His College Ex Came Back

The strand of rose-gold hair on his dark jacket was like an intimate mark.

Its presence was jarring, a silent declaration.

Ryan looked down, his expression shifting slightly.

He frantically tried to remove it, but his trembling fingertips only made it more obvious.

"This… There were a lot of people at the party. It must have gotten on me by accident."

His eyes darted away, not daring to meet mine.

"By accident?" I scoffed. "Quite the coincidence. One of your colleagues has... distinctive hair."

My words must have stung him, or maybe the alcohol gave him courage, because his shame quickly curdled into anger.

"Ava! What are you trying to say? Why do you have to be so unreasonable?"

He raised his voice, his face a mask of impatience.

"No wonder they say pregnancy hormones make women crazy. Guess I'm seeing it firsthand!"

"They?" I countered.

"Who are 'they'? Camilla?"

I’d clearly hit a nerve. Ryan's face flushed as he finally dropped the pretense.

"So what if it was? Camilla was just kindly reminding me that pregnant women can be emotionally unstable, and that I should be more patient with you!"

"Just look at yourself now, so aggressive. What happened to the gentle woman I married?"

I was trembling with such rage that the words caught in my throat.

I pointed to the guest room and managed to choke out a single command:

"Get out!"

I turned and walked into the bedroom, shutting him out.

That night, Ryan slept on the sofa in the guest room.

The next morning, I was awakened by the aroma of breakfast.

When I opened my eyes, Ryan was arranging fresh flowers on the dining table, with my favorite bagel and cream cheese beside them.

The sunlight streamed in from behind him, softening his silhouette.

Seeing me, he immediately put on a placating smile.

"Honey, I was wrong. I drank too much yesterday and was talking nonsense. Please don't be mad at me."

I didn't respond, just looked at him coldly.

The smile on his face froze for a second before he took my hand, his tone coaxing.

"It was my fault for not telling you about the team's party beforehand."

"I promise, I'll let you know in advance wherever I go, okay?"

"Don't be angry. The doctor said it's not good for the baby when you're upset."

He guided me to a seat at the table, carefully opened the bagel, spread a thick layer of cream cheese on it, and held it to my lips.

Looking at his humble, eager-to-please expression, flashes of our passionate early days flickered before my eyes.

Back then, he would get incredibly nervous over the slightest hint of my unhappiness.

Maybe… maybe it really was just my pregnancy hormones making me overthink everything?

The word "divorce" was on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it back down.

But the little life stirring inside me was my softest spot.

I looked at the anticipation in his eyes and finally accepted the bagel.

"There won't be a next time," I said calmly.

Relief flooded Ryan's eyes, and he nodded eagerly.

He even raised his hand to swear an oath.

"Honey, don't worry. There will absolutely never be a next time!"