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,

and I’d been left with nothing. When I

you, but

as small as I did back then when I learned

with Ava.

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

when I refused to get better, she threatened

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

tough

I had so much bitterness and resentment towards Ava

she would have been ecstatic. It was probably a year

she had been going through her own kind

well after that. Molly became my anchor. My grades were improving, and

think about Rowan every second.” I take a deep

I met Calvin again. It turns out we went to the same Uni and he was

assignment partner.” 2

we weren’t friends.

any remnants of the obsession

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

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

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

until the night m alled me to let me know that Ava had given birth to a baby boy

son at first

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

so fucking hard.

and I was really angry. Angry at myself for turning down Rowan’s

Ava,

angry at the baby for being

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

the way I wanted it to, then he

2/5

*15 BONUS

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 would no longer hurt as

Rowan and

guy I didn’t even like just to get back at the man I loved. I told Calvin that it was a mistake and

for what was

the other didn’t exist, that is, until my period was late. A cheap test. and later, a doctor’s appointment

believed that one day Rowan and I would get back together. I didn’t want an unwanted baby to hinder that. I

of my mistake to always be in my

the morning after?” mom asks, making me

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

the–the first time I’ve ever h–had s–sex so I didn’t really know

to get me

to get one, but like I said,

anyone to know.”

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

still a virgin?” Travis

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

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

was ready. My biggest regret was holding out

3/5

“Can we not talk about this? It was

+15 BONUS

your question, yes I was still a virgin.

I didn’t want the child and I wanted to

Mom asks, her voice ringing with

anything, but nod my head. “Calvin threatened to tell you