Every night, my husband waits until I’m asleep before slipping out of bed and disappearing with a secret tablet.
At first, I thought I was imagining things.
Then I started finding strange little clues—and I knew I had to follow him.
It started innocently enough—or so I thought. Tom and I had always shared everything. After six years of marriage, I never felt like he was keeping something from me, until now.
“Babe, you coming to bed?” I asked one night as I climbed under the covers, my voice tinged with the sleepiness of a long day.
“In a bit,” Tom replied, his eyes glued to his phone.
“Just can’t seem to wind down tonight.”
That was the first night he stayed up late. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but then it became a pattern. Every night, I’d drift off, and after a few hours, I’d wake up to the faint creak of the bed as he slid out.
It wasn’t just the late nights—it was what came next that made my heart race.
One night, through half-lidded eyes, I saw him crouch by the bed, reaching underneath.
My breath caught as his hand emerged holding a sleek black tablet I’d never seen before.
He glanced at me—his movements cautious—and when he seemed satisfied I was asleep, he slipped out of the room.
What was he doing?
And why didn’t I know about that tablet?
I convinced myself it was harmless at first. Maybe it was work stuff, or he just needed space. But then came the notes.
Crumpled scraps of paper in his pockets, sometimes, carelessly left on the dresser. Each one with a heart or a sweet little message, written in handwriting I didn’t recognize.
“I love you.” “You make me so happy.”
I stared at one of the notes one night, anger boiling inside me.
Was there someone else? Was I losing him?
That night, I decided enough was enough.
I wasn’t going to lie there and let my imagination torture me. I waited until he reached for that tablet again. My heart pounded as I whispered to myself, Tonight, I’ll follow him.
Tonight, I’ll find out the truth.
It was 1:30 a.m. when I heard the familiar creak of the bed. Tom moved slowly, careful not to wake me, but I was already wide awake.
He reached under the bed, grabbed the tablet, and tiptoed out of the room. A few seconds later, the basement door clicked shut.
This was it. The moment of truth.
I waited a full minute to make sure he wouldn’t come back before slipping out of bed.
I crept down the stairs slowly, each step threatening to betray me. When I reached the basement door, I cracked it open just enough to see him.
He was sprawled on the couch, his tablet glowing in the dark. His expression caught me off guard—he looked… tender, almost vulnerable.
“Finally alone,” he whispered to the screen, his voice barely audible.
“Let’s do it for the last time.”
What the hell is that supposed to mean? I wondered.
Bracing myself for the worst, I leaned closer. But then, instead of sweet whispers to another woman, I heard…
A cartoon theme song.
“What the—?” I mouthed silently.
Was that “Paw Patrol?”
I blinked in disbelief as the cheerful voices of animated puppies filled the basement.
Tom wasn’t FaceTiming some mystery woman. He was watching a kids’ show.
Confused, furious, and still suspicious, I shoved the door open. “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, TOM?” I demanded.
“Why are you sneaking down here every night? Who’s on that tablet?!”
He froze, the tablet slipping from his hands. In the screen’s glow, I could see his face—stunned, yes, but not guilty.
Sad.
“Sarah,” he said quietly, looking straight at me.
“You’re not gonna believe this.”
Tom stared at me, his eyes glistening in the dim light. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the faint jingle of “Paw Patrol” playing on the tablet. I crossed my arms, trying to keep calm.
“Well?” I pressed.
“What’s going on, Tom? Why the sneaking around? Why the tablet?
Who’s Lila?”
He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. “It started a month ago… when Mom had her surgery,” he began, his voice thick.
I blinked. “Your mom?
What does this have to do with her?”
“She was recovering in the hospital,” he explained, sitting back on the couch. “Her room was next to this little girl, Lila. She’s seven.
Blind since birth. She’d just had heart surgery.”
Tom paused, his jaw tightening as he continued. “I met her while visiting Mom.
She was sitting in bed, holding this beat-up plush dog. She told me she loved “Paw Patrol,” but since she couldn’t see, she just tried to imagine what was happening from the voices.”
My mouth went dry.
“That night,” he said, “I watched my first episode. I thought if I could describe it to her—every detail, every expression, the colors of the skies and buildings—it might help her picture it better.”
My heart sank as he spoke.
“I’ve been going every day to see her,” he admitted.
“She’s in foster care. No family visits. She’s… alone, Sarah.
And I just wanted to give her something to look forward to.”
I stumbled back, the weight of his words crushing me. “The notes,” I whispered.
“They’re from her,” he said softly, pulling a crumpled paper from his pocket. “Little thank-you notes.
‘Thank you, Mr. Tom. I love you for making me smile.’”
Tears blurred my vision.
My anger melted, replaced by a sharp ache in my chest.
“Oh, Tom…” I whispered, barely holding it together. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
Tom wasn’t a cheater. He was a hero.
A quiet, humble, selfless hero who had poured his heart into making a lonely little girl feel seen and loved. My anger had melted away, replaced by something else—an ache so deep it was almost unbearable.
But as Tom shared more about Lila’s situation, my heart shattered all over again.
“She’s getting discharged soon,” he said, his voice breaking. “Back to her foster family.
They barely visit her, Sarah. I don’t even think they care.”
Tears streamed down my face before I could stop them. “That’s not fair,” I whispered, my voice trembling.
“She deserves more than that.”
Tom looked at me, his eyes filled with pain. “I know. I’ve been trying to figure out what I can do, but—”
“Tom,” I interrupted, my heart racing, “can we… can we bring her home?
Can we be her family?”
His eyes widened, and for a moment, he just stared at me, as if he didn’t believe what he’d heard. Then, in an instant, he pulled me into the tightest hug of my life.
“Do you mean it?” he asked, his voice muffled against my shoulder. “Do you really mean it, Sarah?”
I nodded, tears soaking my cheeks.
“Yes. I mean it. Let’s bring her home.”
That night, we didn’t sleep.
We stayed up talking, making plans, and Googling adoption processes. By dawn, we were contacting social workers, determined to fight for Lila.
The road wasn’t easy. Months of paperwork, interviews, and emotional highs and lows tested us, but the day we brought Lila home, it was all worth it.
Bringing Lila home wasn’t just a change in our lives—it was a transformation.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page. Tap READ MORE to discover the rest 🔎👇
