She took a shaky breath. “Then I met you. You gave me a life, a family, hope. I didn’t want that old pain to follow me here. But after Lily was born, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Wondering where she was. If she was safe. I found her two years ago through a mutual friend who works in social services. Her adoptive father, Tom, didn’t know who I was. I just told him I was helping decorate his house. And every visit since then, I’ve just… watched her grow. From the sidelines.”
Her voice cracked. “I wasn’t cheating on you. I was seeing my daughter.”
The room was silent except for the sound of her sobbing.
I didn’t know what to say. The anger I’d been carrying for days started to crumble, replaced by something else — confusion, sorrow, pity.
“You should’ve told me,” I said softly. “You didn’t have to hide it.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I was afraid. I thought if you knew I’d given up a child, you’d think I was heartless. That I wasn’t the person you married.”Continue reading…
