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.

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“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?”

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a wonderful housekeeper. She had worked for us for

bearing another man’s child. You see,

recovered. They were planning to start a

was taken

husband over” she explains.

want to ever get married again or have artificial insemination

adaption. About a month after she made that

the preacher of their church found a baby outside the church

if anyone wanted

other. Was it a coincidence? Was the preacher

too much

went back to her home town to get the

but she ended up taking

back. No one knew who the baby’s mother was and

a scared teen that gave birth and

social worker allowed Winnie to come back with the

for adoption. The baby was a blessing to Winnie, she named her

she adopted was you” mother says looking at me

husband died. It’s like Ava breathed life back into her and

her like she

moment to digest what she just told us.

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she loved me like you say, why didn’t she raise me? How did I end up

family?”

a year after she got you, she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.

her and that she only had a few months to live. Before she died,

you. We didn’t want to, we

anymore”

must have happened because I ended up

why did you take me in if you didn’t want to?”

as she answered. “When Travis was two years

to cross the road. There was an incoming

screamed in fear, My

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

two months. They amputated her

limp since then because of the permanent

breath before letting it out. “We

tried to compensate her it would never have been enough for saving

went through. So when she

“I wish you hadn’t. You should have

the life

good memory with them. They were

misery.

an ungrateful woman. Do you know

you led?” Emma ask, sneering

shut it up for you permanently.” I

enough of you stupid comments. I slept

watching a thirty year old woman throwing a hissy fight like

year old. Noah behaves more mature than

everyone. Emma looks down,

realize that it’s Nora. I look up at her and she’s grinning.

they were sitting right next to

”