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 years. She wanted a

child. You see, her husband died after seven

planning

was taken away from her when a drunk

husband over” she explains.

ever get married again or have artificial insemination

a month after she made that decision, she

told that the preacher of their

if anyone wanted

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

was too much to

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

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

came back. No one knew who the

a scared teen that gave

there wasn’t an issue, the social worker allowed

baby was a blessing to Winnie, she

says looking at me before continuing “I had not seen

since her husband died. It’s like Ava breathed

she

to digest what she just told us. Winnie seems like a

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didn’t she raise me? How did I end up as part of the

family?”

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

for her and that she only had a few months to live.

We didn’t want to, we already had two children and we

anymore”

have happened because I ended up

take me in if

as she answered. “When Travis was two years he

it, he was about to cross the road. There

in time, I screamed in fear,

was or how she moved.

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

had a limp since then because of the

in a deep breath before letting it out. “We accepted her

her it would never have been enough for

she went through. So when

you hadn’t. You should have tossed

the life

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

misery.

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

ask,

before I shut it up for you permanently.”

you stupid comments. I slept with your damn boyfriend, get the fuck

up. It disgusting watching a thirty year old woman throwing

two year old. Noah behaves more mature than you

blow up surprises everyone. Emma looks down, her cheeks a shade

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

that they were sitting right

”