When I asked my daughter who else she wanted to invite to her birthday party and she casually named a woman I’d never heard of, I felt my world tilt. I met the woman a week later, and my life would never be the same.
My husband, Jake, and I have been together for ten years, married for seven. He’s a great guy—kind, hardworking, and a little scatterbrained, but I never had any reason to doubt him until recently.
A happy family | Source: Midjourney
Earlier this year, Jake lost his job. While he’s been job hunting, I’ve been pulling long, full-time hours at work to keep things running smoothly. It’s been tough, but we’ve made it work. Our five-year-old daughter, Ellie, loves spending extra time with him.
To her, Jake is her hero.
Life seemed normal enough… until last week.
Ellie’s birthday was coming up, and we were in full planning mode. As I sat with her one evening to finish the guest list, she caught me completely off guard.
A woman working on a guest list | Source: Midjourney
I asked her to tell me who else she wanted to invite besides her friends and family members.
“Mommy, can I invite the pretty lady who comes to visit Daddy while you’re at work?” she asked.
I froze mid-sip of my coffee, trying to stay calm. “The pretty lady who visits Daddy? What lady, sweetie?”
Ellie grinned, completely oblivious to the storm brewing in my chest.
“Yeah, the one with the long hair! She’s so nice! She says Daddy is kind, and she always gives him a big hug when she leaves. Can she come? Please?”
A little girl begging | Source: Midjourney
I struggled to keep my voice steady despite my heart sinking.
“Sure, honey. Why don’t you invite her next time she’s here?”
Ellie beamed. “Okay! I will! Thanks, Mommy!”
That night, I barely slept. My mind swirled with questions, doubts, and a growing unease. Jake had never given me a reason to doubt him before, but Ellie’s innocent comment planted seeds of suspicion. Who was this “pretty lady”? A friend? A neighbor? Or worse, someone I had never even heard of?
A concerned sleepless woman | Source: Midjourney
I also contemplated that my five-year-old might be imagining things, even though this did seem a bit extreme to have been made up. I decided not to confront my husband, and I made sure the stranger came to Ellie’s party because I wanted to see how things would play out.
The next evening, I decided to get more information. Over dinner, while my husband went to the bathroom, I casually asked Ellie, “Did you invite the pretty lady to your party?”
A woman talking to her daughter | Source: Midjourney
“Yep! She said she’d come for sure!” Ellie chirped, happily munching on her cereal.
I nearly dropped my glass of water, but by the time my husband returned, we’d moved on to a different conversation. I didn’t want him to find out about his secret guest and prevent us from meeting.
The day of the party arrived, and I was a bundle of nerves. The party started like any other, with friends and family filling our living room, kids running around with balloons, and Ellie over the moon. I tried to stay focused on hosting, but my eyes kept darting to the front door, half-expecting the mysterious visitor to show up.
Children at a birthday party | Source: Midjourney
An hour into the party, the doorbell rang. My stomach dropped. Jake was in the backyard helping Ellie with her cake, so I went to answer it. Standing on the porch was a young woman, maybe in her early twenties.
She had long dark hair and a shy smile, and she held a small gift bag in her hands.
“Hi, I’m Lila,” she said softly. “I’m here for Ellie’s party.”
Ellie came running to the door at that very moment, her face lighting up.
“It’s her! Mommy, it’s her! Daddy’s friend!”
An excited little girl looking at someone | Source: Midjourney
I stood frozen, trying to piece together what I was seeing, but managed to stammer out, “Oh! Uh… please come in.”
Ellie grabbed the woman’s hand and pulled her inside. She dragged Lila over to Jake, who went pale the second he saw her. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then sighed like a man walking to his doom.
“Lila,” he said, his voice low and uneasy. “I didn’t… I didn’t think you’d actually come.”
An embarrassed man | Source: Midjourney
“We need to talk,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm but firm. Jake nodded, clearly defeated, and led Lila and me into the kitchen, away from the chaos.
“Lee, please go play with your new toys with your school friends and cousins,” I dismissed our daughter to the backyard.
“Come on, Chantal! I’ll show you my new toys!” Ellie said, grabbing the hand of a little girl standing close by eating an ice cream cone. Meanwhile, the young woman looked awkward and out of place but followed Jake and me into the kitchen.
A shy woman | Source: Midjourney
The tension in the air was thick as Lila nervously fidgeted with the gift bag.
“I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” she began. “I just thought it would be nice to meet everyone, and Ellie invited me.”
“Who are you exactly?” I asked, my voice sharp despite my attempt to stay composed.
Lila glanced at Jake, who looked like he wanted to disappear. “I’m… Jake’s daughter.”
The words hit me like a freight train. “What?”
