“Come with me, Momma. I’ll show you,” she said, suddenly springing up from the table and leading me to my husband William’s home office.

Emma went straight to the desk and opened the top drawer, revealing an old wooden box. “I found this when I was looking for crayons,” she said before quickly running off to her room.

I opened the box, and my world turned upside down. Inside were photos of William with another woman, smiling as they hugged and played with three young children—children I had never seen before. They looked to be between two and seven years old. Underneath the pictures was a small notebook filled with scribbles and contact numbers, almost identical to the one I kept for emergencies.

Betrayed, confused, and heartbroken, I knew I needed answers. But first, I had to ensure Emma was okay. She had discovered this secret, and it was already affecting her. I promised her everything would be fine, even though I wasn’t sure how.

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