The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 136

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIX LUCIAN’S POV

I was already at my desk when the workers started arriving thag morning.

From my office, I watched the city move. The markets opened. Meetings stacked themselves into order. Everything functioned just like it was supposed to.

Except me.

The files laid out in front of me were precise. Numbers aligned, decisions waited to be made. I had reviewed them twice already, yet I couldn’t remember a single figure.

I considered reviewing them the third time. But who was I kidding?

My mind wasn’t here.

It hadn’t been since yesterday.

Eva’s voice replayed first in my head- cold, calculated and unapologetic.

She didn’t sound like someone who knew she had made a mistake. There had been no desperation in

her voice.

Where my mind went next, I could never have predicted.

Claire.

The image came sharper than anything else.

Her office. Nathaniel.

The way she hadn’t stepped away or tried to resist him.

I leaned back slightly in my chair, feeling my jaw tightening. Why was I still thinking about that?

For a moment, I considered going to see her again.

The thought came easily- too easily.

Then it stopped just as quickly.

Nathaniel.

I exhaled once. Of course.

I wasn’t the only one who could stand beside Claire anymore.

I had no right to interrupt her again or just barge into her office like that again.

My gaze shifted to the screen mounted across the office.

The news was already running: Langford versus Virex.

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Of course it was.

The case had been everywhere since the last hearing.

But this time, it wasn’t just the case being discussed.

It was her.

Claire stood at the center of the segment, composed and precise, answering questions with a clarity and confidence that cut through the noise around her.

Headlines rolled beneath:

“Claire Moreau Leads Langford’s Offensive Strategy.”

“Rising Corporate Lawyer Challenges Virex.”

I didn’t look away.

She looked exactly like she belonged there.

There was no slouching in her posture, no uncertainty in her voice. No trace of the woman they had tried

to reduce her to.

Claire wasn’t reacting. She was leading.

I felt something cold and quiet settle in my chest- it wasn’t jealousy.

This was else. Something heavier.

I studied the screen longer than I needed to.

Why hadn’t I seen this before?

Why hadn’t I allowed it?

My hand remained still against the desk.

It wasn’t that I had underestimated her.

That would have been simpler and easier to excuse.

The truth was that I had never really underestimated her.

I just hadn’t given her the space to become this.

I had defined her. Contained her. Reduced her to something that fit neatly into the life I wanted.

And when she didn’t… that’s when I started looking elsewhere.

My jaw tightened again, sharper this time.

I had stood in the way of everything she was becoming.

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For a brief moment-short, dangerous-I let the thought surface.

If things had been different…

If I had chosen differently…

Maybe she would still be mine.

The idea barely had time to form before I shut it down.

She was never something to keep.

And I lost her anyway.

A knock at the door pulled me back.

“My apologies, sir,” my assistant said, stepping in. “The board is ready.”

I straightened slightly.

“Let’s begin.”

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The boardroom was already filled when I walked in.

Conversations cut off the moment I took my seat.

The meeting started immediately- no wasted time, no unnecessary formalities.

We moved through the projections first-market fluctuations, investment exposure, regulatory forecasts.

Then, inevitably-

Virex Holdings versus Langford Industries.

And that’s when everyone’s interest sharpened.

“They’re drawing too much attention,” the board chairman said, with his fingers steepled in front of him. If this escalates further, it won’t just affect them. It’ll affect all of us.”

Another nodded in agreement. “Regulators will start digging across the board. No one wants that ”

“It’s already destabilizing smaller firms,” someone added. “The ripple effect-”

“-is being driven aggressively,” another voice cut in.

A pause.

“Interesting that this is being led by your ex-wife.” Someone said.

The tone was casual, but I could hear the calculation beneath it.

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My gaze lifted slowly to meet his.

“She’s leading it because she’s capable.” I stated.

The room went still.

“If you’re underestimating her,” I continued evenly, “that’s your mistake.”

Silence held longer than usual, as many board members shifted uncomfortably ik their seats.

Then the discussion moved on like it should, but the shift remained.

They had heard me.

Good.

The meeting continued. We discussed numbers, strategies, risk containment.

Everything was aligned again. Structured. Predictable.

Until it wasn’t.

When the first phone buzzed quietly against the table, no one reacted.

Then another.

Then another.

That caught my attention.

Within seconds, the entire room was vibrating with the same low, insistent sound.

Conversations faltered, and everyone’s eyes dropped to their screens.

I watched their expressions change.

At first, it was confusion.

Then something sharper followed.

The door opened again, and my assistant stepped in-but this time, she wasn’t composed.

“Sir… you need to see this.”

She crossed the room quickly, handing me her tablet.

I took it.

The moment I looked down at the screen, I saw her.

Eva.

The image filled the screen.

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Bruised and fragile, perfectly framed beneath flashing lights.

Headlines ran beneath her face:

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