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,

and I’d been left with nothing. When

tell any of you, but

down on the grass, feeling as small as I did back then

with Ava.

sleep, and I didn’t attend classes. In

and when I

you guys to let you know. I didn’t want you to know how I was

tough

had so much bitterness and

how far I’d fallen, she would have been

discovered she had been going through her

after that. Molly became my

second.” I take a deep breath “It

I met Calvin again. It turns out we went to the same

assignment partner.” 2

After all, we

when he didn’t show any remnants of the obsession he had

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

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

for some time. They weren’t perfect,

is, until the night m alled me to let me know

his son at first sight. Everything

to breathe through the pain of

so fucking hard.

I was really angry. Angry at myself

drunk and sleeping with Ava, angry at Ava for

loved and angry at the baby for being

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

had gone the way I wanted it to, then

2/5

*15 BONUS

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. He would have been so

them, but it’s also how I lost my virginity. I was saving it for Rowan and in the

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

I been wrong. I hadn’t planned for what was to come next. What destiny had

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

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

to

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

being a complete mess, everything was new to me. To

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

really enough to get me

would have aused me to get one, but like I said, I

anyone to know.”

all the years you dated Rowan, you

a virgin?” Travis asks in

dating, which was at

vagina. When I’d told

I was ready. My biggest regret was holding out on

3/5

“Can we not talk about this? It

+15 BONUS

still a virgin. Anyway,” 1 paused.

to get rid of it, but he wouldn’t let

Mom asks, her

“Calvin threatened to tell you and dad if I went