Every time I came back from a trip, my dog Bella looked… different. New perfume, new bows, freshly groomed — and my husband Jason, who once said she “smelled weird,” suddenly adored her. He claimed it was just bonding. I wasn’t buying it.

After one trip, Bella wore a sparkling collar with a heart pendant. Jason said the old one broke, but when he left the room, I flipped it over. Written inside in black marker: “YOUR HUSBAND IS A CHEATER.” My heart dropped. Bella blinked up at me. “You little traitor,” I whispered.

Determined to uncover the truth, I hid a camera in Bella’s collar and pretended to leave town. Through glitchy footage, I watched Jason take her to a strange house — where a woman greeted him warmly. Bella wagged her tail like she’d met her soulmate. Then the feed went dark.

Fueled by suspicion, I showed up at the house. A young girl opened the door, grinning. “Hi! You must be Bella’s mom!” she chirped. Jason soon appeared and admitted the truth: Ellie was his daughter from a past relationship. Her mom had only recently told him. The woman I’d seen? Just Ellie’s nanny.

But who wrote the note? Jason was baffled. The nanny looked at Ellie, who tearfully confessed: she had written it. “I just didn’t want to lose my dad again,” she said.

I stared at her, my heart softening. It wasn’t betrayal — it was a little girl’s fear. Some families form in unexpected ways. And sometimes, love needs time… and a fluffy mediator named Bella.