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

for us for years. She wanted a

man’s child. You

They were planning to start a family the year he

financially stable. All that was taken away from her when a drunk driver

husband over” she explains.

want to ever

after she

preacher of their church found a

anyone wanted to adopt

a coincidence? Was the preacher

was too much to

took a one week break and went back to her home town

she ended up

No one knew who the baby’s mother

a scared teen that gave birth and left the

the social worker allowed Winnie

baby was a blessing to Winnie, she

mother says looking at me before continuing “I had not seen

like Ava breathed life back

like she was her

digest what she just told

215

+15 BONUS

why didn’t she raise me? How did

family?”

you, she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. The

it was too late for her and that she only had a few months to live. Before she died, she

want to, we already had

anymore”

have happened because I

me in if you didn’t

she answered. “When Travis was two years he managed

was about to cross

him in time, I screamed in

was or how she moved. She saved Travis that

a coma for two months. They amputated her right hand because it was too

limp since then because of the permanent

letting it out. “We accepted her

much as we tried to compensate her it

So when she died, we adopted

wish you hadn’t. You should

the

ever having a good memory with them. They were all bad,

misery.

woman. Do you know how many people would kill to have

Emma ask, sneering me in

your fucking mouth Emma before I shut it up for you permanently.” I

slept with your damn boyfriend, get

thirty year old

two year old. Noah behaves more mature

surprises everyone. Emma looks

hold me, and realize that it’s Nora. I look

that they were sitting right next

”