I didn’t answer right away.
Instead, I motioned for her to sit down. “We need to talk.”
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I went to Demi’s school today,” I began. “I was hoping to find out what’s been bothering her. But I saw something strange.”
“Strange?” Nora repeated, tilting her head. “What do you mean?”
“I saw Demi talking to a girl who looked almost identical to her. And then a car pulled up to pick up that girl. Guess who was driving?”
“Who?”
“Todd,” I said flatly, my eyes narrowing as I studied her reaction.
At that point, her face turned pale. It looked like I’d said something I wasn’t allowed to talk about.
“Oh, really? That’s… that’s surprising,” she stammered. “I, uh, I haven’t seen Todd in years.”
“You know what’s stranger?” I asked. “He ignored me and drove away the moment I called out to him. It felt like he didn’t want to be seen. Isn’t that weird?”
Nora’s hands fidgeted in her lap, and she avoided my gaze.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe he, uh, maybe he didn’t see you.”
“Nora, stop,” I said. “Something’s not adding up. Why would Todd drive away like that? And why does that girl look so much like Demi?”
Before Nora could respond, Demi walked into the room.
She stood there for a moment, looking between the two of us. Then, she crossed her arms and said, “Why don’t you just tell him, Mom?”
“Demi, what are you talking about?” Nora asked with eyes wide open.
“You’ve been hiding this for so long!” Demi shouted. “I know the truth, and it’s time Dad knows too!”
“Sweetheart, what truth?” I asked Demi. “What’s going on?”
“That girl you saw today… Sierra?” Demi said as her eyes welled up. “She’s my sister.”
“What?” I shouted. “How is that possible?”
“A few weeks ago, her father, Todd, came to pick her up from school,” Demi began. “I was waiting for you, and he… he walked up to me. He said something weird, like, ‘You’ve grown so much. You look just like your mom at your age.’ I thought he was just being creepy at first, but then he pulled out a photo.”
“A photo?” I asked.
She nodded.
“It was a photo of him and Mom,” she said. “They looked young and Mom… she was pregnant. He told me this was taken before I was born. He said he’s my biological father.”
“Demi, please!” Nora protested. “How could you believe him? What if he was lying?”
“I thought so too, Mom,” Demi said. “I thought he must be lying but then I heard you on the phone the other day. You were talking to Todd, telling him not to bother you. I heard you say his name, Mom. That’s when I understood he was right. Sierra even told me her father says we look alike because we’re sisters.
“Th-that’s enough, Demi!” Nora yelled.
“No, Mom!” Demi shouted. “It’s time you tell the truth to Dad.”
I turned to Nora. “What is she talking about? Tell me.”
“It’s nothing, Billy,” Nora said. But her words didn’t match the look on her face. I knew she was lying.
“Tell me the truth, Nora. Tell me the truth!” I yelled. “Is she Todd’s daughter? Is that true?”
She paused for a few seconds as her gaze shifted from me to Demi. Then, she started crying like a baby.
“I-I’m so sorry, Billy,” she said between sobs. “I cheated on you. Years ago. With Todd. Demi is his daughter.”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
“What?” I whispered. “You… you cheated on me? And you’ve been lying about it for 13 years?”
She nodded as tears streamed down her cheeks. “It was a mistake. I regretted it the moment it happened. I cut Todd out of my life because I didn’t want him to ruin what we had. I didn’t want you to know.”
“You lied to me,” I said as I stood up. “You lied to me, and you lied to Demi. For 13 years!”
That’s when Demi started crying. I immediately pulled her into a hug.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” I said softly. “None of this is your fault. I love you, and I always will.”
She clung to me, sobbing into my chest.
“I hate her,” she whispered. “I hate her for lying.”
I held her tighter, my heart breaking for her.
Once Demi had calmed down, I walked her to her room and tucked her in for the night.
Then, I returned to the living room, where Nora sat, her face buried in her hands.
“How could you do this to me?” I asked. “How could you lie about something so big?”
“I was scared,” she whispered. “I thought if you knew, you’d leave me. I didn’t want to lose you.”
“You didn’t just lie to me,” I said. “You lied to Demi. She’s been living with this confusion because of your selfishness.”
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “Please, Billy, don’t leave me. We can work through this.”
I shook my head, my decision already made.
“If you had told me back then, maybe I could’ve forgiven you. But hiding this for 13 years? Letting me believe a lie? I can’t forgive that. We’re done, Nora.”
She begged and pleaded, but my mind was made up. The trust was gone. It was shattered beyond repair.
A few months later, Demi and I moved into a new place. I filed for divorce and gained full custody of my daughter.
It wasn’t easy, but we started rebuilding our lives together, one step at a time.
