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,

been left with nothing. When I

you, but I fell

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

with Ava.

I didn’t sleep, and

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

you to know how I was

how tough

much

would have been ecstatic. It was

I discovered she had been going

after that. Molly became my anchor. My grades were

or think about Rowan every second.”

again. It turns out we went to the same Uni and he

assignment partner.” 2

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

he didn’t show any remnants of the obsession he had for me in high school,

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

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

well for some

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

in love with his son at first sight. Everything around me

hiding came to the surface.” I try to breathe through the

so fucking hard.

really angry. Angry at myself for turning

sleeping with Ava, angry at Ava for getting pregnant

man I loved and angry at the baby for

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

gone the way I wanted

2/5

*15 BONUS

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

I lost my virginity. I was saving it for Rowan and

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 be the

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

exist, that is, until my period was late. A cheap test. and later, a

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.

my mistake to always be in my

the morning after?” mom asks,

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

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

I assumed tha‘ n’t really enough to

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

anyone to know.”

that during all the

a virgin?” Travis asks

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

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

planned to wait till I was ready.

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uncomfortably “Can we not talk about this? It

+15 BONUS

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

to get rid of it, but he wouldn’t let

Mom asks, her voice ringing with horror

nod my head. “Calvin threatened