Theo and I were married for seven years. I was thirty-four, a graphic artist, and working remotely, and until recently, I thought our marriage was perfect and solid. It all fell apart the night of his prom.

Theo and I were “that” couple, the kind others liked to compare themselves to at lunch. The ones who seemed easy. He held my hand while I grabbed the sauce, holding hands like new lovers at the supermarket!

We often laughed at the same jokes, finished each other’s ideas, and never ran out of ideas! Even in difficult times, we found our rhythm as if it were second nature.

The first two years we tried for a baby were the only time our marriage felt unstable. Each failed attempt pushed me further away from happiness, like a silent wave. There were months when I wondered if I was the reason our family wasn’t growing.

Family games

 

We went through month after month of doctor visits, where we were met with silent disappointment. My heart broke as I watched our friends share photos of baby ultrasounds while I stared at empty test strips. I thought I was doomed to never give birth naturally, so when I finally got pregnant, it was wonderful!

When Mira arrived, everything fell into place! She was the thread that tied it all together! I finally had a perfect little girl for what I thought would be a perfect life. But I couldn’t imagine what happened next.

Our daughter was four years old at the time, smart, curious, and honest to the core! She loved apple juice without chunks and always let us know when she needed to pee, even in the middle of church!

Life was going great! In addition to finally having a child and welcoming the joy of life, their financial situation was looking good! Theo had just become a partner at their firm! So, to celebrate this great triumph after years of hard work, the company threw an elegant party at an event space in the city.

The venue was rustic, with exposed brick and lit with string lights. Mira and I went, dressed for the event. She wore a fluffy pink dress with dragon brooches, and I looked stunning in a simple blue dress.

Knowing how well-behaved my daughter was, I didn’t hesitate to bring her to the event. We could see the entire office practically fawning over Theo! Waiters passed by with glasses of wine, while the band played softly in the background.

Every third person seemed to praise my husband! And I couldn’t have been more proud! I held Mira’s hand as we stood near the dessert table while her dad went from admirer to admirer, shaking hands and soaking up the attention.

I was standing there talking to an older coworker’s wife about preschools when Mira tugged on my sleeve and said the most confusing words.

Mom, look! That’s the worm lady!

Her voice was louder than I’d liked, causing a few people and the colleague’s wife to look at us. I quickly turned to Mira, bending down to her level. “Shh, honey, please speak softly and quietly. What worms, honey?”

Seeing that I was busy with my daughter, the woman I was talking to smiled kindly and apologized, giving us some space.

“At his house,” Mira nodded, answering my question without hesitation. “The red ones. I saw them in his bed.”

I froze, and my throat went dry. “Whose house is this, honey?”

He pointed. I straightened as I followed his small arm and the direction his finger was pointing across the room.

A woman in a tight black dress was leaning against the bar, laughing a little too freely. Her dark hair was styled in soft waves, and her lipstick was bright red. She looked like the kind of woman who always knows when someone is watching her and wishes they were.

I’d seen her before, once or twice at my husband’s work events. I think I saw her at a Christmas party two years ago, and then again last fall. She worked in accounting: Nora.

Always too close to my husband. Always too friendly, I remembered, squinting.

“Dad said he had worms,” ​​Mira added clearly. “I saw them when…”

She stopped. She frowned and pursed her lips as she seemed deep in thought.

I ducked down again. “When what, Mira?”

She whispered and blushed, “I shouldn’t say it. Dad said not to tell anyone about the worms. Mom would get mad.”

My stomach sank.

“Upset?” I managed to ask before Theo suddenly appeared at my side, a drink in his hand and his cheeks flushed with attention.

“Hi,” I said abruptly. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Now?” He blinked. “Just…”

—Now, Theo.

I noticed the woman I was talking to before Mira dropped the bombshell. She came over, and I asked her to watch my daughter. I told Mira that Dad and I were going to talk about something quickly, and I left.

Theo followed me to a hallway near the cloakroom. “What’s up?”

“She says you took her to Nora’s house.”

He blinked. Then he laughed. “Really? Not now, honey. Can we talk about this properly at home?”

I wanted to clear the air right then and there, but I knew it wasn’t the right time or place. So I nodded with a stern look, showing that the conversation definitely wasn’t over. We rejoined the party, but things were tense between us.

