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,

I’d been left with nothing. When I went

you, but I fell into

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

with Ava.

fading away. I didn’t eat, I didn’t sleep, and I

and when I refused

to let you know. I didn’t want you

out how tough things were for

was lost in memory. I had so much bitterness and resentment towards Ava

would have been ecstatic. It was probably a year

discovered she had been

became my anchor. My grades were improving,

every second.” I take a

met Calvin again. It turns out we went to the

assignment partner.” 2

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

when he didn’t show any remnants of the obsession he had

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

This was hard. I wanted to stop, but now

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

alled me to let me know that Ava

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

to breathe through the pain of

so fucking hard.

was in pain, and I was really angry. Angry

Ava,

loved and angry

turn to know that it is from Rowan.

the way I wanted it to, then he would

2/5

*15 BONUS

Rowan To hurt him like he hurt 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

I was saving it for Rowan and

it 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

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

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

been the worst news I’ve ever received. Deep in my heart, I believed that one day Rowan and I would get back together. I didn’t want

to always

morning after?” mom asks, making me blush a

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

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

assumed tha‘ n’t really enough to get me pregnant.

to get one, but like I said, I was so ashamed,

anyone to know.”

want to tell me that during all the years you dated Rowan, you never

virgin?” Travis asks in

Before we started dating, which was

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

wait till I was ready. My biggest

3/5

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

+15 BONUS

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

I wanted to get rid

Mom asks, her

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