I put a lot of effort into planning the party, which we were hosting in our backyard. I ordered a large pink cake adorned with seven candles and decorated every possible area with festive balloons.

Yet as I moved around, greeting everyone and making sure the kids had snacks, both inside the house and outside in the yard, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

Her glittery princess dress sparkled under the light, but her face was subdued. At one point, when the party was in full swing, I knelt beside her, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Don’t you want to play with your friends?”

She shrugged, her eyes darting away. “I guess.”

“Are you nervous about all the people?” I asked. “It’s okay to feel a little shy.”

Bruce, my husband, appeared then with his usual easygoing grin in place. “Pumpkin, come help me get a game of tag going,” he said, clapping his hands together. “We need the birthday girl to truly have fun!”

Joyce hesitated but nodded. For a moment, she seemed distracted, but the serious look in her eyes didn’t vanish.

I tried not to let my worry show as more guests arrived.

Both sets of grandparents were there. My mom fussed over the food in the kitchen, and Harold, Bruce’s dad, wanted to chat with me. The others also needed attention. In short, it was a little hectic.

“Joyce, let’s open some presents!” I called out, waving her over.

She nodded and walked slowly to the table where the gifts were stacked. The guests gathered around, their conversations fading as she began to unwrap the first box.

It was a dollhouse from my parents, complete with miniature furniture. “Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa,” she said softly, setting it aside.

I kept smiling, encouraging her, but inside, I was starting to panic.

When she finished, I clasped my hands together and tried to sound peppy. “Alright, everyone, time for cake!”

The kids cheered as we brought out the cake. Joyce climbed onto a chair at the head of the table and finally smiled at the seven candles flickering as if this moment was all she ever wanted in the first place.

My heart eased somewhat as people started singing “Happy Birthday.”

“Make it a good one, sweetheart,” I said just as the song was ending.

My daughter blew out her candles and before people could cheer, she uttered her wish loudly, “I wish Dad never leaves me for his new baby.”

The world froze. An earthquake could’ve rocked our town, and none of us would have noticed.

I only snapped out of my stupor because Bruce exhaled loudly beside me. Glancing up, I noticed his smile was gone, and his face had paled. But my attention went back to my daughter, who reached into her pocket and offered me something.

“I found this in Dad’s briefcase,” she said, biting her lip.

My hands wrapped around a small, pink pacifier with a note tied to it. “You’ll become a dad soon,” it read in neat handwriting.

I stared at the item while my mind tried to make sense of this situation. Slowly, I turned back to Bruce, who avoided my gaze, guilt evident in his eyes.

“What is this?” I asked, holding up the pacifier. “Bruce, what does this mean?”

Bruce opened his mouth, but no words came out. He looked at me, then at Joyce, and back at me again. “It’s not what you think,” he finally muttered.

“Then explain it,” I snapped, struggling not to yell. “Why does our daughter think you’re leaving us for another baby? And why was this in your briefcase?”

Joyce’s lower lip quivered as she looked between us. “Please Daddy,” she begged, her lip quivering. “I wished it, so you can’t leave us now.”

I went to her side and pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” I said firmly, stroking her hair. “Daddy’s not leaving us. We’re going to figure this out, okay?”

Once inside, he sighed and sank onto our bed, his shoulders slumping. “I didn’t know Joyce had found that,” he said, shaking his head. “I didn’t want anyone to find it.”

“For Pete’s sake! Just tell me what’s going on!” I demanded, crossing my arms and pacing around the room.

He hesitated once. “The pacifier belonged to an employee at work,” he began. “A woman named Claire. She passed away recently, and she was pregnant, it seems.”

Bruce looked away, and I felt a knot form in my stomach. But he quickly turned back to me.

“When she died, I had to go through her desk and fill a box with her things. I found the pacifier and the note. It was meant for her husband, I assume,” he confessed, rubbing his neck. “I guess she was going to surprise him with the news. But when I saw it, I didn’t know what to do. He came in later that day to pick up the box. Honey, he was so devastated. I just couldn’t bring myself to give it to him, to make everything worse. So… I kept it.”

I slumped on the bed next to him, exhaling loudly. “Are you serious? Why would you—” I paused, rubbing my eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Bruce glanced at my face. “I didn’t want you to misunderstand. I didn’t want you to think there was something inappropriate going on between Claire and me. I thought I could figure out the right time to give it to him, but it’s been days, and I feel so bad about taking it.”

I nodded, understanding better now. I reached up to wrap an arm around him, and we stayed silent for several minutes.

“I handled everything wrong, but the last thing I expected was Joyce finding it and misinterpreting it like she did,” Bruce said. “She’s smarter than I gave her credit for.”

“Sweetheart, Daddy’s not going anywhere,” I said softly, after cornering my daughter in the backyard for a second. “He was just trying to help someone, but he made a mistake. We’re going to be okay.”

Joyce still looked worried. “He’s not leaving us for another baby?” she asked. “Charlie’s dad left for another baby.”

Bruce and I exchanged a look, understanding her wish better now. Charlie was a kid at her school who moved away because his parents got divorced… over an affair.

“Now, will you enjoy the rest of your party?” I asked, hopeful.

A tentative but truly genuine smile broke over her face as she nodded. A second later, she ran off to her friends, who luckily seemed unfazed by the issue with the pacifier.

“Son, that man needs to know about this, even if it hurts him more,” Harold insisted, frowning. “It’s simply not your secret to keep.”

My husband nodded seriously and promised to rectify his mistake the following Monday.

After all the adults were told, the party continued. Luckily, my daughter’s lighter mood made everything better, so her birthday didn’t turn into a complete scandal. We will certainly always remember it, though.

By the time everyone left, I was drained.

When I went back to our bedroom, though, I found Bruce staring at the pink pacifier clutched in his hand. I realized then that he was the one who learned a lesson about rummaging and taking people’s things.

I felt terrible for the family who had lost their future, and I knew he blamed himself for possibly making things worse. Therefore, later that night, I held him tightly, telling him everything would be alright when he returned the pacifier and apologized.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.