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

of you, but I fell

I did back then when I learned that Rowan

with Ava.

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

noticed this. She started pushing, and when I refused to get better,

to let you know. I didn’t want you

how tough things were for

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

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

I discovered she had been

became my

about Rowan every second.” I take a deep

out we went

assignment partner.” 2

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

the obsession he had for me in

He stayed out of

wanted to stop, but now more than ever, I

were going well for some time. They

until the night m alled me to let me know that Ava had given birth

his son at first sight. Everything

surface.” I try to

so fucking hard.

I was really angry. Angry at myself

sleeping with Ava, angry at Ava for getting pregnant

loved and angry at the baby

sharp intake of air. I don’t need to turn to know

everything had gone the way I wanted it to,

2/5

*15 BONUS

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 I counted on Rowan’s friend telling him.

them, but it’s also how I lost my virginity. I was saving it for Rowan and in the end I gave it to the guy who kept fighting for me to

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 one–night stand and that would

hadn’t planned for what was

that is, until my period was late. A cheap test. and later, a doctor’s appointment confirmed that I was

day Rowan and I would get

of my mistake to always

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

mess, everything was new to me. To put it

the–the first time I’ve ever h–had s–sex so I didn’t really know that I should have. It was

n’t really enough to get me pregnant. Looking back, maybe if

to get one, but like I said, I was so ashamed, I didn’t

anyone to know.”

want to tell me that during all the

a virgin?” Travis

wasn’t. Before we started dating, which was at seventeen, he’d

with anything that walked and had a vagina. When I’d told

till I was ready. My biggest regret was holding out on

3/5

releases a groan uncomfortably “Can we not talk about this? It was

+15 BONUS

a virgin. Anyway,” 1

I wanted to get rid of it, but he

an abortion?” Mom asks, her voice

but nod my head. “Calvin threatened to tell you and dad if I