I thought my husband, Mark, and I had a perfect marriage. We were that couple — always holding hands, finishing each other’s thoughts, laughing at the same punchlines. After years of struggling with infertility, our daughter Sophie felt like the miracle that completed our little family. So when Mark got promoted and invited us to his office party, I proudly joined him, Sophie in her unicorn barrettes and I in my favorite blue dress. The night was beautiful — until Sophie tugged on my sleeve and said loudly, “Mommy, look! That’s the lady with the worms!”
She was pointing at Tina, a woman from Mark’s office I’d seen before — always too close, too familiar. Confused, I crouched down. “What worms, sweetheart?” “The red ones. On her bed,” she said. “Daddy said not to tell you.”My heart stopped. Later, when I confronted Mark, he brushed it off — said Sophie saw curlers at Tina’s place when he dropped by to pick up some documents. But why had he taken our daughter there? And why tell her to keep it a secret?
I couldn’t sleep. The next day, I messaged Tina under the pretense of party planning. Over coffee, I calmly said, “My daughter remembers your place. The red worms — curlers, I assume?”Tina smiled. “I wondered when you’d find out. He said it wouldn’t take long. That once you left, we could stop sneaking around.” “So you’re okay being someone’s second choice?” I asked, stunned. “I’m okay being chosen. Eventually.” That was all I needed. I filed for divorce quietly. Planned everything — custody, finances, our future.
Mark didn’t even fight it. He moved in with Tina soon after.Now, Sophie refuses to visit him if Tina’s there. She says they argue a lot. Meanwhile, I’ve found peace. I sleep again. I paint, laugh, and rebuilt life on my terms. One night, Sophie curled into me and asked, “Why doesn’t Daddy live with us anymore?” I looked into her trusting eyes and said, “Because he lied about the worms.” She nodded solemnly. “Lying is bad.” “It is,” I said. She hugged me tight. “I’m glad we have no worms.” I smiled through tears. “Me too, baby. Me too.”