My Daughter Refused to Let Go of Her New Teddy Bear Until I Discovered a Hidden Camera Inside – Story of the Day

“Mom, why doesn’t Dad love you anymore?” Those words from my 4-year-old daughter made me file for divorce. It was such a hard process, and it still felt so difficult to go through.

Noah and I had been together for 11 years. We grew up together, we went through so much, but gradually, everything started to fall apart.

At first, I ignored it, hoping it was just a phase and everything would be okay again.

Then we tried to fix things, even went to family therapy, but nothing changed. From being a married couple, we became just roommates, raising Maya together.

It hurt so much, but after Maya’s words, I realized it couldn’t go on anymore.

I talked to Noah, filed for divorce, we arranged joint custody, but Maya lived with me. I thought Noah was fine with it, but maybe I was wrong.

One day, my mom came to visit me and Maya. She showed up right at lunchtime, and Maya was eating her soup, holding onto her plush bear.

“Put the toy down, it’s in your way,” my mom said to Maya, trying to take the bear.

“No!” Maya screamed, snatching the bear from my mom’s hands.

My mom looked at me, annoyed.

“It’s a gift from Noah, leave it alone,” I said.

“Dad said the bear is going to watch over me,” Maya said.

“See? She misses her dad,” my mom said, and I rolled my eyes.

“She has a dad, and they spend time together,” I said.

“A child needs a full family. Look at me and your dad, we’ve been together for years,” my mom said.

“Mom, please,” I said.

“Alright, alright,” she replied. “I’m just worried about you. You’ve really fallen apart after the divorce.”

“I’m fine, it’s not forever,” I said.

After Maya finished her soup, she went with my mom to the kids’ room, and I decided to clean up a bit. But my cleaning was interrupted by the doorbell.

When I opened it, I saw Noah standing there.

“Maya forgot her sweater in my car,” he said, handing it to me.

“Thanks,” I said.

“She came over today in dirty clothes,” Noah said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“There was a stain on her tights,” he said.

“Maybe she spilled something, and I didn’t notice,” I said.

“You’re her mom, you’re supposed to notice,” Noah said.

“Are you serious? It’s just a little stain,” I said.

“You’re not taking care of your responsibilities. My child deserves the best mom,” Noah said.

“Go to hell!” I yelled, slamming the door in his face.

Jerk! Calling me a bad mom over a tiny stain on Maya’s tights? It was ridiculous, and it stung.

I couldn’t believe how far Noah had fallen. It was hard to even imagine we once loved each other, with all the memories of us together now feeling like a lifetime ago.

I just wanted to lie on the floor, curl up, and cry until everything went away. But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not while my mom was still here.

Once she left, the house felt too quiet, too empty. I put Maya to bed and went to the living room, hoping a movie might help take my mind off everything.

I tried to focus on the screen, but my mind was racing, my chest tight. After just a few minutes, I felt the tears coming. They didn’t stop. I sobbed, letting the emotions pour out.

Noah’s words echoed in my mind, sharp and biting. He was so full of disdain for me.

How had we come to this? And worse, how was Maya going to deal with all of this? What if his behavior rubbed off on her? What if she started to think the same things about me?

For the first time in years, I was completely alone. My mom was supportive, but it wasn’t the same as having a husband beside me.

The next morning, my mom was already standing at my door with a hot pie in her hands. She must have felt that I was struggling.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I heard what Noah said yesterday. Don’t listen to him, you’re a good mom,” my mom said.

“Thanks,” I said, hugging her.

“You’re doing everything right,” she said.

She handed me the pie and left, and I went to wake Maya up. The morning was just like any other, but I could feel the weight of what had happened the night before still hanging over me. I kissed Maya’s cheek as she groggily opened her eyes.

After I dropped Maya off at daycare, I got in my car and started to drive away.

But then, I glanced in the rearview mirror and realized something. Maya’s teddy bear was still sitting on the backseat. I sighed. I knew she’d be upset if I didn’t bring it to her.

So, I turned the car around, heading back toward the daycare. I pulled up to the curb and grabbed the bear from the backseat.

That’s when I saw it. The eyes of the bear were different. Something wasn’t right.

