Ex-Husband's Regret

Gabriel's call has me moving from the same spot that Lilly left me. I still can't believe that she would say that to me. When Liam was alive, she never seemed bothered that she didn't have siblings. She never asked for one, so I'm curious where the sudden shift came from.

Now I know you're wondering why Liam and I never had kids despite being married for such a long time. Truth is, we did try. Liam always wanted a family, kids of his own. I know he loved Lilly like his own, but he also wanted his own blood.

I wanted to give him that. I wanted to thank him for being there for me when I had no one. For marrying me and giving Lilly a family. Having his baby wasn't much to ask for, and I saw no problem with it.

Like I said, we did try, but nothing happened. It wasn't until a year before his death that he finally agreed to go for a check. It was heartbreaking to learn that he couldn't have kids. That day at the office, I saw a bit of his light fade. Learning he couldn't father a child, broke something inside him that day.

He wasn't the same after that. There was always a kind of sadness and darkness clinging to him after that day.

Pushing those painful thoughts behind me, I get out of my room and follow Lilly and Gabriel's voices.

"I was just telling mom, that I wouldn't mind if you two gave me a sibling," Lilly tells her father.

I stop in my tracks, not believing she could say such a thing to Gabriel. Gabriel, on the other hand, seems caught off guard by her question.

"Oh, look, we are late... How about we get going? We don't want to keep your grandparents waiting, Lilly" I interrupt, saving Gabriel from having to answer the awkward question.

I move and grab Lilly's hand, directing her from the room. We get into the elevator, since we lived in a penthouse with a private elevator. It was silent as we were riding down the floors.

I was anxious, but I was trying my best to push the anxiety down. The one thing I was afraid of was Gabriel's parents hating me for hiding their grandchild. We hadn't talked much about the first meet up, but we agreed that I would let him do all the talking.

The elevator pings once we get down. It opens, and we get out, heading straight towards to the waiting car. Once inside, the driver takes off.

"Why haven't any of you said anything about siblings?" Lilly asks a few minutes into the drive. "Don't you want more children?"This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .

I sigh in frustration. I should have known that Lilly wouldn't let the matter go that easily. She was stubborn to the core, just like her father.

I did want more children, but how could I tell her that it wasn't possible with Gabriel? She doesn't know the terms of our marriage, and I hope she never has to. With the contract in place, there was no hope of expanding the family. Plus, I doubt Gabriel wants any more children with me, given how he hated me back then.

"Lilly, this isn't the place to talk about this" I try to skim over her question, because without knowing she was putting me and Gabriel in an awkward situation.

"But I really want to know" she then turns to Gabriel. "Since you are my father, is it okay if I call you dad?"

Both me and Gabriel are shocked when she asks that. This was a big step for both of them. A really big step.

"Yes, I'll be honored" Gabriel replies in a chocked-up voice full of emotions.

"Perfect, now answer my question" she says, staring directly at him.

Without meaning to, I chuckle at her one-track mind. I loved Lilly's tenacity. She isn't one to give up on something so easily.

"You'll get siblings, but in the near future" I chime in, saving Gabriel from having to answer.

Gabriel's intense eyes were on me. Shifting uncomfortably in my seat, I turn to Lilly so that I could avoid his penetrating gaze.

I wasn't sure if I'd ever get married

again, but am sure that once

Gabriel meets his match. The

woman who'll bring him to his

knees, he'll start a family and Lilly can have her siblings.

Shrugging her shoulders, she looks at me. "Good enough... but I'll remind you if you decide to take your sweet time, as you can see, I am not getting any younger."

She honestly reminds me of those nagging parents that are always pushing their children to give them grandkids.

"Fine" I grumble. "Anyway, are you excited about meeting your Dad's family?"

"Yes!" her scream reverberates through the small space. "I have so many questions, and I am dying to meet them. I hope they like me."

"I'm sure they will, Lilly. You have nothing to be afraid of," Gabriel assures her, which works because she visibly calms down.

From there, the ride is filled with Lilly

telling us all the things she's going to ask her grandparents. All the

things she's going to talk about with her cousin, and her excitement

about joining the new school.

All too soon, we enter a large estate right before the car stops at a humongous house. Back then, our house was huge and so was our estate, but it had nothing on the Wood's family home. The driver stops the car, gets out and opens the door for us.

"Are you ready for this?" Gabriel asks, grabbing both my hand and Lilly's.

"Nope... Definitely no" I murmur, trying to push my nervousness down.

"Everything will be okay, trust me"

I want to, but I just can't.

He leads us towards the door. When we get to it, he unlocks it and ushers us in.

"Mom! We are here," he shouts, as we walk along the expansive hallway.

Gabriel's mother is as beautiful as I remember her. You can't even tell that she's in her early sixties.

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"You don't have to shout, are you trying to break my ear drums, Gabe" she says, walking out of what I presume is the kitchen, holding a dish towel while wiping her hands. "And what do you mean by 'we Rowan is already here with his family, so who are you talking about?'

When Gabriel doesn't answer, she lifts her head. Her eyes first land on Gabriel, then me. There is confusion in them as she stares at me. They then shift to Lilly, who waves at her. Her eyes grow wide in shock and that's the only warning we get right before she collapses.