“She’s my daughter.”
I felt the air leave my lungs.
“What?” I whispered.
Lance ran a hand through his hair, pacing the living room. “Her name is Emma. She’s twenty-three.”
I stared at him, trying to make sense of the words. “Twenty-three? That means…”
“I was eighteen,” he said quietly. “It was before we met. I didn’t even know she existed.”
The room felt too small.
“Her mom reached out a few months ago,” he continued. “She told Emma about me. Emma wanted to meet.”
“And the ‘guys’ trips’?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“That’s when I’ve been seeing her,” he admitted. “I didn’t know how to tell you. I was scared.”
“Scared of what?” I snapped. “Of me? Or of looking like a liar?”
“Of losing you,” he said honestly. “I should’ve told you the truth. I just… I didn’t want to drop something this big on you without being sure.”
I looked down at the bracelet in my hand. It was simple, silver, delicate — nothing romantic about it. Just a young woman’s jewelry.
“She left it in the truck by accident,” he added softly. “We grabbed lunch. She showed me pictures from her graduation. She calls me ‘Dad’ now.”
Tears burned behind my eyes — anger, shock, relief all tangled together.
“You let me think you were cheating,” I said.
“I know,” he replied. “And that’s on me. I was wrong.”
Silence stretched between us.
“Why didn’t you trust me enough to tell me?” I asked.
“I didn’t trust myself,” he admitted. “I’ve missed twenty-three years of her life. I’m trying to make up for it. I panicked.”
I sat down slowly.
“You lied to me every month.”
“I lied about where I was,” he said. “But not about loving you. Never that.”
I studied his face — the same man I’d built a life with. The same eyes. The same nervous habit of rubbing his thumb over his wedding ring.
“Does she want to meet me?” I finally asked.
He looked up, surprised. “You’d… you’d want that?”
“She’s part of your life,” I said quietly. “Which makes her part of mine.”
His shoulders sagged with relief.
“I’m sorry,” he said again.
I held up the bracelet. “Next time,” I warned, “don’t make me find out like this.”
He nodded.
And for the first time that night, I believed him.
