I thought my husband Mark and I had the perfect marriage seven years strong, full of laughter and love. We struggled to conceive, and when our daughter Sophie was born, she felt like a miracle. Life seemed whole again, and I believed we had it all. That illusion shattered the night of his promotion party….

I thought my husband Mark and I had the perfect marriage seven years strong, full of laughter and love. We struggled to conceive, and when our daughter Sophie was born, she felt like a miracle. Life seemed whole again, and I believed we had it all. That illusion shattered the night of his promotion party.

We attended his corporate celebration, Sophie in her pink dress and me beaming with pride. While chatting with another guest, Sophie tugged my sleeve and said loudly, “Mommy, look! That’s the lady with the worms!” Confused and embarrassed, I knelt down, asking what she meant. She pointed to a woman at the bar Mark’s co-worker Tina and said she’d seen worms on her bed.

Later, Sophie admitted Daddy told her not to tell me, because I’d be upset. My stomach dropped. Mark tried to downplay it, claiming Sophie saw curlers and misunderstood, but I didn’t buy it. The final blow came when I confronted Tina who casually confirmed everything, saying Mark told her we’d split soon.

I filed for divorce quietly and focused on protecting Sophie. Mark moved in with Tina, but cracks showed quickly, and Sophie refused to visit if Tina was around. Meanwhile, I rebuilt our life with peace, paint, and glow-in-the-dark stars. One night Sophie whispered, “I’m glad we have no worms.” I smiled, holding her tight. “Me too, baby. Me too.”