Ex-Husband's Regret

Harper.

I couldn't stop fidgeting even as Gabriel and I followed behind his parents. To be honest, the talk in the office went better than I expected. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't their calmness, or maybe it was the calm before the storm?

I also didn't understand why Gabriel didn't tell them that we had been married before. Despite how our marriage ended, it was the most logical thing to do. I didn't like that he'd kept them in the dark. "Are you okay?" his voice pulled me back to the present.

I looked up at him only to find his eyes staring intently at me. They were so piercing, it's like he was reading me down to my soul. Pulling my eyes from him, I focused forward. "Yes, I'm still a bit nervous, I don't know why, though" I answered truthfully.

The worst part was already over, so I don't even know why I was still anxious. Maybe it's because I was going to be spending the day with his family. Maybe it's because I could still feel his lingering breath on my skin when he almost kissed me. Hell, maybe it's because he took the whole blame for our failed relationship.

I didn't expect that from him. I didn't expect that he'd actually accept that he'd been the biggest douche bag back then. I was also still in shock at his revelation that back then he would probably never have accepted my pregnancy.

To be honest, I never thought of that. When I'd decided to keep my pregnancy a secret it was because I didn't like the kind of person he was. I didn't want my baby around his toxicity. I didn't want my baby around a man who would willingly hurt his or her mother without a care in the world. To me, Gabriel was the devil incarnate.

Even though those were my thoughts, my reasons, not once did I ever think that he'd reject my pregnancy or ask me to get rid of it. It never once crossed my mind, and maybe it should have.

Trying to push those thoughts away, I fist my hands and focused on the pain as my nails dug into my skin. Everything that was happening, that has been happening since he found me was messing with my head.

Gabriel was a villain. He's been a villain since he broke my heart and treated me like trash. Now though, I was getting glimpses of a different man, and my mind was confused. Scratch that, I was getting pissed because I couldn't reconcile the man that he was and the man that I'd been seeing glimpses of. It was fucking with my head and heart and I hated that.

"Harper" he called gently, and I once again looked at him.

"Hmm?"

"You're not okay, maybe we should leave and do this another day" he responded, his eyes searching mine.

I was about to agree, but I stopped when we got outside.

Lilly was playing with a beautiful

little girl who looked to be about two years old and a boy who was about two years older than her. She looked so happy and at ease, and I couldn't take that away from her.

Her smile brightened when her grandparents approached her. They said a few words to her and she responded right before she flung herself at them. They both embraced her and gave her tight hugs. "No" I said, "Lilly loves it here and she seems to be enjoying herself. We can stay for a little while"

"You want to head over to the rest of the family?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Let me just watch for a while, I love seeing Lilly this happy and free."

Rowan soon joined with drinks and snacks for the kids. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the boy was his son He was a mini-copy of him. It was like Rowan had been cloned, and the result was the boy. This boy was the son he had with Ava.

"What's the name of Rowan's son?" I asked, still studying them.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

"Noah"

Gabriel didn't know, but he would always agonize over Rowan whenever he came home drunk. Rowan was a mess after Emma broke things off. He got even worse when Ava got pregnant and he married her.

It was painful to hear all what

Rowan was going through, but it

was more so painful to imagine the kind of pain Ava was in. Having live with a man that loved your sister and agonized everyday at losing her was a special kind of hell.