When my five-year-old son asked to visit “Daddy’s other kids” at a “secret house,” my heart sank. I had no idea what he meant, and my mind raced with fears of betrayal. Tim described balloons, juice boxes, and kids calling Jake “Dad.” I struggled to understand how my husband could keep something so big from me. That innocent question shattered the calm of our everyday life.
Curious and worried, I checked Tim’s tablet GPS and found a strange address far from home. The dot lingered there for hours on a weekend when I was away for work. I drove to the house, nervous and unsure what I’d find. There, I saw Jake holding a toddler’s hand, surrounded by happy children and a kind woman who welcomed me warmly. It was nothing like the secret I had feared.