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,

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

any of you,

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

with Ava.

fading away. I didn’t eat, I didn’t sleep, and I didn’t attend classes. In fact, I

and when I

want you to know how I was struggling.

tough things were for

in memory. I had so much

I’d fallen, she would have been ecstatic. It

I discovered she had been going through

after that. Molly became my anchor.

or think about Rowan every second.” I take a deep breath

we went to the same Uni

assignment partner.” 2

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

the obsession

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

This was hard. I wanted to stop, but now

for some time. They weren’t perfect, but they

m alled me to let me know that Ava had given birth to a

son at first sight.

try to breathe through

so fucking hard.

really angry. Angry at myself for turning

drunk and sleeping with Ava,

loved and angry at

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

gone the way I wanted

2/5

*15 BONUS

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

for Rowan and

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 room, and I thought that was that. That it was a terrible one–night stand

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

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

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

morning after?” mom asks,

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

so I didn’t really know that I should

enough to get me pregnant. Looking back, maybe if

have aused me to get one, but like I

anyone to know.”

want to tell me that during all the years you

still a virgin?” Travis asks

dating,

walked and had a vagina. When

to wait till I was ready. My biggest regret was holding out

3/5

a groan uncomfortably “Can we not talk about this? It

+15 BONUS

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

and I wanted to get rid of it, but he wouldn’t

her voice

do anything, but nod my head. “Calvin threatened to tell you and dad if I went