Once the Forgotten Wife, Now His Biggest Regret

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: My sister’s antics

I bit my tongue in pain as my arm turned red. But as expected, Lucas and Cathy shoved me aside to rush to Jessica’s side.

"Jessica, are you okay? Are you hurt?" They asked as they examined her hands for burns

"I’m going to go get some water and a cloth to soothe the burn on your skin," Cathy said before scrambling into the ensuite bathroom.

I hadn’t even had the chance to say anything when Lucas slapped me across my face.

She put on a pitiful look. "Don’t blame Evelyn. I’m sure it was just an accident, and she didn’t mean it. It was my fault, I was careless. It has nothing to do with Evelyn," she said in her sweet voice that only made me feel disgusted.

Her eyes were now on me as she continued to speak. "I’m sorry, Evelyn. I didn’t mean to make you angry. I was just worried about Kayla, and I know how much Lucas still cares for you. I just—"

"No need to defend her or reason with her. She’s obviously unhappy and jealous of you."

"Exactly. Don’t worry, we’ll bring you to the hospital for a check," Cathy assured now that she was back, sitting by Jessica’s side as she gently patted her hand with the soaked cloth.

I couldn’t help but scoff at the scene that was unfolding before me. All that drama for a little burn. The soup barely touched her.

"You did that on purpose, didn’t you?" He spat, his tone dripping with accusation as he glared at me. "If anything happens to her or the baby, I would never forgive you."

A cold chuckle left my throat. "I doubt a burn is going to harm the baby."

Before I knew it, his fingers were wrapped around my throat, squeezing it so tight I felt all air flee from my lungs. "Don’t you dare talk back to me," he warned before finally letting me go.

I coughed violently, taking in deep breaths as I stared at him with nothing left in my heart for him anymore. The corners of my lips curled into a wry smile. "I’ll do what I want."

"Let’s see if you can still be so smug after this."

Before I could stop him, I watched him pull out the picture from his pocket, and with a smirk on his face, he ripped it into two.

"No!" The scream erupted from my throat, and I watched as the pieces slowly fell to the ground.

The smirk on his lips only grew wider upon seeing the devastation written all over my face.

"Not so smug now, are you, my dear wife? This will teach you to never talk back to me again or to ever bully Jessica."

I carefully picked up the now torn image and held it in my hand, clutching it close to my chest as a sob tore out of me. My body shook with each deep breath as tears continued to stream down my face.

This picture was the only vague memory I still have of my mother.

Growing up, I used to have stacks of photo albums containing pictures of the short childhood I spent with my mother before a freak accident ruthlessly took her away from me. My father remarried only a year after my mother’s death, and soon, they had Jessica, but he had always kept the albums safe, and I treasured them like precious jewels. Whenever I was feeling upset or discouraged, I would always flip the pages, and it would instantly lift my mood.

But when my stepmother found out about these photo albums, jealousy and rage consumed her. She threw a huge tantrum, yelling that my father didn’t love her as much as he loved my mother before her death. She forced my father to throw everything away, and nine-year-old me refused.

Yet that didn’t stop her from secretly throwing them all away while I was at school. The only reason I had this single picture was that I had kept it between the pages of my favourite book.

But now...it’s ripped into two.

"You did good, son, that will definitely teach her a lesson. She deserves it."

I reached up to wipe the tears off my face and rose to my feet to meet their eyes. "I’ll make sure you regret ever doing this. I’ll make you pay tenfold for this, and one day, you will be begging at my feet."

For a brief moment, the smug looks on their faces falter as their eyes narrow into thin slits.

"What did you just say?"

A muscle pulsed in my jaw. "I think you know what I said, dear husband."

"Son, are you going to let her talk to you like this?"

He crossed his arms over his chest, still wearing the same arrogant look on his face. "She can say all she wants, but I did like to see her try." free𝑤ebnovel.com

I tucked the torn pieces of the picture back into my pocket and pushed past him to head to my room. My heart was still pounding loudly in my chest, but I bit back my anger and started shoving everything I could into the duffel bag lying on the ground.

I heard Cathy behind me. "Are you seriously just going to let her leave like that after what she said to you?"

"Don’t worry, mom. One day, she will come crawling back to me when she realizes that she is nothing without me."

Oh, how foolish is he? He should have known better than to think I wanted anything to do with a scumbag like him. Besides, I don’t take recycled trash.

I turned to face him, my back straightened as I stood tall this time without a trace of tears left on my face.

"Oh, Lucas..." I drawled, stepping forward. "You shouldn’t be lying to your mother."

The sides of his eyes crinkled in anger as he gritted his teeth. "You little—"

Jessica appeared beside him, the same innocent, good girl look on her face. "Lucas, don’t. Let me talk to her, maybe she’ll listen. I’m her sister after all."

I couldn’t believe that all these years I, too, had fallen for her little act, when all the time she had been driving a wedge between our marriage. Not that I cared about it, anyway.

I met my sister’s eyes with a cold gaze. "Stepsister," I corrected.

She stepped closer, feigning a sweet smile that made me sick. "It doesn’t matter, stepsister or not. You’re still my sister, and I only want the best for you. Please stay, for the sake of this family. I’ll talk to Lucas, I’ll make sure he treats you well again."

A cold chuckle left my lips as I stepped back, putting distance between us. "I don’t need your help. There is nothing you can say that will change my mind."

I turned to leave when I felt someone grab onto my wrist.

"Evelyn, wait."