Drowning Him In Regret novel Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The days flew by, and before I knew it, the company’s anniversary celebration had arrived.

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The Carson Group had pulled out all the stops for this event–clearly trying to squash the recent rumors. They’d even prepped a bunch of press releases, just waiting to flood the news with stories about how Jude and I were still the perfect, loving couple.

But up until the big night, I never got the gown or emerald jewelry Jude promised.

In the end, I had no choice but to go back to the house.

Turned out, Jude hadn’t actually broken his word–at least now I didn’t have to wait around for him to send the dress and jewelry by courier.

I picked out a short formal gown I never got the chance to wear the year we got engaged. As for the jewelry, I looked everything over, then chose to wear nothing.

I glanced down at the necklace Jude had given me and let out a soft breath. ‘This is enough.‘

When Jude came to pick me up from the house, he frowned the moment he saw me. “Why are you dressed like that?”

Jude was wearing a brand–new suit, obviously meant to match the custom gown.

Maybe Jude forgot to give it to me, or maybe he just didn’t care. Either way, I didn’t bother asking.

“Come on, let’s not keep everyone waiting,” I said, taking his arm. His expression eased up a bit after that.

I dressed pretty formally tonight. That dress had cost a fortune back then–it was custom–designed overseas.

originally planned to wear it at some fancy event with Jude after we got married.

But after the wedding, it just sat in my closet, untouched. I never really got the chance to attend anything with him.

When we showed up at the venue together, people started whispering immediately.

Mostly because our outfits looked completely mismatched–his was green, mine a deep maroon.

But even with the mismatch, we were still the main couple tonight. Nobody dared say anything out loud.

Jude slipped into the crowd right away. This was his world. He’d always been good at mingling and working the room.

1, on the other hand, said I wasn’t feeling well and went to rest. No one questioned it. Looking pale and worn–out had its perks–I could finally breathe a

little.

Then Vivian showed up, and suddenly all the attention shifted. The whispers grew louder.

Vivian was wearing a green dress. The same green as Jude’s suit. And the emerald jewelry.

‘That’s when everything clicked. So that’s who the dress and jewelry were for,‘ I thought.

I glanced in Jude’s direction and let out a quiet laugh. He was still deep in conversation with the CEO of Allsafe Group, not even looking this way.

‘Wow. Really going all in, huh? Trying to make it official with his side chick? Doesn’t even care how this looks for the company?‘ I muttered.

After a while, I lowered my eyes and stared at the wine glass in my hand, pretending I didn’t hear a thing.

But Vivian walked up to me, forcing out a few coughs. “Ada, is that really what you decided to wear tonight? You’re Mrs. Carson, you know.”

Vivian was surrounded by her little crew, including Bethany. Right on cue, they jumped in with their usual fake concern.

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Chapter 47

“Mrs. Carson? That dress is, what, from a few years ago? So outdated.”

“Not even a decent piece of jewelry? That’s just sad. Vivian, that emerald set Mr. Carson gave you must’ve cost a fortune.”

“Of course it did. Vivian’s clearly the one Mr. Carson really loves. No wonder she gets all the good stuff. Unlike someone else, just clinging to the title.”

“Exactly. Look at her, it’s pathetic. That cheap necklace probably isn’t even worth anything.”

Vivian’s friends were exactly like her–no sense of timing, no filter, just letting whatever nasty thing they thought fly out of their mouths.

But before I could even say a word, Jude walked over. His face was cold as he looked at them. “Pretty sure none of you are officially invited by Carson Group. Who do you think you are, bullying my wife like this?”

Jude sounded so righteous that even I was surprised, let alone everyone else.

‘Most people here know he doesn’t love me. Who exactly is he putting on this act for?‘ I thought bitterly.

I turned to look at him, confused. Jude actually looked pissed at Vivian. That look in his eyes was… odd. But I didn’t really care enough to figure it out.