Ex-Husband’s Regret by Evelyn M.M

He let’s go of his grandmother’s hand and literally launches himself at Emma. Emma

doesn’t have it though. She gently pushes him away from her with a look of disapproval.

Gunner’s face falls, and tears start filling his eyes.

He turns around and hugs his father. Calvin in turn glares at Emma, as do Kate, Travis, and

everyone else who had watched the interaction.

Emma shrinks into herself but doesn’t say a word.

I look away and stare at Noah. He had his head on my shoulder and was holding my hand.

His eyes were closed, but I knew very well that he wasn’t asleep.

“What is he doing here?” The bitter voice makes me look up, only to find Kate pointing a

finger at Reaper as hatred and bitterness filter through her eyes.

“He’s here for Ava,” I tell her tiredly

Her face twists into something ugly. “I didn’t know that Ava was buddies with criminals.”

“Of course you didn’t, since you know nothing about my daughter,” Nora scoffs at Kate.

The women have a stare down. Sure, Kate is a powerhouse, especially as the matriarch of

the Sharp family, but she has nothing on Nora Howell.

“If

you don’t like the fact that he is here, then you’re free to leave. Personally, I don’t get why

the hell

you’re here in the first place, given that you treated Ava like shit for years.”

That seems to shut Kate up, but it also drenches up something that I wasn’t ready to deal

with.

Noah’s eyes snap open. He looks at the rest before looking at me.

“What is Grandpa Theo talking about?” He didn’t say the words loudly, but it was enough

to catch

everyone’s attention.

A look passes over all their faces. It’s like they’d completely forgotten that Noah was here.

“Nothing, buddy. It’s just a spat between adults. Nothing for you to worry about,” I try to

assure him, but he

doesn’t buy it.

“No. I know what shit means, and grandpa is talking as if mom wasn’t treated well. Is that

it?” His voice

becomes hard as it nears the end of the sentence.

Fuck. I was afraid this day would come. I notice that everyone except for Calvin and

Gunner stiffens. How

do I tell him that Theo was right without making him hate us? Without making him hate

me for the way we

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“Noah, are you ready to see your baby sister?” Mary comes back out with a smile on her

face.

I heave a sigh of relief and thank the heavens for the distraction. Noah seems to have

forgotten. everything as excitement takes over his features.

“Mr. Woods, you’ll have to accompany him,” she says, turning around as Noah takes her

hand.

I nod my head and follow them.

We first enter a separate room where they sanitize us before giving us a medical gown,

gloves, and masks to wear. Once that is done, we are then taken to the NICU unit. We pass

a few babies who were also in incubators before stopping at one in particular.

Mary smiles at us. “Noah, meet Iris.”

One look at her, and she had me wrapped around her tiny fingers. She wasn’t my blood,

but she already has my fucking heart in her hands.

Iris, though small, is beautiful. She had her eyes closed, so I couldn’t see her eye color,

but everything else, from her nose to her lips and the piece of hair that was sticking out of

her pink hat, was Ava. She was a spitting image of her mom.

I feel my heart break watching the tubes sticking out of her. She didn’t deserve this. She

should still be cushioned in her mother’s womb.

She’s alive.

Right. That’s what matters.

“Can I hold her?” Noah asks in a small voice.

珍味

Mary was right. Noah was already shaping up to be a great big brother. The love and care

he has for his

sister were plastered all over his face. There is no fucking way you can miss it.

“No, honey, you can’t…But you can touch her only if you promise to be careful.”

He nods. Mary helps him get his hands inside the incubator. He softly touches her cheeks,

and she leans

into him, though she doesn’t wake up.

We stay inside for a while until the nurse lets us know it’s time for us to leave. I walk back

to the waiting

room with Noah after we get out of the protective gear. I felt like I was in a fucking dream.

Like I was in

the present, but not at the same time.

“Where is Theo?” I ask my brother while taking a seat near him.

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Nora was by herself, and she looked so sad. So heartbroken.

“He’s with Ava. The nurse couldn’t let both of them in so Nora went first.”

Mary comes back again and asks who else wants to see Iris. Reaper, step forward. No one

argues as she leads him to see his niece.

“How’s Iris?” he asks.

“Beautiful” Noah still looks mesmerized. “For some reason, I think she looks like Mom.”

“He’s right,” I add. “She’s the spitting image of her mother.”

We stay in silence after that. A few moments later, Reaper comes out, phone in hand. He

answers and, after a few words, hangs up.

“It’s time for me to leave, but I’ll be in contact.” He tells me “For Ava and Iris’s sake I’m

willing to put our differences aside and catch the bastard that did this to them.”

“Fine,” I mutter, and give him my hand, which he shakes.

“Aren’t you going to wait to see her?” Theo asks as he emerges from the room.

“Not today. I’ve run out of time.”

With that, he turns and leaves. I watch him, wondering why he left in such a hurry. My

question is answered when Ethan walks in, escorted by police officers.

I can’t figure out if Reaper’s hurried rush has something to do with seeing his brother, the

police, or both.

I feel the familiar anger every time I think about Ethan. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him

for playing and deceiving Ava. 2

Standing up, I’m about to confront the bastard when a hand clamps down on my shoulder.

“We pulled some strings to get him here,” Theo begins. “You’re a father, so you

understand that he has as much right to be here as the rest of you. Probably more, given

he almost lost his daughter.”

That stops me in my tracks as I watch Nora stand up and hug him. He hugs her back while

fighting his emotions.

“Don’t start a fight. It isn’t worth it. Besides, I think you’d much rather go see Ava.”

1

I grit my teeth but nod my head. He’s right. No matter Ethan’s sin, he deserves to see the

daughter he came close to losing.

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I turn around just as the nurse calls for the next visitor. I ask if it’s okay if Noah and I go in

together, and

thankfully, she agrees.

We go through the same procedure we went through before seeing Iris. The moment we

get inside her

room, my tough resolve crumbles, and I collapse in the seat as my legs fail me.

Her head was wrapped in a bandage. The neck was in a neck collar. She had scratches on

her face,

probably from the glass that broke during the hit. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she had all

these tubes

sticking out of her and machines surrounding her.

I take one of her hands while Noah takes the other one.

“Mommy,” he calls, but of course she doesn’t answer.

She looks so peaceful. As if she were just sleeping, but we all know that’s not the case,

and that’s what

breaks my heart.

I try to force the words out, but nothing leaves my mouth except a strangled cry.

‘Please come back to me,‘ I beg. ‘I need you‘

I kiss her palm and then run my hand down her cheeks, hoping against all hope that she’ll

wake up soon.

X

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