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,

world had exploded, and I’d been left with nothing. When I went back to

tell any of you,

small as I did back then when I learned that Rowan had

with Ava.

I didn’t eat, I didn’t sleep, and I didn’t attend

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

you know. I didn’t want you

how tough

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

would

I discovered she had been going

after that. Molly became

about Rowan every second.” I take a deep breath “It was

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

assignment partner.” 2

After all, we weren’t

of the obsession he had

He stayed out of my way and

but now more than ever,

for some time. They weren’t perfect,

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

Rowan fell in love with his son at first sight.

to breathe through

so fucking hard.

was in pain, and I was really angry. Angry at myself for turning down Rowan’s

and sleeping with Ava, angry at Ava for

angry at the baby for

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

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

2/5

*15 BONUS

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 hurt, I would have gotten my

it for Rowan and in the end I gave it

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

I been wrong. I hadn’t planned for what was to

to ignoring each other like the other didn’t exist, that is, until my period was late. A cheap test.

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

my mistake to always be

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

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

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

to get me pregnant. Looking

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

anyone to know.”

tell me that during all the years

a virgin?” Travis asks

we started dating, which was at

a vagina. When I’d told him

till I was ready. My biggest regret

3/5

“Can we not talk about this? It

+15 BONUS

question, yes I was still a virgin. Anyway,” 1 paused.

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

asks, her voice ringing with horror

my head. “Calvin threatened