Ex-Husband’s Regret by Evelyn M.M

56. Baby Ava

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Rowan booms, his cold grey eyes shooting daggers at Ethan.

I was really not in the mood deal with his tantrums. Yes he was there for me yesterday, but that doesn’t mean he has a say on who is in my home.

Theo or should I say my dad clears his throat. It was going to take some time to get used to the idea of calling him dad.

The sound of his voice pulls everyone’s eyes to him.

Theo Howell?” Rowan says in surprise but he quickly hides it. “What are you doing here?”

Rowan looks between all of us. His eyes moving from Theo and Nora then back at me. Slowly connecting the dots.

“It’s been a while Rowan, though I can’t say that I am pleased with how you’ve treated my daughter Theo says with a dangerous smile on his lips.

“What he means to say is, we’re downright pissed off with the way you and your family has treated our daughter and we can’t see ourselves having such business partners” Nora adds. She doesn’t smile and for the first time since she came to my house, I feel hostility and hatred radiating off her.

“How’s this possible? Travis has shock written all over his face

Like I said, everyone in the country knows who the Howell’s are. They may like to keep their life private, but they’re still known.

“Oh, trust me darling anything in this world is possible” Nora says glaring at him. Fire burning behind her eyes.

I look at Emma and she too had a shocked expression. Her mouth hang open in disbelief. If she

wasn’t careful she would catch a fly

“Can we just get this over with so that you may all leave?” I ask looking directly at him.

He nods his head and pulls out his laptop. He sets it down and we gather around it. He doesn’t

waste any time skyping mother. Soon her face fills the screen.

“We’re all here mom” Emma tells her and she nods her head.

+15 BONUS

“How are you, Ava?” she asks slowly.

I don’t know why she all over sudden cared about me when she hasn’t for more than twenty years

of my life.

“Just say what you want to say, no need for the fake pleasantries”

She looks hurt, but at this point I just don’t care. I wasn’t going to play along to whatever it is she

was trying to do. She was too late to fix was what was broken.

She takes a calming breath before beginning. “You came to us when you were weeks old, but we

didn’t adapt you until you were about fifteen months old”

“What do you mean?”

1

a wonderful housekeeper. She had worked for us for

child. You see, her husband

she never recovered. They were planning to start a family the year he died,

financially stable. All that was taken

husband over” she explains.

a child, but didn’t want to ever

month after she made that decision, she was

of their church

wanted to

look at each other. Was it a coincidence? Was the

grandfather? It was too much to be

and went back to her home town to get the

back a week after, but she ended up taking two weeks, but

the baby’s mother was and

preacher said it was probably a scared teen that gave birth and left

wasn’t an issue, the social worker allowed Winnie to come back with the

was a

was you” mother says looking at me before continuing “I

It’s like Ava breathed life back into her and

like she

what she just told us. Winnie

215

+15 BONUS

raise me?

family?”

got you, she was diagnosed with stage

and that she only had a few months

take you in. To adopt you. We didn’t want to, we already had two children and

anymore”

because

take me in if you didn’t want to?”

was quiet as she answered. “When Travis was two years

was about to cross the road. There was an incoming car

him in time, I screamed in fear, My fear must

she did it, or where she was or how she moved. She saved

for two months. They amputated her right hand

limp since then because of the permanent njury to

breath before letting it out. “We accepted her request

As much as we tried to compensate her it would never have

So when she died, we adopted

hadn’t. You should

than the life I lived with

a good memory with them.

misery.

an ungrateful woman. Do you know how many people would kill to

Emma ask, sneering

before I shut it up for you permanently.” I

I slept with your damn

thirty year

year old. Noah behaves

up surprises everyone. Emma looks

Nora. I look up at her and she’s grinning. I’d

that they were sitting right

”