When you’ve been married for over ten years, you don’t expect your spouse to hide secrets. But sometimes, even the strongest marriages can be broken by shocking truths and long-hidden family secrets. Today’s story is about Angela, 34, who never doubted her happy marriage—until one day, she made a shocking discovery about her husband. Her little daughter, Emily, accidentally helped her uncover this surprising truth.
Angela wrote us an emotional letter:
Angela, 34, is a loving wife, caring mother, and a successful businesswoman. Until recently, she thought she had everything she needed to be happy, and she was thankful for it all. She lived a peaceful life with her husband, raising their adorable daughter. But one day, a small accident shattered Angela’s beliefs and made her question her whole family life.
Angela sent us a letter, explaining her very unusual family situation. She was just looking for honest opinions from others and some advice on what to do with the truth she accidentally found out.
Angela started her letter with, I hope you and your readers can help me with my family problem. My husband Alan and I have been happily married for 10 years. We have a 5-year-old daughter, Emily. Until recently, my life was like a fairy tale. Alan and I both earn good money—I’m growing my business, and Alan is a CEO of a large legal company. We both love our daughter and do everything to make her happy. We never had trust issues, and I thought I knew everything about my husband. I was so wrong!
Angela wrote, “Emily is a very well-behaved little girl. We rarely had any problems with tantrums or misbehavior. So, I was shocked when one day, my little girl started acting strangely.
“Two weeks ago, I went for a walk with Emily. All of a sudden, my sweet child started crying and pointing at a woman who was walking by. To my surprise, the woman looked at Emily, and she seemed to recognize her. She smiled at my daughter, then called her by name and said, ‘Emily, sweetheart, I missed you so much!
“After that, the woman noticed me, and I was shocked and confused by the whole situation. Meanwhile, Emily stopped crying and hugged the woman, calling her ‘Auntie Kelly.’ She was clearly happy to see her. But I had never seen this woman before in my life. I tried to ask her who she was and how she knew my daughter, but she smiled and left quickly.”
Angela wrote, “I asked Emily many times about Auntie Kelly. All she said was, ‘Auntie Kelly and dad gave me lots of presents. I love Auntie Kelly!
Angela shared, “I realized that this woman had something to do with my husband. She had spent time with our daughter, and they seemed to have a close connection. But I knew nothing about this woman or her role in my daughter’s life. I was upset.”
“I immediately confronted my husband, and of course, my first thought was that he had been cheating on me and that this woman was his lover. But the truth I discovered was even worse.”
Angela wrote, “Alan was angry that I ran into Kelly. He didn’t want to tell me anything, but he had no choice because I was furious that our child was involved. I had every right to know who Kelly was.”
Angela said, “Alan told me Kelly was his ex-girlfriend. They dated for two years and broke up just before he met me. Kelly was pregnant when they split up, but she was so stressed that she lost the baby. It was a girl, and she wanted to name her Emily.”
“Alan had been feeling guilty about this for a long time. He became trapped by his past, and when our daughter was born, he insisted that we name her Emily as a way to honor the daughter he almost had with Kelly. He went even further—he had been letting Kelly see our daughter since she turned 1. Alan would take Emily for walks, and Kelly would spend time with her as if she were her own daughter.
Angela shared, “I found the whole situation disturbing and sickening. I told Alan to pack his things and leave our house immediately. He argued, saying he did nothing wrong. But I feel disgusted by the whole thing, and I want Alan out of my life and Emily’s, too. Am I wrong?
