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,

left with nothing. When I went

tell any of you,

as small as I did back then when

with Ava.

I didn’t sleep, and I didn’t attend classes.

when I refused to get

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

tough

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

she ever found out how far I’d fallen, she would have been ecstatic. It was probably a year and

later that I discovered she had been going through

after that. Molly became my

cry or think about Rowan every second.” I

I met Calvin again. It turns out we went to the same Uni and he was also

assignment partner.” 2

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

any remnants of the obsession

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

but now more than ever, I

going well for some time. They weren’t perfect,

night m alled me to let me

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

came to the surface.” I try to breathe through the

so fucking hard.

I was really angry. Angry at myself for turning down Rowan’s

for getting drunk and sleeping with Ava, angry at Ava for getting pregnant

I loved and angry at the baby for

hear a sharp intake of air. I don’t need to turn to know that it is from Rowan.

around Noah because if everything had gone the way I wanted it to, then

2/5

*15 BONUS

Rowan, and that would have hurt him. That’s why I slept with Calvin that night, because I counted on Rowan’s friend telling him.

was saving it for Rowan and in the end I gave it to the guy who kept

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 one–night stand and that would be the end of

for what

is, until my period was late. A cheap test. and later,

news I’ve ever received. Deep in my heart, I believed that one day Rowan and I would get back together. I didn’t want an unwanted baby to hinder that. I didn’t want

my mistake to always be in

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

was new to me. To

the–the first time I’ve ever h–had s–sex so I didn’t really

tha‘ n’t really enough to get me pregnant. Looking back,

get one, but

anyone to know.”

me that during all the years you dated

still a virgin?” Travis

Before we started dating, which was at seventeen, he’d previously

that walked and had a vagina.

till I was ready. My biggest regret was

3/5

we not talk about this? It was

+15 BONUS

a virgin.

want the child and I wanted to get rid of it,

abortion?” Mom asks, her voice ringing with horror

anything, but nod my head. “Calvin threatened to