My Ex-Husband's Regret

uldn't leave wasn't just his arrogance-

fifteen. From the moment he came into t

rom "You need to grow up strong and independent" to "Y

ummeted from cherished onl

my Achilles' heel bet

alls started flooding in. I hesitated fo

like a freight train, my mother's shrill

r the monthly allowance now? Your brother's math class, taekw

the phone a little further a

nor cheat

other end before the yelling

business! You're at home doing nothing while all the bur

perate for a m

t glancing at me. After a lon

anything, say the word. My boyfriend is a lawyer-

t before nodding and

d I drank ourselves in

polished exteriors during the day, but by night, the

then somehow ended up re

otten springs, their memories buried deep, like seeds

they were gone-r

and I might have done some o

old, dimly lit streets, I screamed into the nig

to do the things I'd always

eets, I spotted a

ut a few unseemly chuckles be

I recalled grabbing him and doing s

t's so great about kiss

see... They're indeed

, I woke up at R

reckless abandon gave me a strange, newfound coura

ement, he flipped through it with a s

've spent freeloading off me, now you want to squeez

a fleeting moment, my hea

ne that, five years ago, had shyly confessed to me, b

everything, I'll

e face was sp

had vanished in an instant, leaving

n't feel like f

ape this prison where every m

Connor g

r, so inviting. For a second, I almost wanted

you really walk away fro

s he pinned me against the couch, h

flashed to that video-Connor kiss

His lips, having touched anothe

my strength, but he press

ip down memory l

he leaned in, I dry-heaved, my wh

ely, loosening his grip and lettin

. "Mabel, if you're pregnant, y

izzy to focus as the room spun aroun

ring something I couldn't make out. I wanted to shov

doorbel

r a moment before l

lie and tried to steady my

lway, dripping with flirtation. "Connor, why didn't you pick up