I knew something was wrong the moment I saw the box.
It sat on the back of the bathroom shelf like it belonged there—plain, unopened tampons. Not mine. I’d been on birth control for years for medical reasons; I hadn’t needed them since college. I told myself it was nothing. Maybe a guest had forgotten them. Maybe I’d bought them absentmindedly.
But months later, I started noticing the droplets.
Tiny rust-colored specks on the tile near the sink. One on the bathmat. Another beside the toilet. Too small to be dramatic, too frequent to be accidental. Each time I asked Tom, he shrugged. “Probably from shaving,” he said. “You know how clumsy I am.”
I wanted to believe him. I loved him. Loved our quiet mornings, his terrible coffee, the way he kissed my forehead when he thought I was asleep.
Then one night, I opened his bedside drawer looking for a charger.
Two tampons lay inside. Loose. Hidden.
My chest went hollow.
When he came out of the shower, I was sitting on the bed holding them between my fingers.
“What,” I asked quietly, “is this?”
He froze. Water still dripped from his hair down his neck. His eyes darted from my face to the drawer to the tampons like they were a loaded weapon.
“I can explain,” he said.
“That would be great.”
He swallowed hard. For a second I thought he’d lie. I could almost see the excuse forming behind his eyes. But instead he sat down slowly, hands clasped.
“They’re for Lily.”
My stomach dropped. “Who is Lily?”
He flinched. “Not what you think. She’s—she’s my sister’s kid.”
I blinked. “Your sister lives three states away.”
“She did,” he said softly. “She died in April. Ovarian cancer. She didn’t want anyone to know how bad it was. Especially not you—we were already dealing with your job stress and… everything.” His voice cracked. “Lily’s fourteen. She had no one else. I’ve been taking her to school, doctor appointments, therapy. She comes by when you travel for work because she doesn’t want her friends to know she’s basically… alone.”
My anger faltered, confused. “The blood?”
“She gets nosebleeds when she’s anxious,” he said. “Bad ones. I gave her tampons because the school nurse told me they work better than tissues. I didn’t tell you because I promised her I wouldn’t share anything until she was ready. She’s embarrassed. Scared you’d think she was a burden.”
The room went very still.
“You thought I was cheating,” he said gently.
My throat tightened. “I didn’t know what to think.”
He reached into the drawer again and pulled out a folded paper. “She wrote this yesterday. She wanted to give it to you herself, but she chickened out.”
I opened it.
Hi. I’m Lily. I know I’m a secret. I just wanted to say thank you for letting me borrow your house when you’re gone. Your plants are really nice. I water them. I hope you like me someday.
My vision blurred.
“Where is she now?” I whispered.
Tom smiled a little. “Outside. In the car. She said if you looked mad, she’d tell me to drive away.”
I stood so fast the bed creaked. “Bring her in.”
When he opened the front door, a thin girl with nervous eyes stepped inside, clutching a backpack like armor. She looked ready to run.
I knelt in front of her.
“Hey, Lily,” I said softly. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
Her shoulders loosened just a fraction.
And in that moment, the mystery wasn’t frightening anymore.
It was family.
