I always thought we were a happy family until my son told me he had a “secret sister.” At first, I thought it was just one of those things kids do to draw your attention. But when I explored more thoroughly, I found something that transform my world upside down.

Mike and I have been together for five years now. Our son, Luke, is four years old with Mike’s charming smile and my stubborn chin.

Until recently, I thought we were absolutely happy.

It all began last Tuesday.

The marketing agency where I work had wrapped up a major campaign, so my boss let us go early. I decided to surprise Luke by picking him up from daycare myself instead of letting Mike get him after his shift.

“Mommy!”  “You’re early!”, my son said.

“I sure am, buddy. I thought we could stop for ice cream before heading home.”

His eyes widened. “Can I get sprinkles?”

“You can get double sprinkles,” I promised.

It wasn’t until we were almost home that he dropped the bomb.

“Daddy won’t be expecting us yet, will he?” I asked/

“Mommy!” he whispered loudly. “Don’t tell Daddy I told you… but I have a secret sister.”

“What?”, I said.

He nodded seriously. “She was here yesterday. Daddy said not to say anything.”

“Oh really? What’s your sister’s name?”

“Mia,” he said. “She has pretty braids.”

I stood in the doorway, arms crossed. “Who is she?”

“Who?”

“The mother of your daughter, of course.”

I expected him to tell the truth. However, what I didn’t expect was for him to set down the remote, walk over to me with a strange smile, then kneel and pull out a small velvet box.

“Marry me,” he said.

This was classic Mike.

“Are you serious?” I asked.

“Yes,” he smiled.

“I love you. Let’s do it. Let’s finally get married.”

“Who was the little girl in our house yesterday?” I asked slowly, the ring box still open between us.

That tiny break in his performance told me everything.

“Oh… her?” he said.

“That’s Mia, she’s my colleague’s daughter. Rachel… you’ve never met her. She stopped by to grab some materials for the Henderson project. She brought her daughter with her, that’s all.”

“Why didn’t you tell me someone was in our home?”

“It was just work. Didn’t seem important. Maybe Luke misunderstood something she said.”

“I need some time,” I said quietly. “This is… a lot.”

I lay awake beside him as my mind raced with questions at night. Who was Rachel? Why had Mike never mentioned her? And why would Luke think this girl was his sister?

The next morning, driving Luke to daycare, I tried again.

“Hey honey… why did you say you have a sister yesterday?”

She said, ‘Come meet your sister.’”

“Who said that exactly?”

“The lady who came to see Daddy,” he replied simply. “The one with the girl. They stayed for lunch. We had peanut butter sandwiches.”

My grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Did Daddy make lunch for everyone?”

Luke nodded enthusiastically. “And we watched Bluey! Mia knows all the characters, even better than me.

While Mike was gone, I opened his laptop.

Thankfully, it remembered his password. I searched for Rachel in his emails. Nothing unusual. Then, I checked his messaging apps.