I was scrolling through Facebook when I noticed a woman, Ella, repeatedly commenting on my husband Sam’s posts. Her comments felt too familiar. Then, my daughter Lily ran by and recognized her from photos. “That’s Ella! I see her every week with Dad,” she said, sending a chill through me.

I hadn’t meant to snoop, but I couldn’t ignore the strange comments Ella had left, especially one about Lily’s birthday, where she claimed responsibility for Lily’s fairy wings. I checked Ella’s profile and saw that Sam had liked nearly all her photos. When Lily mentioned meeting Ella every Wednesday after school, my heart sank.

The next day, I followed Sam and Lily, and saw them meet Ella in person. Turns out, Ella was Sam’s high school sweetheart. They hugged and spent time together with Lily, making me sick.

I followed them to a café, where I confronted Ella, and Sam appeared, shocked. Ella revealed that she was adopting a child and had reached out to Sam for advice on parenting. Sam had been helping her adjust to the idea of motherhood, but never meant to keep it a secret.

Though it hurt, I understood. Ella was trying to find her way to motherhood, and Sam promised no more secrets between us.