I Noticed Likes on My Husband’s Facebook Page from His Ex — Then My Little Daughter Said She Knows Her

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I was just looking for one simple photo. That’s all.

A picture from last month’s anniversary party—Sam and me, smiling with our daughter, Lily, who had frosting smeared all over her face. I thought it would be fun to print and frame it for our living room. But as I scrolled through Sam’s Facebook feed, something strange caught my eye.

A woman I didn’t recognize had been liking every single one of his posts. And not just liking—commenting.

Her name was Ella.

At first, I tried to dismiss it. Maybe she was just a coworker or an old friend. But the more I scrolled, the more uneasy I felt. The comments weren’t just friendly. They were personal.

“Looking good as always!” she had written on a picture of Sam and me from a fancy dinner two months ago.

That was enough to put me on edge, but then I saw her comment on Lily’s birthday picture. In the photo, Lily was beaming, wearing a pair of sparkling fairy wings and a silver plastic crown.

“Oh wow, you took my suggestion about the wings! So glad Lily liked them ❤️.”

I froze. Her suggestion? Why was this woman giving Sam advice on what to buy for our daughter?

My heart pounded as I clicked on her profile, desperate for answers. Her photos showed a beautiful woman with bright, mischievous eyes and a smile that seemed to glow. She looked vaguely familiar, but I was certain I had never met her. There wasn’t much information about her on her page, but one thing was clear—Sam had liked nearly every one of her photos.

Just then, Lily bounced into the room, her pigtails swinging. She glanced at my screen and let out an excited squeal.

“Ella!” she pointed, grinning from ear to ear.

I felt my stomach drop. “You know her?” I tried to sound casual, but my voice came out strained.

“Of course, silly! Don’t you?” Lily giggled, hopping on one foot. “We see her all the time.”

I swallowed hard. “What do you mean, all the time?”

Lily twirled around, completely oblivious to my growing dread. “Every Wednesday after school. Daddy picks me up, and we meet Ella! She’s so much fun! We get ice cream, and sometimes we feed the ducks at the pond. But we use special duck food, ‘cause Ella says bread isn’t good for them.”

My breath caught in my throat. Every Wednesday. That was when I worked late, thinking Sam and Lily were having father-daughter time.

Lily suddenly stopped spinning. Her little hands clamped over her mouth, her eyes going wide with realization. “Oh no! I wasn’t supposed to tell.”

My hands clenched into fists. “Why not?”

“Daddy said it was our special secret.” Lily shifted nervously. “He said sometimes grown-ups need to keep secrets to avoid hurting other grown-ups’ feelings.”

A secret. My husband was sneaking around with another woman—and he had brought our daughter into it.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to smile. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Why don’t you go play with your dolls?”

As soon as she skipped away, I sat there in silence, my mind racing. I stared at my phone screen, but all I could see was my own reflection—a woman who suddenly wasn’t sure she knew her husband at all.

I had to know the truth.

The next day, I called in sick to work for the first time in three years. I parked across from Lily’s school, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white.

Sam’s white car pulled up, and I watched as he checked his phone, probably texting her. My heart pounded as Lily ran out of the school building, her light-up sneakers flashing with every step. Sam helped her into the car, checking her seatbelt twice before pulling away.

I followed at a safe distance.

After a short drive, Sam parked at a small park near the school. He and Lily sat on a bench near the playground, chatting as he checked his watch. My heart pounded in my chest. Was he waiting for her?

Then, a car pulled up. The woman from the Facebook photos stepped out, her dark hair shining in the sunlight.

And that’s when it hit me.

I knew who she was.

Ella. Sam’s high school sweetheart. The one from all his old prom photos. The one he had never really talked about.

I watched in stunned silence as Lily ran to her, arms outstretched. “Ella! Ella!”

Ella scooped her up, spinning her around like they were family. Sam walked over, grinning like a lovesick teenager. Then, he wrapped his arms around Ella and kissed her cheek.

A sickening wave of nausea hit me. I felt like my world was crumbling around me.

I followed them as they walked to a small café across the street. I waited for a few minutes before stepping inside, my legs shaking with every step.

Ella sat alone at the table, scrolling through her phone. Sam and Lily were at the counter, probably ordering Lily’s favorite hot fudge sundae.

I took a deep breath and walked straight up to her. “Hi,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “I’m Sam’s wife.”

Her phone slipped from her hands and clattered onto the table. She looked up at me, eyes wide with shock. “I know,” she whispered.

“Sarah?” Sam’s voice broke behind me.

I turned slowly to see him standing there, his face pale. Lily clutched his leg, looking confused.

“Sit down,” Ella said quickly. “Please. This isn’t what you think.”

I crossed my arms. “Then explain.”

Ella swallowed hard. “Sam and I dated in high school, yes. But this… it’s not what you’re imagining.”

She hesitated, glancing at Sam before continuing. “My husband passed away last year,” she said, her voice trembling. “We always wanted kids, but it never happened. I started thinking of adopting, but I was terrified I wouldn’t be a good mother. I knew Sam was a father, so I reached out to him for advice.”

I blinked, trying to process her words. “And so… what? You tested your mothering skills on my daughter?”

Sam jumped in. “It wasn’t like that. I just thought spending time with Lily might help her feel more confident about her decision.”

Ella nodded. “And it did.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a photo, sliding it across the table. A little girl with bright eyes and braided hair smiled back at me. “This is Maya. She’s four. She’s waiting for me in Arizona. I’m adopting her.”

I stared at the picture, my anger slowly unraveling into something else—understanding.

“This is my last week here,” Ella added softly. “I never meant to cause problems. Sam talks about you all the time, about what an amazing mother you are. I just hoped some of that magic might rub off on me.”

I studied her face, then Sam’s, then my daughter’s innocent eyes.

I let out a slow breath. “No more secrets.”

“Never again,” Sam promised.

I turned to Ella, seeing her now not as a threat, but as a woman just trying to find her way to motherhood, like I had once done. And for the first time since this started, I felt something close to peace.