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,

exploded, and I’d been left with nothing.

of you, but I fell into

as small as I did back then when I learned that Rowan had

with Ava.

eat, I didn’t sleep, and I didn’t

Molly noticed this. She started pushing, and when I refused

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

out how tough things were

memory. I had so much bitterness and resentment towards Ava

fallen, she would

been going through her

Molly became

every second.”

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

assignment partner.” 2

we weren’t friends. I tolerated

the obsession he

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

stop, but now more than ever,

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

is, until the night m alled me to let me know

fell in love with his son at first sight. Everything around me crumbled, and

try to breathe through the pain of

so fucking hard.

and I was really angry. Angry at

for getting drunk and sleeping with Ava,

man I loved and angry

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

around Noah because if everything had gone the way I wanted it to, then he

2/5

*15 BONUS

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 would have been so

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

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

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

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

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

my mistake to

morning after?” mom asks, making me blush

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

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

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

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

anyone to know.”

me that during all the years you dated Rowan, you

still a virgin?”

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

and had a vagina. When I’d told him I

I was ready. My

3/5

we not talk about

+15 BONUS

still a virgin. Anyway,” 1

to get rid of

an abortion?” Mom asks, her voice ringing with horror and

but nod my head. “Calvin threatened to tell you and dad if