Theo and I were married for seven years. I was thirty-four, a graphic artist who worked from home, and until recently, I thought our marriage was perfect and solid. Everything turned bad on the night of his promotion party.

Theo and I were “that” couple — the kind others liked to measure themselves against at lunch. The ones who seemed easy. He’d grab my hand while I reached for the sauce, holding hands like new lovers at the store!

We’d chuckle at the same jokes often, finish each other’s ideas, and never run out of things to say! And even during tough times, we found our groove again like it was natural!

The first two years we tried for a baby were the only time our marriage felt shaky. Each failed test pulled me further from happiness, like a quiet wave. There were months when I wondered if I was the reason we weren’t growing our family.

We spent month after month on various doctor visits, where we got silent letdowns. My heart broke as we watched our pals share baby scan photos while I stared at empty test strips. I thought I was doomed never to give birth naturally, so when I finally got pregnant, it felt like a wonder!

When Mira came along, everything clicked! She was the string that tied all the loose bits back together! I finally had a perfect little girl for what I believed was a perfect little life. But I couldn’t have guessed what happened next.

Our daughter was four then, bright, curious, and honest to a fault! She liked apple juice without bits and always announced when she needed to pee, even in the middle of church!

Life was feeling great! Besides finally having a child and welcoming the joy of my life, things were looking good financially! Theo had just become partner at his firm! So, to celebrate this big win after he spent years working hard, the company threw a fancy party at some city event space.

The place was all rustic with bare brick and lit with string lights. Mira and I came along, dressed up for the event. She wore a fluffy pink dress with dragon clips, and I looked great in a simple blue dress.

Knowing how well-behaved my daughter was, I didn’t think twice about bringing her to the event. We got to see how the whole office was practically fawning over Theo! Waiters passed by with wine glasses, while the music band played softly in the background.

Every third person seemed to be praising my husband! And I couldn’t have been prouder! I held Mira’s hand as we stood near the treat table while her dad moved from one admirer to the next, shaking hands and soaking up the attention!

I was standing and talking with a senior coworker’s wife about preschools when Mira tugged on my sleeve and said the most confusing words.

“Mommy, Look! That’s the Lady with the Worms!”

Her voice rang louder than I’d like, causing a few people and the coworker’s wife to glance our way. I turned to Mira quickly, bending to her level. “Shh, baby, please use your soft voice and speak quietly. What worms, sweetheart?”

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

“In her house,” Mira nodded and answered my question without pausing. “The red ones. I saw them on her bed.”

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

She pointed her finger. I stood up straight as I followed her tiny arm and the direction of her finger pointing across the room.

A woman in a tight black dress stood leaning against the bar, laughing a bit too freely. Her dark hair was styled in smooth waves, lipstick a bright red. She looked like the kind of woman who always knew when someone was watching, and wanted them to.

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

Always just a bit too close to my husband. Always a little too chummy, I recalled, my eyes narrowing.

“Daddy said she has worms,” Mira added plainly. “I saw them when we—”

She stopped herself. Her brow wrinkled, lips pursed as she seemed deep in thought.

I bent down again. “When you what, Mira?”

She whispered and blushed, “I’m not supposed to say. Daddy said not to tell anyone about the worms. That Mommy would be upset.”

My stomach sank.

“Upset?” I managed to ask before Theo suddenly appeared beside me, drink in hand, cheeks red from attention.

“Hey,” I said sharply. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Now?” he blinked. “I just—”

“Now, Theo.”

I caught the eye of the woman I was talking to earlier before Mira dropped the bombshell. She came over, and I made an excuse, asking her to watch my daughter. I told Mira that Daddy and I were just going to talk about something quickly and left.

Theo followed me into a hallway near the coat room. “What’s going on?”

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

He blinked. Then laughed. “Seriously? Not now, babe. Can we talk about this properly at home?”

I wanted to sort things out right there, but knew it wasn’t the right time or place. So I nodded with a stern look, showing the conversation was definitely not over. We rejoined the party, but things were tense between us.

The drive home was quiet. Mira fell asleep in the backseat, unaware of the storm between us. Theo tapped the steering wheel with one hand the whole time. I stared out the window, my thoughts racing for answers.

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

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

“They were curlers. The soft kind, you know? Mira saw them and got scared, and wouldn’t stop talking about it. I told her they were worms so she’d drop it. It was nothing.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“It was a joke! I needed the paperwork that Nora forgot to send. I picked it up, and Mira was with me, so she came inside for two minutes. That’s it!”

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

“No!” he said too fast. “Well, not like that. She was showing me something on her laptop, and Mira wandered down the hallway. That’s when she must’ve seen them.”

“Why lie? Why tell her not to say anything?”

“I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea or misunderstand,” he muttered, fixing his collar.

“I’m already misunderstanding plenty. And there must be a right idea, huh?”

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

“Tell me the truth,” I pushed him.

“I did! You’re making this into something it’s not!”

“It already is something. You took our daughter to another woman’s house. Told her to lie about it. And somehow she ended up near the bed!”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then why are you sweating?”

He didn’t have an answer. Just sighed and walked away.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. I stared at the ceiling, the words “Mommy would be upset” ringing like a drum in my ears.

By morning, I had made up my mind.

I found Nora’s number under “work contacts” on my husband’s laptop and sent her a message. Told her I was helping plan the firm’s next holiday party and wanted to grab a quick coffee to go over the guest list. She replied in under five minutes with a cheerful “Sure thing!”

We met at a small café three blocks from her apartment. She looked like she’d stepped out of a fashion ad—sleek hair, white blouse, red nails. She even ordered a fancy green tea latte like she’d practiced it.

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

Her face didn’t change. I went on.

“She says my husband brought her. That she saw red worms in your bed. I’m guessing they were soft curlers?”

Nora stirred her latte slowly on purpose.

“I was wondering when you’d catch on,” she said.

I didn’t flinch.

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

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

She smiled. “I’m okay being chosen. Eventually.”

I stood up, resolved. “He’s all yours.”

On the drive home, I felt calmer than I expected. Not heartbroken. Not angry. Just done.

Over the next few weeks, I did what had to be done. It was like my body and mind already knew what was happening with Theo and just needed confirmation. Like my belief that our marriage was perfect was just something I thought to hide the truth deep in my heart.

So I quietly filed for separation. Hired a lawyer to arrange our divorce. Gathered papers. Took screenshots. Figured out custody plans. I made sure every step favored Mira and me.

Theo didn’t even try to fight it! He actually moved in with Nora soon after!

Now, from what I hear, things aren’t so great. Mira, who now refuses to visit her dad unless he comes over without Nora, comes back with stories of the new couple’s fights over supper. Complaints about rules, co-parenting, and such.

Theo, once so charming, now mutters through drop-offs like a man already weary of his new life!

As for me?

I’m good now. I sleep through the night after spending months crying over my failed marriage and feeling not good enough. Grief, I was told. I eventually joined a local exercise class, got back into drawing, and painted Mira’s bedroom with glow-in-the-dark stars.

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

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

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

“Because he lied about the worms.”

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

“Yep,” I said. “It is.”

Then she hugged me tight. “I’m glad we have no worms.”

I laughed. “Me too, baby. Me too.”