“Daddy said I should like her, because she’s going to be my new mommy one day. I don’t want a new mommy.”
That was when I finally got it. I felt like my world had flipped, and the worst part was my little girl had no idea how her words broke my heart.
I swallowed hard, forcing a smile through my racing thoughts. “Thank you for telling me the truth, baby. You did the right thing.” I hugged her tight, hiding my shaky hands.
“Are you mad at me, Mommy?” she asked, voice muffled against my shoulder. Her question almost broke me.
“Never,” I whispered. “You’re the bravest little girl in the world for telling me.”
When she was asleep that night, I went straight to Garrett’s home office. My heart pounded as I opened drawers, flipping through papers with shaky fingers.
And then I found something that explained it all.
Tucked in a plain folder were photo booth pics of him kissing a blonde woman, their faces close like happy teens. The happy look on his face was something I hadn’t seen in years.
Tessa. This had to be Tessa.
That’s when I remembered all the weird stuff lately. The late nights “at work.” The new cologne. The way he’d been distant, always checking his phone. It all clicked.