When I asked my daughter Ellie who else she wanted at her birthday, she smiled and said, “The pretty lady who visits Daddy when you’re at work.” My heart stopped. I had no idea who she meant, but Ellie was sure: the woman with long hair who always hugged Daddy goodbye.

I didn’t confront my husband, Jake, right away. Instead, I waited. On party day, the doorbell rang and there she was. A young woman with long dark hair, holding a gift bag. “Hi, I’m Lila,” she said softly. Ellie ran over, beaming. “Mommy, that’s her!” Jake went pale the second he saw her. In the kitchen, the truth came out:

Lila wasn’t a mistress. She was Jake’s daughter from before we met a daughter he only learned about months ago, after her mother passed away. He had been too scared to tell me, letting Ellie innocently reveal her existence instead. At first, I was furious. But as Lila spoke about losing her mom, finding her dad, and wanting a family my anger gave way to something else.

Later, I found Ellie showing Lila a drawing of our family. She’d added a new figure, labeled “Big Sister.” It wasn’t the birthday I’d imagined, but in a strange way, Ellie’s wish gave us something we never expected: a chance to welcome someone new into our hearts.