The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 139

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-NINE CLAIRE’S POV

I couldn’t focus, no matter how hard I tried.

For over an hour, I sat at my desk, with the same files open in front of me, and the same numbers staring back-but nothing was sticking.

Every line blurred into the next, every detail slipping past me without actually landing or forming

something concrete.

That wasn’t like me.

“This shouldn’t be happening”

But it was.

And I knew it was because no matter how many times I tried to redirect my thoughts, they circled back to the same place.

Nathaniel.

“I’m done standing next to it.”

I leaned back slightly in my chair, exhaling slowly.

He wasn’t exactly wrong.

And that was the problem.

I hadn’t chosen Lucian.

But then I hadn’t chosen Nathaniel either.

I had asked him to stay without giving him anything solid to stay for.

That was stupid. And probably a little selfish too. 1

My fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the desk.

I hadn’t been fair to him. Or even to myself.

When the realization had fully settled, I rose from my seat abruptly, grabbing my bag without giving myself time to reconsider.

If I didn’t deal with this now, it would follow me into everything else.

And I couldn’t afford that- not when I had such an important case to work on.

KVEK was quieter at night, it seemed.

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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY NINE CLAIRES POV

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More controlled, and less movement.

But it didn’t feel unfamiliar.

It had always been quite similar to Sinclair&co.

I had spent enough time moving through spaces like this to recognize the rhythm.

The receptionist barely glanced up when I gave Nathaniel’s name.

Apparently, he was still here.

Of course he was.

I found him in one of the conference rooms.

The lights were on, and documents were spread out in front of him. Jackets off, sleeves rolled.

Working.

I noticed that he didn’t look surprised when I stepped in.

“I figured you would come.” He said, without even looking up to look at me.

I shut the door behind me softly, but the click seemed to echo through the room. Perhaps that was just

my nerves.

I decided I wouldn’t bother with small talk.

“You were wrong.” I blurted out, whilst still trying to seem compared.

Nathaniel’s gaze lifted from the documents in front of him, settling on me fully now.

“About what?”

“I’m not in love with Lucian.” I stated.

The words came out clean and clear. Almost certain.

Nathaniel held my gaze for a second longer. “That’s not what I saw.”

There was no accusation in his tone. Just observation.

And that’s what made it harder to push against.

“I was concerned,” I replied, keeping my voice steady. “Because I know what he’s capable of.” I paused.” And what he isn’t.”

Something shifted in Nathaniel’s expression.

I could have continued, but I chose not to. Instead, I stood there, feeling my palms heat up, waiting for

him to speak.

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THE ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY NINE CLAIRE POV

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“It’s not about whether you’re in love with him,” Nathaniel finally.

He straightened slightly in his seat, his attention fully on me now.

“It’s about whether you’re free of him.”

The words struck me in a way I hadn’t expected.

Free of him?

For a second, my lips parted. But I didn’t answer. Because I couldn’t.

Not immediately. Maybe not even honestly.

That’s when I realized something uncomfortable. Something unavoidable.

I wasn’t free of Lucian Dhark.

Not completely.

But I didn’t say that. Instead, I stepped forward slightly.

“I don’t know what this is yet,” I said, gesturing lightly between Nathaniel and I.

“But it’s not nothing.”

That much was true.

Nathaniel didn’t respond right away.

He just looked at me, like he was weighing the words. Considering them.

Finding the space between what I was saying… and what I wasn’t.

“I don’t do ‘maybe,’ Claire.”

The finality in his tone was quiet. But I could tell it was absolute.

I swallowed slightly, closing the distance just a fraction more.

“I’m not asking you to wait.” I could hear the strain in my own voice. “But I’m not ready to walk away either.”

That was the closest I could get to honesty without breaking opening something I wasn’t ready to face yet.

I watched his jaw tighten. “That’s exactly the problem.” He said, taking a step back.

Not abruptly, but deliberately creating distance between us.

“I’d always be standing in the middle of something unfinished.”

His words seemed to cut deeper this time.

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