Ex-Husband's Regret

"You can't be serious," I whispered, trying to wrap my head around what he had just said.

Like I said, I know Gabe and I know this isn't an idle threat. Given that, I still needed to make sure, because after all, this is Lilly we were talking about. She's not only my daughter, but also my life. I couldn't let him take her from me. It would surely kill me.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" he asks as his eyes sear into me. "I can assure you that I'm fucking serious, Harper."

Have you ever felt like you've been hit, even though nothing has happened? That is how I feel right now. A phantom hit, right in my gut. I force myself to breathe through the pain. I couldn't afford to lose it right now, even though I wanted nothing more than to break down, cry and curse Gabriel all the way to hell.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, close to tears. "You divorced me and kicked me out, Gabriel. I left, just like you wanted, and I've never bothered you again. Why can't you do the same? Why do you want to turn my life upside down?"

I just couldn't understand it. I couldn't understand why the hell he was doing this. Gabriel is a playboy. Plain and simple. I don't see him settled as a family guy. He wasn't a good husband, and I can bet everything I own that he won't be a good father.

"Don't give me that crap, Harper... You want to start questioning my motives. Let's start by asking why you hid my child from me. I think that is a better question."

He had been calm, but now he looked pissed. Actually, pissed is an understatement. He looked downright furious. He seemed ready to kill, and it's me he wanted to end.

"You kept my daughter from me for years; never once did you reach out to let me know I had fathered a child. Then, as if that wasn't enough, you had the audacity to let another man fill in the capacity I should have been allowed to fill in as her father.

laugh behind my back every time she called him dad? Did you and your husband have a field day keeping both me and Lilly in the dark? If I hadn't found out,

was it your way of paying me back because I didn't love you? Take revenge on me by hiding the fact that we have a daughter. Your attempt at keeping my daughter

and slice open my somewhat healed heart. It's funny, really, how we delude ourselves into thinking that we've moved on. Only for something to trigger us and bring us back to the pain that we thought

That I'd healed. That I'd moved on with my life. Hearing him say those words takes

didn't keep her from you out of malice," I whispered, trying my hardest to hide the

but it hurts to know that he thinks I would deliberately hide Lilly just to hurt him and seek revenge. It just proves that he didn't know me at all. If he had taken

He growls, his words aimed to hurt and annihilate me. "Then why would you want to marry me again, if I'm such a despicable person?" I snapped, angry and hurt, but I'd be damned if

it's none of your

it somehow involves

it like a powerful weapon. "You'll marry me or else I'll take Lilly with me. I think it's time she knew her biological dad." He glares at me with so much animosity, it's a wonder I'm still

confirm what I know about Gabriel. He uses people, and he will use Lilly if he can't get me to agree

won't let you take my

fear and pain fall away and my motherly instincts take over. I won't let him use, hurt and discard Lilly like

my daughter!" he bellows, the sound