The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 119

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN CLAIRE’S POV

Leaving the hospital that morning felt harder than I expected.

Not because I couldn’t walk, but because every step reminded me that I wasn’t fully steady yet.

The floor felt unusually firm beneath my feet, and my body seemed to be just a second behind every movement, like it was still catching up to the decision I had already made.

But I didn’t stop or even dare ask for help. I just kept moving.

Because going back wasn’t an option.

Margot handled the discharge with her usual efficiency, signing what needed to be signed, and speaking to the doctors in a tone that made it clear this wasn’t up for debate. 1

Nathaniel too, stayed close-not hovering, not overbearing, just… there.

Watching.

I tried not to notice.

The car ride to the courthouse was quiet.

Margot sat beside me, already going through notes quickly and precisely, her focus shifting back to the case as if nothing else existed.

Nathaniel sat across from us, his presence steady, and his gaze occasionally flickering toward me in a way that felt deliberate but not intrusive.

No one mentioned the hospital.

No one mentioned everything that had happened.

Good.

But that left too much space for everything else.

My thoughts drifted before I could stop them. Back to him.

Back to the moment that hadn’t made sense when it happened, and made even less sense now.

The kiss between Nathaniel and I- the second one. The first one hadn’t taken up this much space in my

mind. But this…

I stared out the window, watching the city pass in a blur.

Ignoring it didn’t make it disappear. If anything, it made it louder.

Because no matter how I tried to frame it-as a mistake, as a reaction, as something temporary-it didn’t sit that way in my mind.

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It had felt real. And I couldn’t help but admit that it has also felt good-maybe even freeing.

I shifted slightly in my seat, wincing before I could stop myself.

Nathaniel noticed.

Of course he did.

“You shouldn’t have rushed this,” he said quietly.

“I didn’t rush anything.” I retorted, looking out the windows instead of at him.

“You’re still recovering.” He stated.

“I’m fine.” I said plainly.

The lie came easily. Too easily.

Neither Nathaniel nor Margot called me out on it.

But the silence that followed made it clear they didn’t exactly believe me either.

By the time we arrived, the atmosphere had already changed.

I saw it before I even stepped out of the car.

The press were stationed outside the courthouse like flies around a carcass. There were too many of

them.

Gathered near the entrance, voices overlapping, cameras ready, attention sharp and focused.

On me.

The moment the car door opened, it hit all at once.

“Ms. Moreau-over here!”

“Is it true the collapse wasn’t an accident?”

“Do you have any comment on Mr. Dhark’s actions? You know he saved your life!”

“Are you and Lucian Dhark getting back together?”

“Was that a romantic gesture we witnessed?”

The questions came fast, loud and relentless.

I stepped out anyway, completely ignoring them. Because I wasn’t here for that

I wasn’t here to entertain speculation or answer questions that had nothing to do with what actually mattered.

They wanted drama.

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I was here for work. Not a spectacle.

I walked past them without slowing, with Margot beside me, and Nathaniel just behind. The noise followed us all the way to the doors, finally fading when we stepped inside and the courtroom atmosphere swallowed it whole.

And just like that, everything shifted.

The moment I stepped into that room, everything else fell away. The noise, the press, the hospital… none of it mattered anymore.

This, I understood. This, I knew.

The case unfolded the way I remembered it, every detail still intact in my mind despite everything that had happened.

When I spoke, my voice didn’t waver. When I presented, my thoughts didn’t scatter.

It was like stepping back into something I had built myself.

All I felt in the courtroom was control, clarity and purpose.

And in that moment, I couldn’t have been more proud of myself.

At one point, the opposing counsel hesitated, glancing briefly at my bandaged arm before speaking.

“I trust you’re in a position to proceed effectively, given your condition.”

It was subtle- polite even. But it was still a challenge.

I met his gaze calmly then.

“My condition doesn’t affect my competence,” I said. “If you’d like clarification on the argument instead, I’d be happy to provide it.”

He didn’t push further, and naturally, the moment passed.

Nathaniel was watching.

I didn’t need to look to know that.

When our eyes met briefly across the room, there was something unspoken in the exchange. Not surprise, but recognition. Perhaps even admiration.

Like he was seeing something he already understood and appreciated.

The session ended without much incident. Not finished, but strong.

Outside, the noise returned. The press was still waiting, still pushing, still searching for something I had no intention of giving them.

Margot didn’t linger. She spoke briefly with the rest of the team before turning back to me.

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“You did well,” she said simply.

“I know.” I replied.

A faint smile touched her lips before she touched my arm.

“I have to head back. There’s more to prepare.” She said.

“Of course.”

Her gaze flickered between me and Nathaniel for a brief second-assessing and calculating as always- before she nodded once and disappeared quickly.

I turned toward the exit, already feeling the weight of the day settling into my body now that it was all

over.

“Claire.” Nathaniel called.

His voice made me stop in my tracks. I glanced back.

“You’re not going alone,” he said.

It wasn’t a question.

I didn’t argue. There was no point in that, especially since I was feeling my body weaken again.

The drive back to my apartment was quieter than before.

I wouldn’t describe the silence as tense or heavy… just calm.

Nathaniel drove this time.

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