“No More Worms”
I really believed my husband and I would be together forever—just like our wedding vows said. “Until death do us part.” That’s what we promised each other. But everything fell apart when I found out the awful truth. A secret he was hiding behind my back. And believe it or not, it was our sweet little daughter who exposed everything.
Mark and I had been married for seven years. I was thirty-four, working from home as a freelance graphic designer. I thought we were solid. I truly believed we were that couple—you know, the ones people look at and say, “They’ve got it all.”
We were playful, always in sync. He’d reach for my hand at the grocery store just as I reached for the ketchup. We laughed at the same silly jokes. We could finish each other’s sentences like twins. Even when we hit rough patches, we found our rhythm again like we were dancing.
But there was one chapter of our life that tested us—having a baby. For two long years, we tried. Every negative test crushed me. Month after month, we sat in sterile doctor’s offices, hearing the same quiet disappointment. Meanwhile, our friends were posting baby bump photos and ultrasound videos online. I felt broken. Like maybe I was the problem. Like maybe I didn’t deserve to be a mom.
And then—it finally happened. I got pregnant. Sophie was born, and it felt like the universe had stitched our hearts back together. She became the center of our world. Our little girl with the brightest smile and the loudest giggle.
By the time Sophie turned four, she had become a firecracker—smart, curious, and hilariously honest. She’d loudly announce “I have to pee!” even during the quiet parts of Sunday church. She loved unicorns, cartoons, and orange juice without pulp. She was everything.
Life was finally good. Mark had just been promoted to partner at his firm. It was a huge deal, and we were so proud. The company threw him a big party in a fancy downtown venue—one of those places with exposed brick walls and string lights that make everything feel like a movie.
Sophie and I went with him, of course. She wore her pink puffed-up dress and sparkly unicorn barrettes. I wore a fitted blue dress that made me feel beautiful. People kept congratulating Mark left and right. He looked like a celebrity in a sea of coworkers, shaking hands and accepting compliments like a king.
While he mingled, I chatted with one of the senior associate’s wives near the dessert table. Sophie stood beside me, quietly eating a cookie, when she suddenly tugged my sleeve and said something so strange it made my heart skip.
“Mommy, look! That’s the lady with the worms!”
Her voice was loud enough that people turned their heads. My eyebrows shot up. “Shh, honey,” I whispered, crouching to her level. “What worms, baby? What are you talking about?”
Sophie looked serious. “In her house. The red ones. I saw them on her bed.”
I felt my stomach twist. “Whose house?” I asked.
She pointed across the room.
There stood a woman in a tight black dress, red lipstick, and smooth dark hair. She leaned casually against the bar, laughing like she owned the place. Her name was Tina. I remembered seeing her at some holiday work party two years ago. She worked in accounting. Always a little too close to Mark.
Sophie added, “Daddy said she has worms.” Then she looked guilty and whispered, “I’m not supposed to say. Daddy said not to tell anyone about the worms. That Mommy would be upset.”
My heart slammed in my chest.
Just then, Mark appeared beside me with a drink in hand. “Hey,” he smiled. “Everything okay?”
I looked up at him sharply. “Can I talk to you. Now.”
He blinked, confused. “Now? I was just—”
“Now, Mark.”
I gave Sophie to the woman I’d been talking to and asked her to keep an eye on her for a few minutes. Then I led Mark out of the main room into a quiet hallway.
He followed, looking annoyed. “What’s going on?”
I turned to face him. “She says you took her to Tina’s house.”
Mark laughed nervously. “Seriously? Come on, babe. Not here. Can we talk about this later?”
I glared at him. “This isn’t over.”
We went back to the party, but I didn’t smile again that night. On the drive home, we didn’t speak. Sophie fell asleep in the backseat, hugging her stuffed bear. Mark tapped the steering wheel over and over. I stared out the window, my mind spinning.
When we got home and tucked Sophie in bed, I sat Mark down at the kitchen table.
I looked him dead in the eye. “Our daughter says she saw red worms on Tina’s bed.”
He scoffed. “They were curlers. The soft kind. Sophie saw them and got confused. I told her they were worms so she’d stop talking about it. It was nothing.”
“Do you really think I’m that stupid?”
He leaned back in his chair. “I went there to pick up some paperwork she forgot to send. Sophie was with me. She came inside for two minutes.”
“In her bedroom?” I asked, not letting it go.
“No!” he said too fast. “Well… she was showing me something on her laptop. Sophie wandered off. That’s when she must’ve seen them.”
“Then why did you tell her not to say anything?”
“I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea,” he muttered, tugging at his collar.
“The wrong idea?” I snapped. “You brought our daughter to another woman’s house. Told her to lie about it. And somehow she ended up near her bed. What part of this is the right idea?”
He didn’t answer. Just stared at the table and sighed.
I didn’t sleep that night. My brain replayed Sophie’s tiny voice over and over: “Mommy would be upset.”
By morning, I knew exactly what I had to do.
I found Tina’s number on Mark’s laptop under “work contacts.” I texted her, pretending to help plan the next office holiday party. Asked her to grab coffee and go over the guest list.
She replied within minutes. “Absolutely!”
We met at a quiet café not far from her apartment. Tina looked like she belonged in a magazine—perfect hair, white blouse, red nails. She ordered a matcha oat latte like she was on a talk show.
After a few minutes of polite chit-chat, I got to the point.
“My daughter says she’s been to your place.”
Tina raised an eyebrow but didn’t react much.
“She says my husband brought her. That she saw red worms on your bed. I assume they were curlers?”
Tina slowly stirred her drink. “I was wondering when you’d figure it out.”
My face didn’t change. But my hands clenched in my lap.
“He said it wouldn’t take long,” Tina said. “That once you left, we could stop sneaking around.”
I stared at her. “So you’re fine being someone’s second choice?”
She smirked. “I’m fine being chosen. Eventually.”
I stood up. My voice was calm but sharp. “He’s all yours.”
I left the café and walked to my car like my feet already knew the way. I didn’t cry. I didn’t scream. I just felt… done.
In the days that followed, I went into action mode. I called a lawyer. Filed for separation. Gathered every document. Took screenshots. Looked into custody options. I made sure every choice protected me and Sophie.
Mark didn’t fight me. He moved in with Tina shortly after.
Now, from what I hear, things aren’t so perfect over there. Sophie refuses to go to her dad’s place if Tina’s around. When she comes home, she talks about their arguments. About how Daddy and “the worm lady” yell at each other over dinner.
Mark—once full of charm and confidence—now mutters through drop-offs like a man already bored with his new life.
As for me?
I’m finally breathing again. I sleep through the night. I joined a local Pilates class. I started sketching again. Painted glow-in-the-dark stars on Sophie’s bedroom ceiling. Our home feels peaceful now.
One night, while tucking Sophie in bed, she looked at me with those big eyes and asked, “Mommy, why doesn’t Daddy live with us anymore?”
I smiled softly. “Because he lied about the worms.”
Sophie nodded like it all made perfect sense. “Lying is bad.”
“It is,” I agreed.
She hugged me tightly. “I’m glad we have no worms.”
I laughed, holding her close. “Me too, baby. Me too.”