I squinted at them, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. They didn’t look like normal teddy bear eyes.

I inspected it more closely. My heart skipped a beat when I realized what was wrong.

There, hidden within the plush fabric, was a tiny camera. It was so small, so well hidden, that it took me a second to recognize what it was.

Panic flooded through me, and my breath caught in my throat. Someone had been watching us. Someone had been watching my daughter.

I turned the bear over in my hands, desperate to find out more. On the back, there was a tiny lock. My hands were shaking as I opened it, revealing a small memory card.

I rushed home, my mind racing with a million thoughts. I plugged the memory card into my laptop, terrified of what I might find.

But when the videos started to play, my worst fears were confirmed. There it was. Everything.

Maya, me, our conversations, everything. It was all there. If this got into the wrong hands, Noah could use it to take Maya from me.

I couldn’t believe Noah could do something so horrible, that he would want to take my daughter away from me.

Without thinking for another second, I grabbed the bear and drove to Noah’s. Once I got there, I started banging on his door until he finally opened it.

“Have you lost your mind?” Noah shouted, opening the door.

“You’ve lost your mind!” I shouted.

“What’s wrong with you?” Noah asked.

“How could you! How could you put a camera in a toy to spy on Maya and me?” I screamed.

“What camera?” Noah asked, looking genuinely confused. He was a good actor, I’ll give him that.

“The surveillance camera I found inside Maya’s bear. The one YOU gave her!” I screamed.

“There was a camera in the bear? Oh my God, we have to go to the police. Claire, do you understand how serious this is?” Noah asked.

“Don’t pretend you didn’t know. You put it there!” I yelled.

“Why would I put it there?” Noah asked.

“To take Maya from me,” I said.

“Claire, this is not funny anymore,” Noah said.

“No one’s laughing,” I replied. “I forbid you to come near Maya.”

“You don’t have the right to forbid me, she’s my daughter too,” Noah said, but I wasn’t listening anymore.

I got in my car and drove off, heading straight to my mom’s house to get some support.

“Claire, is everything okay?” my mom asked.

“No, Noah has crossed every line,” I said.

“What happened?” my mom asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now,” I said.

“Alright, I’ll make you some calming tea,” my mom said.

“And where’s Dad?” I asked.

“He went to the market for groceries,” my mom replied, and I nodded.

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell me what happened?” my mom asked.

“I need some time to process,” I said. “Do you have any pills for my headache? I feel like my head’s about to explode.”

“Take them from the living room, in the top drawer,” my mom said.

I went to the living room and opened the top drawer. My mom kept her pills and receipts there.

I grabbed a headache pill, and just as I was about to close the drawer, a receipt caught my eye.

It was from an electronics store, and it was fairly recent. I pulled it out, and my hands started shaking when I saw what my mom had bought.

“What are you talking about?” my mom asked, looking confused.

“You put a hidden camera in Maya’s bear!” I shouted.

“Claire, I didn’t…” my mom trailed off.

“And I even blamed Noah for it! What the hell is going on in your head?” I screamed.

“I didn’t do anything,” my mom said.

“Don’t lie to me!” I yelled, throwing the receipt in front of her. It clearly showed she’d bought a surveillance camera.

“How could you?” I screamed.

“Because a child needs a full family!” my mom shouted.

“And what were you planning to do? Take Maya for yourself?” I screamed.

“Exactly. Your dad and I raised you well, we’d raise Maya just as well,” my mom said.

“I can’t believe this! You’re my closest person! I trusted you!” I screamed.

“I did it for Maya! And for you! You’re obviously not handling this!” my mom screamed.

“I’m handling everything just fine! And my daughter has both parents!” I shouted.

“But you’re not living together!” my mom screamed.

“I’m tired of hearing this! You’re forbidden to come near me or Maya. If you show up again, I’ll go to the police!” I screamed, then ran out of her house and jumped into my car.

It was hard to believe my mom could do something like this, but deep down, I knew it was true.

I couldn’t wrap my head around it, but the evidence was right in front of me. With trembling hands, I sent Noah a message, apologizing and trying to explain everything.

I quickly shoved my phone into my bag, determined not to let it control me anymore. No one was going to take Maya from me, no matter what it cost.