Ex-Husband’s Regret by Evelyn M.M

needed to be told twice. They visited her in groups each day and called her nurse to check

up on her.

I never cared for her work. Thinking that she was probably a failure but seeing her

students lavish her with love changed my perspective. They wouldn’t do all that if she

wasn’t a great teacher. Her colleagues also had nothing but praise for her, which just

made me realize how much of her life I didn’t know. 7

“Rowan” her soft voice pulls me from my thoughts.

I turn to look at Emma. Standing next to her is Travis. Unlike Emma, he looked like hell.

“Has she woken up?” Travis asks. His voice soft.

The whole thing had shaken him. Not only him but everyone. He came close to losing his

sister and I guess it’s finally starting to sink in.

“No” I reply.

“You need to go home, Rowan” Emma says, “Go take a shower and change clothes then

you can come back. You look like a zombie”

“I’m not leaving, Emma” I argue.

I couldn’t fucking leave. What if something happened and I wasn’t around?

“You’re no good to her or anyone if you fall down in exhaustion…just go home, I’m sure it

won’t take long for you to look presentable” Emma argues,

Travis looks at me and chips in “Emma is right, Rowan, I promise we won’t leave her even

for a

second”

I look at Ava She was still asleep and it didn’t seem like she would wake up anytime soon.

Maybe I could go get a quick shower and then rush back.

“Okay then, but don’t leave her side” I snarl

+15 BONUS

She was attacked so who knew if those criminals would try to come back and finish the

job.

Travis nods, his eyes on Ava. Emma just looks at me with her piercing blue eyes.

I stand up about to leave when Emma grabs my forearm and stops me.

“She’ll be okay…Ava is too stubborn to surrender to death” she says with her smile before

pecking my lips. 1

I nod and leave. This is the first time that has happened. Since we decided to try again it’s

been pecks on the cheek, chin and forehead. Her lips on mine is a first and even though

I’ve dreamed about this for nine years I can’t help but feel that it’s wrong.

Her lips are wrong, the feel of them is wrong and the kiss itself is fucking wrong. Why the

fuck

would I be feeling this when Emma is the woman I’ve been craving for nearly a decade?

I get to my house and take the quickest shower known to man. I was dressing when I

received a text from Travis letting me know that Ava had still not woken up yet. Since I

was feeling tired, I

decide to take a power nap. I haven’t slept in days.

I wake up with a start. Shit! I was supposed to sleep for thirty minutes and according to

the time

on my phone, I slept for three hours.

I put on my shoes and rush out after reading a message from Travis. Ava woke up about

an hour

ago and I hate that I wasn’t there.

Breaking every speed limit, I get to the hospital in forty minutes. I was just about to enter

her room when I spotted Emma and Travis sitting outside.

“I thought I told you not to leave her fucking side” I growl, feeling angry.

“She kicked us out” Emma answers emotionless.

“What do you mean ‘she kicked you out”

There was no way Ava would do that and despite what she feels towards her family she

wouldn’t be cruel enough to kick them out in her time of need.

“Exactly that…she told the nurse that she didn’t want us in her room, so the nurse had no

choice.

but to demand we leave” Travis spoke.

There was an emotion in his voice. He was trying so hard to hide it but it was there.

Just then I hear her laugh before it’s followed by a groan.

“Is there someone in there with her?” I ask

Linma looks at me when she answers. Her eyes searching mine, for what, I have no damn

clue

+15 BONUS

“Yes, Ethan came a few minutes after we were kicked out. He hasn’t left her side since

then”

I feel my face harden and jaw lock. That fucking bastard, what the hell was he doing here?

Without another word, I turn and enter her room without knocking.

Ethan is seated on her right with a bunch of open cards. Ava is seated slightly upwards.

Despite the bandage on her head, and the scratches on her face, she was smiling and it

transformed her

face.

She faces me and the smile slips from her face.

“Get out” she demands.

I guess she was back to being ice cold.

“Not gonna happen, Ava” I calmly tell her and take a seat on her left.

Her face is contorted in fury and her eyes are blazing. She was okay yesterday so what the

hell

happened? 2

“I don’t want you here, so you could you just fucking leave, and take those two with you…I

don’t

need any of you here”

I assume she was referring to Emma and Travis. Something happened. Yesterday she was

cordial

but today she was different. Maybe I shouldn’t have left her with Emma and Travis

“You need to calm down, Ava, remember you’re not well and you shouldn’t be stressing

yourself

out” Ethan cuts in.

He takes her hand and gently squeezes it. She looks at their joined hands and then his

face. Her

eyes soften and she loses the angry heat that had consumed her.

I ball my fist. The need to wrench her hand from his almost consuming. Shouldn’t I be

happy that

she had gotten her clutches in another man? I should feel relieved that her obsession with

me

was finally over, so why wasn’t I happy seeing this? Why did it piss me off seeing that soft

look.

directed at Ethan and not me?

Before I can get any answer to those question, the door opens and the chief of police

enters the

room.

Ethan lets go of Ava’s hands and stands up.

“Chief” he greets.

”

“Good to see you Ethan” he claps him in the back before turning to us. “Miss Sharp, I was

hoping to ask you some questions”

Ava nods while Ethan sits down and takes her hand again.

+15 BONUS

“Do you remember anything strange about the day you were attacked?” he asks her,

taking out a

pen and note book

“No, not really it was a pretty normal day I woke up, had breakfast and went to church”

“What about the day before, did you notice anyone you didn’t recognize?”

Ava shakes her head A frown marring her face. She tries to get into a comfortable position

but

Winces

“Do you have enemies? Someone who might want you dead?”

“I normally just keep to myself, I don’t know anyone who would want me dead”

“You haven’t answered my question, do you have any enemies?”

Ava begms rubbing her temples The frown on her face deepening.

“Look, I have people who don’t like me, my family for example but I doubt they would

want me

dead” 2

The chief looks at her for while then writes something down. Something about the way the

chief

was asking these questions wasn’t making sense?

“Seems like the bomb was installed when you were in church and was activated when you

used your car keys….did you notice any strange sounds coming from your car before you

unlocked it?”

he asked her

Ava shakes her head. “No, I was a bit distracted”

I feel guilty. She had been distracted because of me. Because I had called to yell at her.

“Why are you asking her this? I thought her attack was related to the criminal gang” I ask

him. There was something I was missing. 3

“That’s what we originally thought with the first shoot out, but with what happened on

Sunday, we have reason to believe that Miss Ava is being specifically targeted. What we

aren’t sure is whether it is by the gang or someone else” he finishes speaking, leaving us

completely shell

shocked