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
Lila tried explaining everything while my husband looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor. But when he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
“Lila’s my daughter from before I met you. I didn’t know about her until a few months ago. Her mom never told me or her. Before she passed away earlier this year, she told Lila about me, and she tracked me and found me a few months ago. She introduced herself while you were at work. She wanted to meet her dad.”
An ashamed man talking | Source: Midjourney
“When she told me who she was, I didn’t believe her at first,” Jake admitted, looking sheepish. “I mean, it came out of nowhere. So I… I asked her for a DNA test.”
Lila nodded and showed me a copy of the paternity papers via her email.
“I understood his need for proof. It wasn’t easy to hear, but I brought a test when I came back the next time, and it’s true, he’s my dad,” she replied.
I scanned the document, my hands trembling. It was undeniable. I stared at him, stunned. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”
A shocked woman holding a phone | Source: Midjourney
“I didn’t know how,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was still processing it myself. I didn’t want to drop this on you until I was sure… or at least thought things through.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to steady my breathing. “But why does Ellie know about her?”
Jake looked sheepish. “Lila’s been visiting while you’re at work. She wanted to get to know the family, and Ellie… well, Ellie’s Ellie. She loves everyone.”
A man talking | Source: Midjourney
“So your plan was to just… not tell me? Let a five-year-old do it for you?” I asked, my voice rising.
Jake flinched. “I know. I messed up. I just didn’t want to make things harder for you.”
Lila stepped forward, her eyes pleading.
“I’m really sorry. I never meant to cause problems. I just wanted to meet my dad and his family. Your daughter is such a sweet kid. She even showed me her drawings.”
“It’s okay, Lila. You can go join the party. Jake and I will wrap things up.”
A woman at a birthday party | Source: Midjourney
I sighed, overwhelmed but starting to see the bigger picture. Lila wasn’t some “other woman.” She was a young woman searching for family after losing her mom. And Jake, for all his flaws, was just trying to navigate a situation he’d never anticipated.
During our long conversation, the three of us had talked for what felt like hours. Lila shared stories about her life, her mom, and how she found Jake. My husband apologized profusely and repeatedly for keeping it from me, promising to be more open in the future. By the end of it, I still had a million feelings to sort through, but I could see their sincerity.
A woman deep in thought | Source: Midjourney
When my husband and I finally rejoined the party, Ellie was sitting with Lila, showing her a drawing she made of our family. She’d even added Lila, labeling her as “Big Sister.” My husband slipped an arm around my shoulders.
“I know this wasn’t how you imagined today would go,” he said quietly. “But I hope we can figure this out together.”
I nodded, leaning into him. “We will. But no more secrets, Jake.”
“Never again,” he promised.
A man making a vow | Source: Midjourney
In the weeks that followed, we began adjusting to our new reality. Lila, who had just started college in our city, became a regular visitor. Ellie adored her, and slowly, so did I. It wasn’t easy, but I could see how much Lila wanted to be part of our lives.
And honestly? It was starting to feel like she always had been. Meanwhile, Jake learned the hard way that secrets have a way of coming out, especially when a five-year-old is involved.
A happy woman playing with a little girl | Source: Midjourney
Ellie got her wish for her birthday, and in a way, so did we: a new, unexpected addition to our family. Sometimes life surprises you, and while it’s not always easy, it can lead to something beautiful.
A happy woman | Source: Midjourney
If you enjoyed the story, then you’ll love this one about a wife whose husband also hid a female stranger and someone else from her. When the woman discovered the truth, she couldn’t believe what she saw in her own house!
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
My Husband Missed the Birth of Our First Child — After Discharge, I Returned to an Empty House and a Creepy Note in the Crib
When Elena is in hospital, ready to give birth to her and Michael’s first baby, she finds herself alone with her mother. Michael was simply nowhere to be found. Upon discharge, Elena walks into the house hoping to find Michael there with an explanation. Instead, she finds a note from Michael blaming Elena’s mother for his disappearance. Where is Michael and what happened?
I always thought that the happiest day of my life was the day I married Michael. But then we found out that I was pregnant, and I figured that the day I gave birth to our baby was going to be the happiest.
A woman holding a pregnancy test | Source: Midjourney
Little did I know that it would be the beginning of a nightmare. Michael had promised me that he would be there, holding my hand as we welcomed our first child into the world.
We had planned every detail together, from the music that would play in the delivery room to the tiny hat he would place on our baby’s head.
But when the time came, Michael just wasn’t there.
A pregnant woman sitting on a hospital chair | Source: Midjourney
I remember the nurses’ sympathetic smiles as they assured me that he was probably just delayed. With each passing minute, the sinking feeling in my stomach grew worse.
I had been calling him for hours, leaving desperate voicemails, but there was no response. As the contractions intensified, so did my fear. Was I really about to do this by myself? What could have kept him from being here?
