Once the Forgotten Wife, Now His Biggest Regret Chapter 9: I’m not letting them get their way

A slight pain burst through my arm where the soup had scalded my hand earlier. On instinct, I yanked my arm away and heard a yelp pierce through the tension lingering in the air.

"Ah!"

"Jessica!"

I turned back to see Lucas and Cathy already by my sister’s side, holding her on both sides.

Lucas glared at , displeasure all over his face. "How could you be so vicious? She’s pregnant! She only wanted to talk to you, you didn’t have to push her."

Not this again.

"First of all, I didn’t push her. Second of all, you caught her, didn’t you? So, what’s the big deal?"

"You—"

Jessica coughed weakly, causing Lucas to turn his attention back to her. "Lucas, I’m okay. I lost my balance and tripped. It has nothing to do with Evelyn."

His eyes softened. "How could you still be defending her after she burned your hand, and now she pushed you, knowing that you are carrying a baby?"

Cathy chid in this ti. "Exactly! What is wrong with you? What did I do so wrong in my past life to have soone like you as my daughter-in-law?"

"Lucas, Cathy, it’s really not her fault. I was just—"

"You hear that? Jessica has been telling you it had nothing to do with . Are you saying you don’t trust her words?" They stared at , dumbfounded. "I didn’t push you, right, sister?"

Jessica was blinking up at . I caught a glimpse of the triumphant look on her face, which faltered as silence descended upon us before she finally broke it. "Right, you didn’t."

I smiled. "Good."

I was just about to walk away when Kayla’s little voice reached my ears. "Mommy?"

I turned to see her already dressed in her pyjamas as she walked out of her room. She must have heard the commotion from inside. Her eyes glanced down at my bag.

"Where are you going? Are you leaving?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Lucas may be a jerk, but Kayla was only six. She was still young, and she probably doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation. Although I knew she had developed a preference for my sister, a part of was still hesitant when it ca to my daughter.

Her words, her deanour all tugged at my heartstrings, but I nodded nonetheless.

There was no use for to stay here any longer and put up with any of this humiliation.

"Mommy is leaving now, and I won’t be coming back," my voice cracked towards the end of the sentence. "Do you want to co with mommy?"

Hope blossod in my chest for a mont, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. I watched as my daughter ran over to Lucas and my sister’s side as she shook her head.

"No, I want to stay with daddy and auntie Jessica."

I forced my lips into a smile, my heart cracking just a little. I didn’t bother arguing or convincing her to co with , she had made her choice, and I respected it.

"Alright, sure."

I ignored the smug looks on their faces and made my way towards the stairs to leave. But before I walked out of this place for good, I whipped my head around, looking Lucas straight in the eyes.

"I will be back with divorce papers the next ti."

***

After I packed everything up and left, I didn’t spare them another glance. This was the start of a new beginning.

I dialled the number I knew like it was the back of my hand, and it didn’t take long before I showed up at Sheepshead Bay, looking right at a familiar white wooden door.

The door swung open, and there she was, standing in front of —her long red hair was in a ssy bun, her wide green eyes swirling with concern and worry.

"Oh, Evie."

She pulled into a tight embrace, and I felt the warmth of her body seeping into mine. I let myself lt into her hug, and the tears I had been holding back finally broke free from the floodgates.

Bella was the one I needed right now. I had known her for more than a decade since we t in d school. She was one of the first friends I made, she was the only one who walked up to and talked to when I didn’t dare to approach anyone.

We quickly beca best friends, and the rest was history. She had always been the one to be there for through everything—the good and the bad. She was the first person I would go to whenever I needed soone, and this ti was no exception.

She pulled away, a frown already made its way between her brows. With a small smile on her face, she gently wiped the tears off my face.

"Co on in, I’ll make sure you feel better soon."

And she really ant what she said.

I walked in to find the table already filled with all my favourite snacks—Hot Cheetos, sour gummies, Twinkies, and chocolate chip ice cream. There were even two cups of boba milk tea waiting for , one for each of us.

We plopped ourselves down onto the couch when she turned to , still evidently worried. "What happened, Evie? Talk to ," she urged, her usually sharp voice turned soft and gentle.

I sniffled a sob. "I—I demanded a divorce," I started and watched as her eyes grew wide.

"What? Seriously?" The surprise on her face quickly turned into relief and joy. "Finally, it’s about damn ti."

I couldn’t help but snicker at her reaction as I lightly punched her in the arm. "Hey."

"What?" She shrugged. "I have been telling you how trashy he is. I’m glad you left."

Her voice softened. "He doesn’t deserve you or your kindness at all. And you...you deserve soone better. You know it too, don’t you?"

"Yeah...I do."

She glanced down and finally noticed my hand. "What happened to your hand?"

"Oh, I...I got scalded by hot soup."

"Was it Lucas? It’s Lucas, isn’t it? That son of a—"

"It’s Jessica. She intentionally spilled it and acted like the victim."

She rolled her eyes, letting out a huff. "Classic Jessica, I’m not even surprised. Let go get so gel."

When she was back, she was already applying the cool gel onto my hand.

"So..." she started. "Have you thought of what you are going to do next? Are you going to co back?" She asked, and I knew what she was referring to.

I lowered my head. "I...I don’t know. I don’t think I am as good as last ti. And you know how my hand is, it has been hurting for years. I’m not confident that I can still perform surgeries well enough." I paused and contemplated my next words. "I think I will probably find a job at Harts Group or sothing."

The corners of her eyes wrinkle. "I trust that you can, just take your ti. I’ll always be here for you."

I smiled. "Thank you, Bella. Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"You always do, but it doesn’t hurt to hear it more often," she giggled. "So what’s the plan?"

A twinkle lit my eyes. "I’m making a call, and then I’m going ho."

The next day, I returned ho as planned.

But what greeted wasn’t my father or stepmother, instead, it was an arrogant smile.

"Hi, Evelyn, it’s so good to see you again."