My Husband Chose His Ex I Became His Regret novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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The sun hadn’t even risen, yet the house felt colder than usical. Shadows stretched across the guest room like they were conspiring against me I sat on the narrow bed, running my fingers over the pale blue dress I had spent hours choosing. Elegant, understated, perfect for the gala.

I imagined Mark noticing me. Really noticing me. Just once. Maybe he’d pause mid-conversation and let his eyes linger, finally seeing me-not the wife he tolerated, but the woman he had once ignored for the past one

year.

Stop hoping. I whispered. He’ll never see you.

But my fingers couldn’t stop caressing the silk. Hope clung stubbornly to me, though I knew better.

The door creaked.

“Lila?” Sienna’s voice floated down the hall, light and airy, deliberately cheerful.

I froze.

She stepped inside before I could answer, hands on her hips, hair perfect, eyes glinting with amusement. “You’re awake already?” she asked, her tone dripping mockery. “Getting ready for the big day?”

“Yes,” I said quietly, gripping the fabric of my dress.

“It’s a good thing Mark decided to let you attend,” she said, glancing at the silk. “Safe choice. I’ll see you, Lila.”

Heat crawled up my neck. I clenched my fists in my lap. “I… I want to look nice for the gala.”

“Oh, you will,” she said, tilting her head and flashing that irritatingly sweet smile. “If he even notices you.”

Her words hit me like a slap.

“Mark asked me to come along,” I said quietly, “it means something-”

“It’s to keep up appearances, you know,” she interrupted, stepping closer. Her perfume invaded the small space, sweet and sharp, like sugar with poison. “It’s fine. You’re lucky he’s even letting you breathe the same

air as us.”

I flinched.

Her eyes swept over the room-the small bed, the lone dresser, the suitcase neatly tucked in the corner. “Cozy,” she said lightly. “I almost forgot you were still here. Must be hard, being… the other woman’s shadow.”

I bit my lip to keep from snapping.

“I’ll be in the master,” she continued casually. “I’m sure Mark wants to see me before the gala. Don’t take too long getting ready. We wouldn’t want him to get impatient.”

She left with a swirl of silk and blonde hair, heels clicking down the hall. Every step was a reminder that she

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Chapter 3

belonged here—and I didn’t.

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I stared at the dress. Tried to imagine myself wearing it, walking into the gala, standing tall, showing the world the woman Mark had ignored for a year.

A faint knock pulled me from the mirror.

Before I could answer, the door burst open. Mark stepped in, his face cold, expression tight, like he had swallowed every ounce of warmth I’d ever hoped to find in him..

“Finally,” he barked. “Do you have everything ready? I don’t have time to wait for you to fuss over a dress like a child.”

“I… I’m almost done,” I said, voice trembling slightly.

“Almost isn’t good enough,” he snapped. “Do you want to embarrass me tonight? Hurry. Change. Move. And don’t make me tell you twice.”

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to nod. Every part of me wanted to collapse, to cry, to scream. But I straightened my back and forced my fingers to obey.

Because somehow, deep down, I still hoped he might see me.

The ride to the gala was worse.

Silly me opened the door to the front seat to get in but Sienna entered instead.

“Oh, you thought you were going to sit here?” They mocked laughing.

Sienna rsat beside him in the front seat, laughing lightly, leaning into him with her hand brushing his thigh. Her presence filled the car like a flame, warm, inviting, untouchable.

I sat in the back, clutching my small purse like a lifeline.

“I don’t understand why you look sad,” Mark said sharply without looking back. “But really, you shouldn’t be sad. Sit there. Be grateful. You should be grateful for the ride.”

Grateful. Grateful.

I clenched my jaw and forced my lips into a polite smile.

Sienna leaned back, tilting her head with that infuriating innocence. “Oh, Lila,” she said sweetly. “It’s so cute that you think he even notices you back there. Don’t strain yourself.”

I wanted to scream. To rip the smug smile off her face. But I didn’t. I stayed seated, spine straight, chest tight.

The car ride was suffocating. Every laugh, every glance, every casual brush of her hand against him reminded me of my place-decorative, invisible, tolerated.

When we arrived, the grand ballroom spread before us like a promise I wasn’t allowed to touch. Lights sparkled. Guests laughed. Cameras flashed. Everyone looked important, except me.

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Chapter 3

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Mark stepped out first, taking Sienna’s hand in his after he opened her door She smiled at him, radiant and he returned it with a tenderness I had never seen directed at me.

I followed silently, heels clicking, hands trembling slightly. Eyes of the crowd swept over me-some curious. some sympathetic, some pitying

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