A close up of a worried woman | Source: Midjourney
“Come on, Michael,” I said through gritted teeth.
When my daughter arrived, I was overwhelmed with joy, but it was tainted by the empty spot beside me where my husband should have been. Where was Michael? Why hadn’t he shown up?
My mother was with me throughout, holding my hand when Michael should have been, but I could see the worry in her eyes, too. And if she knew anything, she certainly didn’t tell me.
A smiling older woman | Source: Midjourney
“Just relax, Elena,” my mother said. “Focus on Emily now. And yourself; your body needs a moment.”
“I know,” I said. “I’m just worried.”
After two days in the hospital, I was finally discharged. My mother helped me carry Emily to the car, and we headed home. The ride was silent, and my mother kept drumming her fingers against the steering wheel.
A close up of a woman in a car | Source: Midjourney
I tried to keep myself calm, telling myself that there must be a reasonable explanation for Michael’s absence. Maybe something happened at work. Maybe he’d had an accident and was away in another hospital.
The scenarios grew wilder with each mile we drove.
But nothing could have prepared me for what I found when we got home.
The driveway leading to a house | Source: Midjourney
The house was eerily quiet. I pushed open the door, half-expecting Michael to be waiting inside with some excuse that I could forgive after seeing the look on his face.
“Michael?” I called out, my voice echoing through the empty rooms. “Michael, are you here?”
No answer.
A postpartum woman standing in a doorway | Source: Midjourney
“Be quiet, Elena,” my mother said. “Emily is sleeping.”
I ignored her and hurried upstairs. I had to check the nursery; maybe he was in there, just waiting for us to come home. We had spent weeks perfecting our daughter’s nursery to exactly how I envisioned it throughout my pregnancy.
But when I opened the door to the nursery, my breath caught in my throat.
A close up of a shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
The room was almost empty. The crib was there, but all the decorations, the stuffed animals, our daughter’s outfits, and the blankets we had lovingly chosen together were gone. All that remained was a single piece of paper, placed neatly inside the crib.
I love you and our baby, Elena. But I have to leave forever. Ask your mom why she did this. I’ve taken some of Emily’s things to remember you both.
A piece of paper in an empty crib | Source: Midjourney
I stared at the note, my mind struggling to make sense of the words. What did Michael mean? Why did he have to leave? And what did my mother have to do with any of this?
“Mom!” I shouted, trying to get down the stairs as fast as my postpartum body would allow. I clutched onto the note tightly as I thundered into the living room where she was sitting on the couch with Emily asleep in her arms.
An older woman holding a newborn | Source: Midjourney
“What is this?” I demanded, thrusting the note at her. “What did you do? Where is my husband?”
She looked at me with heavy eyes. And for a moment, I saw a flicker of something I couldn’t quite place. Guilt? Regret?
“I didn’t want you to find out this way…” she said quietly.
A close up of an older woman | Source: Midjourney
“What? Find out what?” I nearly screamed at her. “What are you talking about? Tell me now!”
She took a deep breath as if steeling herself for what she was about to say.
“I found out something about Michael, honey. And it was just too big to keep to myself. He needed to know that I knew.”
“Knew what? Why are you talking in riddles?” I asked closing my eyes, suddenly exhausted.
A close up of a woman with closed eyes | Source: Midjourney
“He’s been having an affair, darling,” she said. “With someone from his office. Imagine the nerve.”
The words hit me like a physical blow, and I had to sit down quickly.
“No, Mom,” I found myself saying. “That can’t be true at all. Michael wouldn’t do that to us. He loves me! And he’s been so excited about our baby and growing our little family!”
A close up of a shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
“I wish it wasn’t true, darling. Do you think I enjoyed being right?” she asked softly. “I overheard him talking to someone on the phone. They were talking about meeting at a motel. I confronted him about it, and he admitted it. He’s been seeing his boss, a woman who’s much wealthier than we could have ever dreamed. She’s been offering him things he couldn’t refuse.”
“You mean… the promotion? It wasn’t just hard work? And the car wasn’t just because he made a big deal for the company?” I gasped.
A smiling man sitting in his office | Source: Midjourney
My chest felt tight, like all the air had been sucked out of the room.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, tears streaming down my face as my lower pelvis ached. “Why didn’t you give me the chance to talk to him? A chance to fix it?”
“Oh, honey,” my mother said soothingly. “I gave him the chance. I told him that he had to tell you everything or leave, for good. I knew that if he told you everything, it would mean that he was still a good man with redeeming qualities. But see this? He chose to leave you, to leave Emily.”
A close up of an upset woman | Source: Midjourney
For a moment, I didn’t want to believe my mother. I wanted to believe Michael, and that there was more to this story. How else could my mother have sat there during my labor, holding my hand while knowing the truth?
It made no sense to me.
