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.

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+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,

had exploded, and I’d been left with nothing.

of you, but I fell

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

with Ava.

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

She started pushing, and when I refused to get

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

how tough

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

found out how far I’d fallen, she would have been ecstatic. It was

discovered she had been going through her

well after that. Molly became

about Rowan every second.”

I met Calvin again. It turns out we went to

assignment partner.” 2

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

the obsession

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

hard. I wanted to stop, but now more than ever, I knew

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

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

his son at first sight. Everything around me crumbled, and all the

to the surface.” I try to breathe through the pain

so fucking hard.

in pain, and I was really angry. Angry

with Ava, angry at Ava for

angry at the baby for being

turn to know

if everything had gone the way I

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*15 BONUS

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

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

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 and that would be the end of

planned for what was to come

to ignoring each 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

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 an unwanted baby to hinder that. I

to always be in

pill the morning after?” mom asks,

everything was new to

I’ve ever h–had s–sex so I

enough to get me pregnant.

she would have aused me to get one, but like I said, I was so ashamed,

anyone to know.”

during all the years you dated Rowan,

still a virgin?”

started dating, which was at seventeen,

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

planned to wait till I was ready. My biggest regret was

3/5

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

+15 BONUS

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

child and I wanted to get rid of it,

her voice ringing with horror

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