Once the Forgotten Wife, Now His Biggest Regret

I had merely pulled my wrist out of Jessica’s tight grip, moving away to create some distance between us. It was nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to rough or intense. I hadn’t even push her or done anything that would cause her to fall. But right now, I was watching her falling onto the ground in her typical dramatic fashion.

Murmurs and gasps erupted from the crowd as their curious gazes darted between us. Yet, no one seemed to make a move just yet.

Of course, this was part of her plan all along. She only wanted to paint me as the bad guy here in front of everyone present. The media would eat this up, and she knew it.

As if on cue, her features quickly twisted into a pained expression. Her brows were furrowed together as she winced, and her hand naturally flew to rest protectively over her tummy.

This was all part of her act. And I wasn’t about to let her get away with it.

Concern and worry carved into my face as I extended an arm towards her. "Oh my god, I’m so sorry," I apologized even though the words seemed to burn my tongue and I hated every second of this. But if Jessica can put on an act, so will I. "I didn’t mean to, it was an accident," I explained.

Jessica lifted her head, her eyes boring into mine as a slight smile touched my lips only for a brief second before it vanished.

Two can play this game.

She was still staring at my hand when Lucas rushed over to her side, his expression full of worry and concern.

"Jessica! Are you okay?" He asked in a tender, gentle voice.

More whispers began to float through the crowd, and camera flashes were bright enough to blind anyone who was too close.

His eyes softened as he gently wrapped an arm around her waist, helping her to get back up. His hand remained on the curve of her waist, while Jessica put on a pitiful look, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

I watched as she lowered her gaze, averting her eyes as though she was too afraid too look directly into my eyes, as if she was afraid of me.

"I know you are unhappy with me..." she started, keeping her voice small and a stray tear escaped from the brim of her eye. "I know you are unhappy that I took over the Hart Group and I’m now engaged to your ex-husband. But I swear I didn’t mean any harm. I would give it all back to you if that’s what you want."

I scoffed inwardly.

"No, Jessica. You don’t have to do that just to please her." Lucas turned his attention to me this time, and his expression immediately hardened. He clenched his jaw tightly as he pinned me with a glare. "What is your problem with Jessica? How could you push a pregnant woman?" He questioned, his voice dripping with anger and accusation.

I let his accusation hang in the air for a beat, allowing every camera and every pair of eyes to settle on us. Then I blinked, looking genuinely stunned.

"I pushed her?" I echoed quietly, as though I couldn’t quite believe what I’d just heard. My gaze shifted from Lucas to Jessica before dropping to the hand I had supposedly used to shove her. "That’s strange." I frowned. "Because if I remembered correctly, all I did was pull my wrist out of her grip. I really didn’t mean to hurt her at all."

A ripple of whispers spread through the crowd once again.

I looked back at Jessica, my expression still filled with feign concern. "Jessica, I even reached out to help you the moment you fell. I’m sorry if it came across like I intentionally pushed you because I was unhappy, but I am truly happy for you and Lucas like I said."

She stiffened almost imperceptibly, and a wave of satisfaction washed over me, though I kept my expression neutral.

"If I really pushed you," I continued softly, "why would I immediately try to pull you back up?"

Jessica’s expression faltered, her eyes darting from side to side, but she didn’t dare to speak a word. Instead, Lucas was the one who stepped forward. His brows were knitted together, the anger still evidently carved into his features.

"You expect us to believe that?" he scoffed.

"I expect people to believe what they actually saw." I slowly swept my gaze across the crowd, a knowing look crossed my features. "There are dozens of witnesses here, I am sure we could ask anyone of them."

"And," Rhys added this time, glancing toward the cluster of reporters with raised cameras, "quite a few cameras too," he said, a subtle smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he kept his gaze steady.

Several photographers instinctively lowered their cameras to check the footage they’d just captured.

Jessica’s fingers curled tighter over her stomach, and the colour slowly drained from Lucas’ face.

"Evelyn never laid a hand on Jessica except to remove her grip from her wrist," Rhys continued.

I lifted my arm, turning it so that everyone could clearly see the faint red marks circling my wrist where her nails had dug into my skin. "If anyone was grabbed, it was me."

The murmurs grew noticeably louder.

"I..." Jessica’s voice trembled. "I lost my balance because she yanked her arm away so violently."

I tilted my head as I raised a brow at her. "So now you’re saying you weren’t pushed?"

Her eyes widened. "I... that’s not what I—" she stuttered, tripping over her own words.

"Because a moment ago, Lucas accused me of pushing you." Silence descended upon us, stretching taut between everyone present. "You’ve changed your story in less than thirty seconds."

Jessica’s lips parted, but no words came out. Lucas looked between the two of us, confusion flickering across his face.

I stepped forward, keeping my voice calm and measured. "So which one is it? Did I push you, or did you lose your balance?"

She stepped back, shock swirling in the depths of her eyes.

"If you genuinely lost your balance, then I’m sorry that happened." I paused. "But don’t accuse me of something I didn’t do."

Jessica’s eyes flashed with panic for the briefest moment before she quickly looked away, cowering in Lucas’ embrace.

"That’s enough." The frown on his face deepened as he tightened his grip on her waist protectively. "You are scaring her," he scowled, glaring at me as if I had just murdered his entire family in front of him.

A humourless smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

"I’m scaring her?" I repeated, unable to keep the disbelief from creeping into my voice. My gaze drifted to Jessica, who was tucked safely behind Lucas, her fingers clutching the front of his suit jacket as though she were the victim in all of this.

"Lucas, I haven’t even raised my voice. I haven’t threatened her. I haven’t touched her. So tell me," I said evenly, "what exactly is she frightened of?"

His jaw tightened. "Stop trying to twist this around," he snapped, anger laced his voice as he moved closer towards me.

Rhys instinctively reached for me, pulling me closer to his side as his expression darkened.

"I’m twisting it?" I let out a quiet laugh. My eyes met Lucas’ gaze as I felt Rhys’ steady hand on me. "I am simply stating the fact. Is it wrong to pull my hand away? If someone loses their balance because another person frees themselves from being restrained..." I paused. "Is that really the same as being pushed?"

Lucas opened his mouth but didn’t answer immediately. And a fresh wave of whispers spread through the crowd. Jessica noticed it too. Her fingers dug more tightly into Lucas’s sleeve as tears welled in her eyes.

"I... I didn’t mean to grab you that hard," she whispered shakily. "I just...I just wanted to talk to you. That’s all."

"So you admit you grabbed me." The words left my mouth calmly.

Jessica froze. "I..."

"You’ve just confirmed that. Didn’t you?"

Her breathing hitched as she realised what she’d said. She quickly turned to Lucas. "Lucas..." she murmured urgently, her voice thick with tears. "Please believe me. I only wanted to talk to her, I promise."

His arm instinctively tightened around her shoulders. "I believe you..." he muttered under his breath, his hand gently patting hers while the free hand reached up to wipe the tear rolling down her flushed cheeks. "I will always believe you, no matter what."

Ah, the act of the perfect couple in front of everyone here.

Watching the scene unfold before me, I had almost laughed out loud. If there hadn’t been a crowd watching, I would not have bothered holding back. But right now, I needed to be rational, I needed to think logically and not let my emotions get the best of me.

Lucas shot me another icy glare. "But whether she grabbed your wrist or not doesn’t change the fact that she ended up on the ground. So you will be apologising to her."

A loud scoff left Rhys’ lips. He moved away from me, stepping closer towards Lucas instead, his body towering over his.

"My girlfriend will not be apologising to anyone today."