Well, one thing made sense to me. My mother had never really taken to Michael in the way I had hoped. She tolerated him and liked that he took care of me. But there was nothing beyond that. They had no other relationship beyond me.
What if my mother just wanted him out?
Unknowingly, I said all these thoughts out loud.
An upset woman holding her head | Source: Midjourney
“Really? Elena! You think I’d purposely hurt my daughter and jeopardize her relationship with her father?” my mother cried. “He hurt you by choosing to have an affair. I can tell you everything you need to know, but I need you to believe me.”
This couldn’t be happening. My husband, the man I had trusted with my life, had betrayed me, and my mother had forced him to leave without giving me the chance to even hear him out.
“You shouldn’t have taken that choice away from me,” I said. “You should have let me decide what to do!”
My mother gripped my thigh tightly.
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
“I’m so sorry, Elena,” she said. “I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn’t want you to suffer more than you already did; this pregnancy was a lot on your body and mind, my darling.”
She seemed earnest enough, but I couldn’t help but be angry with her. All I could think about was how everything I had known, everything I had believed in, had been ripped away in an instant.
My husband was gone, and probably off with his mistress, my mother had betrayed my trust, and I was left alone with a newborn and a broken heart.
A silhouette of a couple | Source: Midjourney
Emily’s eyes opened, and before I knew it, her little mouth twisted into a cry.
“She’s hungry,” my mother said. “Maybe one day, when Emily goes through something where she needs her mother to protect her more than give her a choice, you’ll understand why I did what I did.”
I nodded.
A crying baby girl | Source: Midjourney
“I’m sure you’re right, Mom,” I said, slipping my shirt off my arm to feed my little girl. “But I need some space for a little while. I need to adjust to being a single parent right now.”
“But you’re not alone, Elena!” my mother exclaimed. “Michael may have chosen to leave you, but I’m still here. I’m right there to love and support you. And your little girl.”
“I know that,” I said. “But this is the choice I’m making.”
“I’ll make you some food and then I’ll leave,” my mother said. “Please, let me do that. Let me plan meals for a week. Okay?”
A woman in the kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“Fine,” I said, grateful for the assistance even though I didn’t want to look at her.
In the days that followed our hospital return, I thought about Michael’s behavior closer. Of course he was having an affair. There were endless late nights and shared dinners with “colleagues over business.” It was clear now, that during those intimate hours, Michael and his boss were becoming closer.
I tried to contact Michael many times, but it always went to voicemail. Until one day, when he answered by accident. I could tell he had no intention of answering the phone because his voice was thick with sleep.
“Michael?” I asked.
“Elena?” he gasped.
“Is it true?” I asked.
A sleepy man talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“Yes. All of it,” he said. “I’m not coming back. I was excited to start my life with you and our baby, but I’ve grown to love Gretchen and our lives together. I have to give this a chance. And the least I can do is transfer the house to your name only. Gretchen’s lawyers will do it soon.”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
Michael never contacted me again, and I didn’t reach out either. He disappeared from my life as quickly as he had entered it. But at least my daughter didn’t meet him and get to experience any of that.
She was safely away from Michael.
A smiling woman holding her baby | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you:
My MIL Thought I Was Cheating on Her Daughter and Tried to Teach Me a Harsh Lesson
When Mike plans a surprise weekend away for his and Steph’s anniversary, he hires an event planner to do most of the work. But when a nosy mother-in-law catches wind of Mike with another woman, things get out of control…
So, let me set a scene for you. It’s hilarious now, but it was anything but when it actually happened.
A man laughing | Source: Midjourney
I’m Mike and I’ve been happily married to my wife, Steph, for ten years. We had a perfect little life with our eight-year-old son, Jack. Steph and I are the kind of couple that people envy.
As lame as it sounds, we have been completely in sync since we got married, finishing each other’s sentences, the whole deal.
Or at least, we were until my mother-in-law, Karen, got involved.
A happy couple | Source: Midjourney
“I’m going to surprise Mom for our anniversary,” I told Jack when we were kicking a ball around outside one afternoon.
“Just don’t decide on having another kid,” Jack said, giggling as he spoke.
Well, I didn’t plan on that, but I did want to surprise Steph with a romantic weekend getaway to celebrate our anniversary.
A father and son playing with a ball | Source: Midjourney
I wanted everything to be perfect, so I hired an event planner to hold down the fort.
“Catherine,” I told her when I sat across from her in her office. “I need this weekend to be perfect. I know that it’s small scale compared to the events you plan, but I need it to be perfect for Steph. She deserves this.”
Catherine beamed, and I thought she actually looked quite beautiful. Not as beautiful as my wife, but lovely nonetheless.
A smiling woman sitting at her desk | Source: Midjourney
She was great to work with too. She was professional, attentive, and yes, attractive.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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