

"Kaylie," he said. "I'm so sorry. I was just looking at it and it slipped..."

I couldn't move, frozen by the knowledge of what was to come.

Michael stepped over the vase and walked to me.

"Kaylie, babe," he said, taking my hands in his. "Say something, anything, please. You're scaring me."

I couldn't speak, fear of what this means causing a lump to form in my throat. All I could do was sink to the floor, tears starting to form in my eyes. 

Michael knelt down next to me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into his chest. I wrapped my arms around his torso and buried my face in his chest, allowing the tears to flow freely down my face. 

After what felt like forever, my tears subsided and left me hiccupping. 

I felt Michael pull away a few inches and kiss the top of my head.

"Sweetheart," he said quietly. "Please tell me what it is that has you so upset."

I sniffled and looked up at him. Tears were glistening in the corners of his eyes, and it pained me to see him upset. 

Pulling back from Michael's embrace, I wiped under my eyes, trying not to ruin my makeup even more. 

Looking back at him, I sighed and started to explain.

"My great-great-great-grandmother was born and raised in Höfn, Iceland. When she was married to my great-great-great grandfather, they made the mistake of having ptarmigan feathers in their sheets."

I couldn't bear looking at Michael, so I looked at my hands, fidgeting with my engagement ring.

"Now, Höfn had many superstitions, one of those being that having ptarmigan feathers in the sheets of a married couple leads to arguments or divorce.

"As soon as they realized that, they went to see the leaders of the city. They were given that vase, which had been made in the hopes that it would keep their marriage from falling apart.

"They were given the instructions to pass it down to their eldest child, and it must continue to be passed down to the eldest, lest the marriage will crumble."

I paused to look up at Michael to see his reaction.

He gently took my hands in his and whispered what I was thinking.

"You're afraid that our marriage will fall apart because the vase is ruined."

I nodded, too scared to speak lest I burst into tears again. 

Michael pulled me into another hug, kissing my forehead.

"I swear to you, Kaylie, that I will do everything in my power to ensure that our marriage does not fall apart," he said, lifting my chin. 

"Plus, our relationship is built on love, not some silly old vase."