I thought marriage would bring us closer, but instead, we drifted apart. Silence filled our mornings, and distance grew between us. Then one day, a forgotten phone and a single message shattered my world: “Hi, Daddy.” A name I didn’t recognize. A word that changed everything. I had to know the truth—no matter the cost.

I had married Danny not long ago, but soon after, everything changed.

We didn’t talk as we used to. Before the wedding, we had never lived together. It was exciting, but living together meant seeing each other at our worst and facing new problems.

Some days, I wanted to reach out to Danny, but I never did. I was afraid of the answer, and I became irritated over the smallest things. I hated how I was becoming someone I didn’t recognize.

That morning, like all the others, Danny was out the door first, barely looking at me. I sighed, reaching for my purse when I saw it—his phone on the kitchen counter.

I picked it up and was about to drop it off at his office, when I saw the message on the screen: “Hi, Daddy,” from someone named Martha.

My stomach dropped. Who was Martha? And why was she calling my husband Daddy?

I erased the message and left, my heart pounding. I drove to his office, wondering if he was truly working late or if he was with her.

When I arrived, Danny was alone in his office. I handed him the phone, and he checked the screen.

“Did anyone call?” he asked.

“No,” I said, trying to hide my nerves.

Later, Danny texted that he’d be staying late at work. I couldn’t shake the nagging doubt. I left work early, followed him to his office parking lot, and watched as he got in his car and drove away. He pulled up in front of a small house, and my heart dropped.

A little girl, about four, ran out of the house and jumped into Danny’s arms. He hugged her tightly, like a father would his daughter.

Tears welled in my eyes as I watched from the car. Was this the truth I feared? Could Danny have another family?

I couldn’t wait any longer. I followed him, then walked to the house when he left. When the door opened, I asked if she was Martha. She confirmed she was.

Martha led me inside, and I asked her if she had a family with Danny. She explained Danny was her ex, but they had only dated for two months. After she got pregnant, Danny supported her, but they weren’t together anymore.

“So Danny isn’t Riley’s father?” I asked.

“No,” Martha confirmed. “He’s just a family friend.”

I asked why she texted Danny “Hi, Daddy.” She checked her phone in confusion.

“That wasn’t me,” she said. “I didn’t send that.”

Martha called out for Riley, her daughter, who proudly admitted that she had sent the message, mixing up the letters. My heart sank with relief, but guilt followed quickly. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.

Martha reassured me that it was okay. After chatting a bit more, I left, knowing I had misunderstood everything.

When I got home, Danny was on the couch. He asked if I’d been crying, and I told him I had seen Martha. Danny stiffened.

“I should’ve told you,” he said. “I didn’t know how.”

“I should have asked you,” I admitted.

We both agreed to work on our relationship, to be honest, and to spend more time together. Danny suggested a weekly date night, and I smiled, knowing we would be okay.