Ex-Husband’s Regret by Evelyn M.M

+15 BONUS

Ethan was still handcuffed, and his shoulder was bandaged. At least I think it was, since it

was no

longer bleeding.

“Sa, you requested to hear from Ethan and here he is. Maybe he can tell you why he

fooled

everyone including our entire department” Brian says tiredly.

“He hasn’t said anything?“Travis asks, pulling Letty who had tears in her eyes, closer.

I know how she must be feeling. I introduced her to Ethan, and we even hung out all three

of us

together a few times. She must also feel betrayed like I was.

“No, he refuses to say a thing” Brian shakes his head.

I turn to face Ethan only to find him staring intently at me. His emotionless gaze sucked

me in

right away.

“Why? Why did you do this to me, Ethan?” my voice trembled as I spoke.

He stares at me. His cold gaze burned me. Gave me frostbite. I still don’t know where all

the

warmth he used to have went. Did he have a switch for his emotions, and he could just flip

it on

and off when he wanted it? Or did none of it exist? If that’s so then he was one hell of an

actor.

“I wanted the company.” He simply said.

I was shocked that he had actually answered. I didn’t expect him to

The shock is pushed back as what he said, registers. Soon, my surprise turns into

confusion.

“What company?” I ask

I didn’t have a Company. I invested in Companies, but I didn’t have any of my own, like

Rowan. The

only thing I had was Hope Foundation, and I don’t see someone like Ethan being interested

in an

organization for helping children.

“What company are you talking about, Ethan?” I push when he doesn’t say a damn thing.

I needed to know what made him play me like that. What was so important that he would

pull

such a hurtful stunt.

“I wanted your grandparent’s company…I worked so hard for it, so it’s only fair that it was

given to

me” he said leaving me more confused.

3/6

+15 BONUS

“You’re not making any sense.” I laugh humorlessly. “You did that for a company that I

have no nights to If you wanted that company so bad, then you should have gone after

Travis given it was

left in his name”

Travis giares at me, but I don’t care. Everyone knows that my grandparents and father

didn’t leave

me a dime. I didn’t even have shares in the family company like Emma did.

Ethan sighs tiredly before proceeding to unleash chaos. “I’m not talking about the Sharp’s.

I’m

talking about your real grandparents“.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Travis booms. “Don’t listen to him, Ava. It’s

probably

bullshit”

I keep quiet not agreeing with Travis.

“It’s not bullshit. I’m telling the fucking truth” Ethan grits out before turning to me. “Tell

me deep

inside you’ve never felt that they aren’t your family. Tell me you’ve never doubted that

you are

truly a Sharp”

I want to deny his claims, but I can’t. I’ve doubted it so many times that I once thought of

having a

DNA test.

The way my parents and grandparents treated me since I was a kid was just so different

from how

they treated Travis and Emma. I was always an afterthought. No one important to them.

My needs

and happiness always came last.

My grandparents used to buy Travis and Emma toys and treats when they came to visit. I

usually

got nothing. No hugs, no kisses. I got nothing but coldness and indifference from them. I

never

understood why they were like that. It made me question if I was truly one of them.

“You can’t say anything because deep inside you know the truth. You know the Sharp’s

aren’t

your family. That’s why you never felt like one of them” Ethan concludes when I didn’t say

anything.

I look away. I didn’t want any of them to see the truth in my eyes. To see the biggest

insecurity

I’ve had for a long time.

“So you really didn’t see us as your family?” Travis asks in a small voice.

“Does that surprise you?” I fire back. “I was never treated as part of your family. I was

always the

outcast. The one looking in at the happy family while I was out in the cold”

4/6

+15 BONUS

“Oh please, save us the pity party you have for yourself” Emma interrupts, sneering.

“What the hell is she even doing here?” Ethan and I ask at the same time.

I look at him before quickly pulling my gaze away.

“She’s your family, Mrs. Sharp” Brian says as if it makes sense.

“I don’t know what drugs you’re smoking, but no one in this room, except for Letty, is my

family

So I would prefer if they left, especially Emma”

I feel Rowan tense beside me, but I don’t give a damn. What I said is the truth. Family

cares for you

and no one here except Letty has ever cared for me.

“Can we just get back to Ethan?” Gabe asks after a while

Ethan shrugs. “I’m going to tell you a story about a girl named Nora” he begins

“Nora came from a middle class family. Her father was a preacher and both he and his

mother

were staunch christians. She was raised to follow God and the bible religiously and she did

until

she met a boy. Theodore was his name, though he preferred being called Theo.”

We were all entranced already as we listened to him. I had no idea where the story was

going, but

it was all intriguing.

“They met when they were eleven and even though she tried staying away from him, she

couldn’t.

They started out as friends then started dating at thirteen. Nora knew that it was against

every

teaching she was taught, that her parents would kill her if they found out, but she was in

love and

she couldn’t let go of Theo and neither could he.”

“She thought it would be simple. Hide her relationship with Theo until they graduated high

school. She planned to apply to a college far away from home, that would give her the

freedom to

be with Theo the way she wanted. It was supposed to be easy and everything was working

out

well until the unthinkable happened”

He takes a deep breath before continuing. “Nora got pregnant at only fourteen. Theo was

supportive and he was going to take responsibility because he loved Nora, but her parents

found

out. Her dad in particular went ballistic. He wanted her to get rid of the baby. Nora

couldn’t do that

to her child, so when she refused, her parents kicked her out”

The more he talked, the more my heart got heavy. I don’t know why, but I just felt like

what he

was telling us was going to change everything. I don’t think I’m ready for any more

changes.

5/6

+15 BONUS

“You see, Theo’s parents were kind and they were also fucking rich I’m talking about

owning a

whole damn city, kind of rich. After Theo explained everything to them, they understood.

They were disappointed in their son, but they took Nora in none the less.”

“Even though they were young, they decided to keep the bab. Her pregnancy progressed

well and her parents came to their senses when they realized they could benefit from this,

after they found out who exactly got their daughter pregnant”

Damn, what kind of parents did Nora have? I ask myself. Using your daughter simply

because you found out that they boy that got her pregnant was from a rich family was

despicable.

“A few months later, the parents showed their true colours. They demanded to keep the

baby.

They thought they could use their grandchild to get monthly payments for the baby’s

care. Nora,

Theo and his parents refused. It caused a big fight and to make them back off, Theo’s

parents

promised to make a huge donation to their struggling church”

I watch as Ethan narrates the story. There was still no emotion in his eyes. He was like a

robot.

Just narrating facts.

“Nora went into labour unexpectedly. The baby wasn’t due for another month, so no one

expected

her to go into labour. Theo couldn’t get to the hospital in time and his parents were on a

business

trip. It was a long and difficult labour. When she finally delivered, there wasn’t a cry. She

immediately knew that something was wrong. Given how young tired she was, she

couldn’t stay

awake, that, combined with the amount of blood she lost made her lose consciousness”

“When she woke up, she was given the most painful news. Her baby didn’t make it. She

was a still

birth… You can imagine how painful it was for all of them, especially for Nora and Theo. It

was the

worst kind of pain losing their baby, a baby they had been looking forward to holding”

I swallow. Dread filling up every square inch of my body.

“Why are you telling us this?” I choke out in fear.

“I’m telling you this because, Nora and Theo are my parents” he pauses, but his next

words bring

me too my knees. 1

“More importantly, they are your parents too. You’re the child Nora was pregnant with

when she

was fourteen. You’re the baby that supposedly died during childbirth” 13