Once the Forgotten Wife, Now His Biggest Regret

Murmurs swept across the ballroom, everyone excitedly chiming in on what they thought the news might be. Bright smiles plastered across their faces, and curiosity was burning in the depths of their eyes.

Only Rhys and I remained seated at our seats with frowns etched onto our faces.

This was it. This was the huge news they couldn’t wait to share. This was the news that Lucas and Jessica so desperately wanted us to know that they had to force us to attend this celebration gala. I let out a huff, wondering what exactly it was going to be.

Then Jessica’s high-pitched voice sliced through the anticipation that hung in the air like a thick blanket. Her red lips curled upwards into a smile, and she was practically glowing with excitement as the words tumbled out of her lips.

She put her hand up high for everyone to see, flaunting the shiny diamond on her ring finger. It was a round, brilliant diamond with a thin silver band, sparkling under the soft white glow of the crystal chandeliers that hung above us.

"Lucas and I are officially engaged!" She squealed like a teenager who just found out her high-school crush likes her too.

The announcement detonated through the ballroom like a firework. For a split second, stunned silence blanketed the crowd. Then the room erupted.

Cheers echoed off the walls. Applause thundered from every corner of the ballroom. Guests rose from their seats with wide smiles, offering their congratulations as flashes from cameras lit up the stage, and the reporters rushed to the front of the stage with questions spilling from everyone.

Jessica basked in every second of the attention, the smile on her face growing wider.

She turned her hand slightly beneath the lights, ensuring the enormous diamond caught every glimmer possible. The stone sparkled brilliantly, throwing tiny shards of light across the room as she admired it with undisguised pride.

Beside her, Lucas slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "That’s right, I have asked for her hand in marriage." He turned to look at Jessica with a loving gaze. His smile was polished and confident, the picture-perfect expression of a man celebrating the happiest day of his life. "And it was the best decision I had ever made. I love her more than anything and anyone else in this world."

His words echoed through the large ballroom, and Jessica smiled back at him sweetly. No one else knew, but I did. I knew he had chosen those words intentionally, all to try to hurt me. But he was delusional and naive to think that I would even care for a second. He wasn’t the only victim of our marriage, I was also taken away from the love of my life seven years ago.

I continued to sit frozen in my seat, unfazed by his supposedly harsh words. I couldn’t help but let out an incredulous chuckle.

That was it?

I stared at the stage, unable to stop the disbelief that washed over me. They had orchestrated all of this for an engagement announcement? They had manipulated the guest list, cornered us into attending, and made sure there was no way for us to avoid this gala just so they could announce that they were getting married?

A bitter laugh threatened to escape me. Of course. What better way to celebrate their engagement than by making sure that I was sitting in the front row to witness it? I scoffed inwardly. This was how they wanted to humiliate me.

I could practically feel Jessica’s satisfaction from where I sat. As if sensing my gaze, her eyes drifted across the crowd before landing directly on me.

The smile on her face widened even further. It wasn’t the smile of a happy bride-to-be. Instead, it was the smile of a victor. A silent declaration that she had won. That she had gotten everything she wanted.

After all, our father had given her the Hart Group without even batting an eye. She was now the wife of the newly appointed CEO of the Hart Group. She had the wealth and her future all set for me. And she successfully stole Lucas from me. In her eyes, she won, and I was the loser who lost everything.

My fingers curled tightly against my lap. Beside me, Rhys remained unnaturally still. His expression was unreadable, but the slight tension in his jaw told me everything I needed to know. He wasn’t buying this any more than I was.

Because this couldn’t be all. Not after everything. Not after the desperation they had shown to ensure we attended. An engagement announcement alone wasn’t worth all this effort.

A knot tightened in my stomach. Something was coming. And judging by the triumphant glint in Jessica’s eyes, the engagement was only just the beginning.

I stared blankly at the stage for a while, still fuming over the fact that my father had totally ignored my words of caution and had gone ahead with handing over the Hart Group to Jessica and Lucas.

I knew he was stubborn, and I knew he had always sided with Jessica since she came into our lives. I wasn’t blind to his blatant favouritism, but I never thought that even the day I came pleading with him to think twice, the day I showed up with evidence in my hand, was still not enough for him to be on my side for once.

"Rhys, I want to get out of here," I finally said. I think we had hung around long enough for now, there was no need to extend our stay. Besides, I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for Jessica to pull another underhanded trick.

His gaze flickered over to me, a look of understanding crossed his face, and he nodded lightly. Without saying another word, he reached for me, his fingers wrapping around my wrist as he pulled me up.

But just as we got up to leave, a familiar voice sliced through the air.

"Miss Evelyn Hart, could you please come up and join us on stage?"