One afternoon, Demi walked through the door, red-eyed and silent.
“Demi,” I called, moving toward her. “Are you okay?”
She shrugged, avoiding my gaze.
“It’s just school stuff, Dad. Nothing serious.”
I wanted to push, but you have to choose your battles with teenagers. I let it go—for the moment.
But each day after that, she came home looking the same. Sad, angry, withdrawn.
Finally, I brought it up with Nora.
“She’s shutting us out,” I said. “Something’s wrong.”
Nora agreed to talk to her.
But when Nora tried, Demi’s reaction shocked us both.
“Don’t touch me. Don’t talk to me. Leave me alone!” she shouted before storming to her room.
It was clear now: whatever was happening wasn’t normal teenage moodiness.
The next day, I decided to visit Demi’s school.
Traffic delayed me, so by the time I arrived, students were already pouring out. I spotted Demi immediately—standing with a girl who looked so much like her, it made me pause. They shared the same dark hair, the same smile. Like mirror images.
Before I could approach, a car pulled up. The other girl hopped in, and when I glanced at the driver, my stomach dropped.
It was Todd.
Todd—a man from Nora’s past. Someone she had once told me she was no longer in contact with.
I called out his name, but he avoided my gaze and drove away quickly.
That night, I confronted Nora.
“Nora, I saw Todd today. He picked up a girl who looks almost identical to Demi.”
Her face paled.
“That’s… surprising,” she said, voice shaking slightly.
Before she could offer more weak explanations, Demi walked into the room, arms crossed, trembling with anger.
“Why don’t you just tell him, Mom?” she said. “He deserves to know.”
Nora tried to quiet her, but Demi wouldn’t back down.
“That girl—Sierra—is my sister,” Demi said, her voice cracking. “I found out a few weeks ago. Todd told me. He showed me a picture of you two together… and you were pregnant, Mom.”
I turned to Nora, feeling the world tilt beneath me.
“Is it true?” I asked, barely recognizing my own voice.
Nora’s eyes filled with tears.
“I’m so sorry, Billy,” she whispered. “I made a terrible mistake years ago. I… I was unfaithful. I thought I could move on. I thought it would never come out.”
For thirteen years, she had kept this secret.
I looked at Demi—our daughter, caught in the middle of lies she never asked for—and I felt my heart break all over again.
I hugged her tightly.
“This isn’t your fault,” I whispered. “I love you. Nothing changes that.”
Later that night, I sat with Nora. The hurt, the betrayal—it was too much to bear.
“You didn’t just lie to me,” I said. “You lied to Demi. You built our lives on a lie.”
She begged for forgiveness, pleaded that we could work through it.
But some betrayals cut too deep.
I made my decision.
A few months later, Demi and I moved into a new place. I filed for divorce and was awarded full custody. It wasn’t easy, but we were healing—together.
Sometimes, the truth shatters everything.
But sometimes, it sets you free.