Young children can’t hide the truth. So when my five-year-old, Lisa, picked up her dad’s phone and whispered, “I can’t keep secrets from Mommy,” my heart stopped. I quickly snatched the phone from her, and what I heard next would set off a painful journey of uncovering the truth.

It was Friday night, and Mark, my husband, had left his phone on the counter while he went upstairs. I was busy folding laundry when Lisa came running to me, holding the phone.

“Mommy, Daddy’s phone is ringing!” she said excitedly, swiping it to answer.

“Hello?” she giggled. “Daddy’s not here. Who is this?”

I didn’t think much of it until she suddenly went silent.

Then, in a hushed voice, she said, “Okay… but I can’t keep secrets from Mommy.”

A wave of unease washed over me.

“Lisa, sweetie, who is it?” I asked, trying to stay calm.

She simply put the phone down, leaving the call open.

I grabbed it in a panic.

Then, a woman’s voice came through, smooth and playful.

“That’s alright, darling. Daddy and I have plenty of secrets.”

My stomach sank.

“Lisa, what did she say?”

“She asked if Daddy was home,” Lisa replied, then hesitated. “Then she said she’d see him tonight.”

That night, Mark told me he had a “late work meeting.” I smiled, nodded, kissed him goodbye.

But ten minutes later, I grabbed my keys, started the car, and followed him.