While scrolling through Facebook, I noticed that one woman consistently liked all of my husband’s posts. Her comments were too familiar to ignore. Her name didn’t ring a bell, but something about her seemed oddly familiar. Then my daughter ran across the room, glanced at the woman’s picture, and said, “That’s Ella! I see her every week with Daddy.” My heart stopped.
I wasn’t trying to pry. All I wanted was to find the picture from Sam and me’s birthday last month, where Lily had frosting all over her face.
A woman scrolling through her phone | Source: Midjourney
But as I scrolled through Sam’s Facebook feed, something caught my eye. A woman kept commenting on his posts. Her name appeared again and again: Ella.
And these weren’t just friendly comments, either. The remarks she left, and the way she wrote them, suggested a deep familiarity, even though I had never met her.
“Still beautiful,” she commented on the photo he shared of him and me dressed up for a fancy dinner two months ago.
A woman looking at her phone in surprise | Source: Midjourney
What stood out to me most was the comment she left on a photo from Lily’s birthday party. In the photo, Lily was wearing a pair of glitter-covered fairy wings and a silver plastic crown.
Ella commented: “Oh wow, you took my suggestion for the wings! I’m so glad Lily liked them ❤️”
I immediately clicked on her profile. I had to know how this Ella knew Sam and why he’d never mentioned her.
A woman frowns at her phone | Source: Midjourney
The first thing I noticed was her beauty. Her bright eyes sparkled with mischief, and her smile seemed to light up the entire screen.
Something about her was vaguely familiar, but I was certain I’d never met her. There wasn’t much information on her profile, so I started browsing through her posts.
Sam had liked and commented on almost every one of his photos.
A pensive woman sitting on a sofa | Source: Midjourney
Lily bounded into the room, her braids swaying. She glanced at the screen and her face lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Ella!” she shouted, pointing at the photo with sticky fingers.
“Do you know her?” My voice came out higher than usual, strained with forced casualness.
“Of course! We see her all the time.” Lily started hopping from foot to foot, unable to contain her excitement.
My stomach twisted into a knot so tight I thought I was going to be sick. “What do you mean, all the time?”
A woman talks to her daughter | Source: Midjourney
“Every Wednesday after school, Dad picks me up, and we meet Ella.” Lily twirled around, completely oblivious to my growing distress. “She’s so much fun! We go get ice cream, and sometimes we feed the ducks at the pond. But we use special duck food because Ella says bread isn’t good for them.”
She stopped spinning abruptly, her small hands flying to her mouth, her eyes wide with sudden realization.
“Oh no. I wasn’t supposed to tell. Dad said it was our special secret. He said sometimes adults have to keep secrets to avoid hurting other adults’ feelings.”
A girl covering her mouth with both hands | Source: Midjourney
The word “secret” hit me like a punch in the gut. Special secrets with another woman?
I thought back to all the Wednesdays I’d worked late at the office, thinking about Sam and Lily spending some father-daughter time together. Apparently, their special time together included a third member.
I forced a smile, not wanting to upset Lily. “It’s okay, sweetie. Why don’t you go play with your dolls? I think Princess Sparkles needs a snack.”
A woman smiling at her daughter | Source: Midjourney
After she skipped off, humming along to her favorite cartoon song, I sat there staring at my phone until the screen went dark. My reflection stared back at me, and I barely recognized the worried woman I saw.
My husband had met another woman behind my back. Worse yet, he’d dragged our daughter into it. I couldn’t imagine my sweet, loving Sam having an affair, but what else could it be?
There was only one way to find out.
A thoughtful woman | Source: Midjourney
Tomorrow was Wednesday. Instead of confronting Sam at home, where he could easily back out or make excuses, I was going to catch him in the act.
The next day, I called in sick at work for the first time in three years. A few minutes before class let out, I parked across the street from Lily’s school to wait.
My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat when I saw Sam’s white car pull up. Through the windshield, I saw him checking his phone, probably texting her.
A car parked near a building | Source: Pexels
My daughter bounded out of the school building in her light-up sneakers, and Sam helped her into the car, double-checking that her seat belt was fastened.