The ride home was peaceful. Mira fell asleep in the back seat, oblivious to the storm separating us. Theo kept banging his hand on the steering wheel. I stared out the window, racing for answers.

Once Mira was in bed, I sat him down in the kitchen.

“Our daughter says she saw red worms in Nora’s bed?” I picked up the conversation right where we had left off.

They were curls. Soft ones, you know? Mira saw them and freaked out, and she wouldn’t stop talking about it. I told her they were worms so she’d let them go. It was nothing.

Do you expect me to believe that?

It was a joke! I needed the papers Nora forgot to send. I picked them up, and Mira was with me, so she came in for a couple of minutes. That was it!

“In your bedroom?” I pressed, not believing a word he was saying.

“No!” he said too quickly. “Well, not like that. He was showing me something on his laptop, and Mira was walking down the hall. That’s when he must have seen them.”

Why lie? Why tell him not to say anything?

“I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea or misinterpret it,” he murmured as he fixed his collar.

I’m already misinterpreting a lot of things. And there must be a correct idea, right?

He froze. And that was all the proof he needed.

“Tell me the truth,” I pushed him.

I did it! You’re turning this into something it isn’t!

—That’s something. You took our daughter to another woman’s house. You told her to lie. And somehow she ended up near the bed!

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

—So why are you sweating?

He had no answer. He just sighed and walked away.

That night I couldn’t sleep. I stared at the ceiling, the words “Mom would be mad” echoing in my ears.

By morning I had already made a decision.

I found Nora’s number in the work contacts section of my husband’s laptop and sent her a message. I told her I was helping organize the company’s upcoming holiday party and wanted to grab a quick coffee to go over the guest list. She responded within five minutes with a cheerful “Sure!”

We met in a small café three blocks from her apartment. She looked like she’d stepped out of a fashion ad: straight hair, white blouse, red nails. She even ordered a fancy green tea with milk, as if she’d practiced it.

After the small talk, I put down my cup and got straight to the point. “My daughter says she’s been to your house.”

His face didn’t change. I continued.

She says my husband brought it. That he saw red worms in your bed. I guess they were soft curls.

Nora stirred her latte slowly on purpose.

“I was wondering when you would understand,” he said.

No me unmuted.

“He said it wouldn’t be long. That once you left, we could stop hiding,” she replied frankly.

“So you’re okay with being someone’s backup option?” I asked, tears welling up in my eyes as the truth finally hit me.

She smiled. “I’m glad they chose me. In the end.”

I stood up, determined. “It’s all yours.”

On the way home, I felt calmer than I expected. Not discouraged. Not angry. Just tired.

For the next few weeks, I did what I had to do. It was as if my body and mind already knew what was going on with Theo and just needed confirmation. As if my belief that our marriage was perfect was just something I thought I was hiding deep within my heart.

So I quietly filed for separation. I hired a lawyer to get us divorced. I gathered the papers. I took screenshots. I mapped out custody arrangements. I made sure every step worked in Mira’s and my best interest.

Theo didn’t even try to object! In fact, he moved in with Nora shortly after!

Now, from what I’ve heard, things aren’t going so well. Mira, who now refuses to visit his father unless he comes without Nora, comes back with stories of the new couple’s fights over dinner. Complaints about rules, co-parenting, and so on.

Theo, once so charming, now mumbles between snatches like a man already tired of his new life.

Me too?

I’m fine now. I sleep through the night after spending months crying over my failed marriage and feeling inadequate. Pain, I was told. I finally signed up for a local fitness class, started drawing again, and painted Mira’s room with glow-in-the-dark stars.

And sometimes, when my daughter remembers the past, her little voice cuts through all the noise.

“Mommy,” she said one night, snuggling up next to me with her favorite teddy bear. “Why doesn’t Daddy live with us anymore?”

I looked at her. Her big brown eyes, so trusting.

“Because he lied about the worms.”

She nodded, as serious as ever, as if she understood everything. “Lying is bad.”

“Yes,” I said. “It is.”

Then he hugged me tightly. “I’m glad we don’t have worms.”

I laughed. “Me too, honey. Me too.”