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,

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

any of you, but I

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

with Ava.

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

when I refused

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

tough

memory. I had so much bitterness and

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

she had been going through

well after that. Molly became my anchor. My grades were

Rowan every second.” I take

It turns out we

assignment partner.” 2

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

any remnants of the obsession

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

This was hard. I wanted to stop, but now more than ever, I knew they wouldn’t

some

alled me to let me know that Ava had given birth

at first sight. Everything around me crumbled, and all

the surface.” I try to breathe through the pain of

so fucking hard.

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

and sleeping with Ava,

angry at the

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

gone the way I wanted it

2/5

*15 BONUS

me I knew he always disliked Calvin for the way he crushed on 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. He would have been so hurt, I would have gotten my revenge, and maybe then it

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

I loved. I told Calvin that it was a mistake and that

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

had been the worst news I’ve ever received. Deep in my heart, I believed that one day Rowan

mistake to always be in

morning after?” mom asks,

new to me. To put it plainly, I was

ever h–had s–sex so I didn’t really know that I should

enough to get

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

anyone to know.”

tell me that during all the years you dated Rowan, you

a virgin?” Travis asks

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

had a vagina.

was ready.

3/5

not talk about this? It was years

+15 BONUS

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

didn’t want the child and I wanted to

asks, her voice ringing

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