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,

had exploded, and I’d been left with nothing. When I

any of you, but I fell into

small as I did back then when

with Ava.

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

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

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

tough things were

had so much bitterness and

how far I’d fallen, she would have

she had been going through her own

Molly became my anchor. My grades were

Rowan every second.” I take a deep breath

that I met Calvin again. It turns out we went to

assignment partner.” 2

we weren’t friends. I

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

being weary of him. We co–existed. He stayed out of my way and

but now more than ever, I knew they wouldn’t

some time.

me know that Ava had given birth

his son at first

to breathe through

so fucking hard.

was in pain, and I was really angry. Angry at myself for turning

with Ava, angry at Ava for

man I loved and angry at the baby for being

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

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

2/5

*15 BONUS

word would probably get back to Rowan, and that would have hurt him. That’s

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

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

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

went back to ignoring each other like the other didn’t exist, that is, until my period was late. A cheap test. and later, a doctor’s appointment confirmed that I was

had been the worst 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.

of my mistake to

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

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

I didn’t really know

to get me pregnant.

one, but like I said,

anyone to know.”

tell me that during all the years you dated Rowan, you never slept together?

still a virgin?”

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

vagina. When I’d told him I wasn’t

to wait till I was ready. My

3/5

releases a groan uncomfortably “Can we not

+15 BONUS

yes I was still a virgin. Anyway,” 1 paused. “I told Calvin

and I wanted to get

an abortion?” Mom asks, her voice ringing with horror

head. “Calvin threatened