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

tell any of you, but

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

with Ava.

didn’t sleep, and I

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

let you know. I didn’t want you to

out how tough things were

so much bitterness and resentment towards Ava back then. I

she ever found out how far I’d fallen, she would

she had been going through her own kind

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

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

turns out we went to the same Uni and he was also

assignment partner.” 2

we weren’t friends. I tolerated

and when he didn’t show any remnants of the

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

stop, but now more than ever, I

said, things were going well for some time. They weren’t perfect,

alled me to let me

his son at first sight.

hiding came to the surface.” I try to breathe through the pain of the memories,

so fucking hard.

Angry at myself for turning down Rowan’s

for getting drunk and sleeping with Ava,

and angry

of air. I don’t need to turn

around Noah because if everything had gone the way I

2/5

*15 BONUS

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

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

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

for what

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

I’ve ever received. Deep in my heart, I believed that one day Rowan

of my mistake to always

you get an emergency pill the morning after?” mom asks, making me

mess, everything was new to

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

I assumed tha‘ n’t really enough to get me

have aused me to get one, but like I said,

anyone to know.”

me that during all the years

virgin?” Travis asks in

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

that walked and had a vagina. When I’d told him I wasn’t

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

3/5

a groan uncomfortably “Can we not talk

+15 BONUS

I was still a

child and I wanted to get rid of it, but

Mom asks, her voice ringing with horror

head. “Calvin threatened to tell you