When Lori and Chris returned from their picturesque honeymoon, they were filled with excitement and couldn’t wait to start their journey as a married couple. Little did they know that their lives were about to take a dramatic turn.

As they stepped through the front door, their home seemed just as they had left it before their honeymoon adventure. Except for one thing – a large black box placed in the hallway. The couple’s anticipation quickly turned to curiosity as they spotted the mysterious box.

Lori couldn’t help but stop in her tracks. “What is that?” she asked, the question hanging in the air between them. Chris, with a furrowed brow, admitted that the box hadn’t been there when they left. It was definitely not a wedding present.

Beside the box, there was a note on the hallway table. Its writing was jagged and unfamiliar. Lori picked up the note, feeling a chill creep into the room. The note simply said, “Lori, open this alone.”

Curiosity got the better of them as they decided to open the box together, just to be safe. Inside, they found a huge stuffed bear with a giant red heart sewn onto its chest. The surprising discovery prompted laughter and relief – it seemed someone was playing a harmless prank.

But something about the bear felt off to Lori. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this gift than met the eye. The embroidered words on the heart caught her attention, “Press Me.”

Curiosity turned into caution as both Lori and Chris hesitated. The bear seemed to hold a secret, and they couldn’t resist finding out what it was. Chris encouraged Lori to press the heart, thinking it was just a toy. Little did they know, their world was about to shatter.

A small, innocent voice echoed from the bear, calling out “Daddy? Daddy, are you there?” Chris froze beside Lori, his complexion turning pale. The mysterious voice continued, desperately longing for her father’s presence, talking about being alone and cold in the hospital.

And then, the unimaginable happened. Another voice, a deeper voice, spoke up – it was Chris. He responded to his daughter, making excuses for not being able to visit her. Lori’s heart sank as she realized the truth that had been hidden from her.

Chris had a daughter, a sick daughter, and he had abandoned her without a word. The revelation crushed Lori, leaving her feeling betrayed and deceived. She had married a man who had a past she knew nothing about.

Lori could barely comprehend the weight of the situation. As the truth sank in, she noticed a white envelope tucked in the box. Trembling, she opened it and read a letter that shattered her heart even more.

The letter revealed that Chris had left his sick daughter and her mother without a trace. The little girl had battled cancer, and despite her mother’s efforts, she lost her life at the young age of five. All that remained was the stuffed bear and a heart full of pain and unanswered questions.

Lori’s world came crashing down. The man she thought she knew, the man she had just married, had abandoned his own child in her time of need. The truth about Chris’s past was devastating, and it was clear that their marriage could not continue.

Emotions overwhelmed Lori as she made the painful decision to end their marriage. She couldn’t bear the thought of being with a man who could abandon his own family so callously. The trust was broken, and there was no way forward for them.

As Chris left, the house fell into an unsettling silence. Alone in the hallway, Lori reflected on the events that had unfolded. She couldn’t help but wonder if their marriage could have survived if Chris had been honest from the beginning. However, she knew that staying with someone who could so easily walk away from his own child was not an option.

Lori sat on the porch, sipping her tea, contemplating the filing for divorce the next day. The short-lived marriage had taught her a valuable lesson. She couldn’t ignore the true character of a person, especially in the face of adversity. For Lori, it was a painful realization that she had made the right choice, even though it meant starting over.