I followed them at a good distance, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. After a short drive, Sam parked in a park near the school.
They sat down on a bench near the playground, Lily swinging her legs while Sam checked his watch every few minutes. Ten minutes later, a car pulled up and the woman from the Facebook page got out.
A car parked near a park | Source: Pexels
And that’s when I realized who she was: Sam’s ex, his high school sweetheart. The one from the prom pictures. My chest tightened as Lily rushed toward her, arms open, screaming, “Ella! Ella!”
Ella picked her up and spun her around as Sam watched, grinning like a teenager. When he approached, he hugged Ella and kissed her on the cheek.
I felt sick. Memories of our family photos flashed through my mind. Had they all been lies?
A woman staring in shock | Source: Midjourney
Ella pushed Lily on the swing for a few minutes, then she took my daughter’s hand and the three of us headed to a cafe across the street. The same place Sam and I always took Lily for a special day.
I gave them a few minutes before following them, my legs feeling like they were made of lead. Through the window, I watched them sit together, like a family. The pizza they must have ordered arrived a few minutes later.
They laughed together as they ate, and the feeling of betrayal that washed over me intensified by the minute.
Two adults and a child in a cafe | Source: Midjourney
Once they were finished eating, Sam and Lily got up and went to the counter. Probably to order dessert. Lily loved their caramel sundaes.
Ella was now sitting alone at their corner table, checking her phone, looking completely at home in our favorite cafe.
It’s perfect. The doorbell rang as I entered. Ella didn’t look up until I was standing right in front of her, my shadow falling across her phone screen.
A woman looks up in surprise | Source: Midjourney
“Hello,” I said, my voice surprisingly steady. “I’m Sam’s wife.”
Her face drained of color. Her phone clattered to the table. “I know,” she whispered.
“Sarah?” Sam’s voice cracked behind me.
I turned around to see him standing there, his face pale. Lily clung to his leg, looking confused.
A shocked man | Source: Midjourney
“Sit down,” Ella said quickly. “Please. It’s not what you think.”
“What exactly should I think?” I asked, but sat down anyway, needing answers more than making a scene.
“Ella and I go way back. We dated in high school. She contacted me on Facebook after she moved here a while ago because… well, she should tell you herself.”
Ella nodded slowly. “I needed Sam’s help with an… unusual request.”
A serious woman talking to someone | Source: Midjourney
“My husband died last year,” she said. “We always wanted children, but it never happened. I started thinking about adoption, but I was terrified I wouldn’t be up to it. I knew Sam was a father, so I asked him for advice.” She wiped her eyes. “He suggested that spending time with Lily might help me know if I was ready.”
“We never meant to go behind your back,” Sam added. “I just didn’t know how to bring it up without it seeming weird.”
A serious man in a cafe | Source: Midjourney
“But now, thanks to Sam and Lily, I’m ready to take the next step.” Ella rummaged in her purse and pulled out a photograph. A little girl with bright eyes and braided hair smiled at me. “This is Maya. She’s four years old and waiting for me in Arizona. I’m going to adopt her.”
“This is my last week here,” Ella added. “I’m moving to Phoenix on Saturday to be with Maya.” She reached across the table, hesitating before touching my hand. “I never meant to cause any trouble. Sam talks about you all the time, what an amazing mother you are. I just hoped some of that magic would rub off on me.”
An emotional woman staring at someone | Source: Midjourney
I studied their faces: Sam’s guilt, Ella’s tears, Lily’s confusion. The anger slowly drained from me. In its place came understanding, and maybe even a little compassion.
“No more secrets,” I said to Sam, who nodded vigorously.
“Never again,” he promised.
I looked at the woman across the table, no longer seeing her as a threat, but as someone trying to find her way to motherhood, just as I once had.
A smiling woman in a cafe | Source: Midjourney
Here’s another story : After years of infertility, we adopted Sam, an adorable 3-year-old with ocean-blue eyes. But when my husband went to bathe Sam, he ran out, yelling, “We have to give him back!” His panic made no sense until I spotted the distinctive mark on Sam’s foot.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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