Ex-Husband's Regret

Her side of the story
Mom collapses in the chair after my admission. The heartbroken look in her eyes was undoing

me. The disappointed look she gave me nearly made me crumble on the spot.
Travis, who had been holding me, lets go as if I had burned him. He backs away from me slowly

until he’s a few feet away.

I know the rest had varying degrees of shock, but they didn’t matter to me right now. Not when

my family was looking at me like they didn’t know me. Like I was a stranger.

“Please tell me you’re playing a sick joke on me,” Mom pleads. “Tell me you didn’t have a child and

kept him hidden from us all these years.”

I want to lie to them just so the heartbroken and disappointed look in their eyes will disappear. I

know that I can no longer do that. There was no hiding from this. There was no more running from

the truth.

“I’m sorry. So sorry,” I cry as I stumble towards her. “I wanted to tell you, but I was so ashamed.”

I go to take her hand, but she flinches and pulls it away.

This is what I’ve been so afraid of. Ava was right. I was the perfect daughter. The one who never

made any mistakes.

The one that thought things through before, except for that one time. Now their image of me is

tarnished. Now they know that I am just like them. Human. The Ace card I had over Ava was gone. 2

I was in the same boat as Ava. I made mistakes that are now hunting me. Sleeping with Calvin

remains the greatest mistak

y life.

“H–How did this happen? When did it happen…did dad now?” Travis asks as he paces, frustration

clear in his steps.

“Dad didn’t know. No one except Calvin and Molly knew.” I look at the ground, unable to face the

look on my mom’s face.

“Start from the beginning and don’t leave a single thing out. I want to know why the hell you’ve

kept my grandson a secret from his family,” Mom growls, her eyes turning fierce.

I didn’t want to rehash the past, but at this point, I don’t think I had any choice. If I didn’t want

them to be even madder than they were right now, then I had to spill it.

1/5

+15 BONUS

“When Rowan married Ava, I was broken I tried not to let it show. Tried to make you, dad, and

Travis believe I was okay because you were all so worried about me. I felt like I was drowning,

been left

any of you, but I fell into

feeling as small as I did back then when

with Ava.

didn’t sleep, and I didn’t attend classes. In fact, I rarely

and when I refused to

know. I didn’t want you to know how I was struggling. I didn’t want

tough things were for

lost in memory. I had so much bitterness and resentment towards Ava back

I’d fallen, she would

she had been going through

that. Molly became my anchor. My grades were

Rowan every second.”

turns out we went to the same Uni

assignment partner.” 2

really talk to him. After all, we weren’t friends. I tolerated him because

any remnants of the obsession he had for

We co–existed. He stayed out of my way and I stayed out

wanted to stop, but now more than ever, I knew

said, things were going well for some time. They weren’t perfect, but they

me to let me know that Ava had given

son at first sight. Everything around me crumbled, and all the

I try to breathe through the pain of

so fucking hard.

angry. Angry

with Ava, angry at Ava for

loved and angry

air. I don’t need to turn to know that it is from

Noah because if everything had gone the way I wanted

2/5

*15 BONUS

he always disliked Calvin for the way he crushed on me, so that night I approached Calvin and seduced him I knew word would probably get back to Rowan, and that would have hurt him. That’s why I slept with Calvin that night, because

Rowan and in

regretted it the next morning. It had been foolish of me to sleep with a guy I didn’t even like just to get back at the man I loved. I told Calvin that it was a mistake and that he should forget about what happened between us. I snuck out of his room, and I thought that was that. That it was a terrible

what was to come next. What destiny had planned

the other didn’t exist, that is, until my period was late. A cheap test. and later, a doctor’s appointment confirmed that

ever received. Deep in my heart, I believed that one day Rowan and I would get

my mistake to always be in

an emergency pill the morning after?” mom asks, making me blush

complete mess, everything was new to me. To put it plainly, I

s–sex so I didn’t really know that I should have.

so I assumed tha‘ n’t really enough to get

to get one, but like I said, I was

anyone to know.”

to tell me that during all the years you dated Rowan, you

still a virgin?” Travis

we started dating, which

and had a vagina. When I’d

till I was ready.

3/5

releases a groan uncomfortably “Can we not talk about

+15 BONUS

yes I was still a virgin. Anyway,” 1

want the child and I wanted to get rid of it, but he wouldn’t let

Mom asks, her voice ringing with

my head. “Calvin threatened