The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 144

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR LUCIAN’S POV

The phone rang twice.

“Lucian.” Eva answered, voice soft but careful.

Anyone listening in would hear nothing but concern.

“I’ve seen the news,” she continued. “I truly didn’t expect things to escalate this way.”

I didn’t respond immediately.

Because that, more than anything, was a lie.

“You knew exactly what would happen,” I countered.

There was a small pause.

“I told the truth,” Eva replied gently. “What people do with it… isn’t something I can control.”

Another lie.

“They’re tearing through my building,” I said flatly. “People are getting hurt.”

She exhaled faintly, seemingly sympathetic.

God, she was good at playing the victim.

How many times had I fallen for her ‘damsel in distress’ act? How many times had I judged and chastised Claire based off something Eva had said?

I pushed the thought away.

“That’s not what I wanted,” Eva said. “But you have to understand… they care about me. They’re reacting”

No. Her fans weren’t just reacting out of the blue.

They were reacting to what she had fed them.

“You can stop this,” I stated.

That was the point of the whole conversation- the only reason I had called her in the first place.

Silence stretched for a second longer than before.

Then-

“I can help,” Eva finally said.

There it was.

Not denial, not defense.

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An offer.

I didn’t speak.

Instead, I let her continue.

“You know how this works,” she went on, her voice softening further. “People just need… something to hold onto. Something that makes sense.”

Her words were careful. Deliberate. But never direct.

“Say what they need to hear,” she added quietly.

My grip tightened around the phone.

“And what exactly do they need to hear?” I asked, even though I could already guess what she was talking about.

Eva paused before answering.

“Take responsibility.”

There it was.

Pure blackmail, wrapped up neatly- without even needing to say it.

“Apologize,” she continued. “Let them forgive you.”

Forgive me.

For something I didn’t do.

Goodness, this woman assumed I was just a tool.

“They’ll calm down,” she said. “The outrage will fade. It always does.”

Of course it would.

But only if I played the role she had written.

“And then?” I asked.

Her tone shifted into something softer. Something warmer.

I almost saw her smile.

“Then we fix this,” she said. “We move forward. Together.”

I didn’t give a reaction just yet.

“People love us,” she added. “They want to see us work. If we give them that… this disappears.”

“A few months,” she continued. “And everything goes back to the way it was.”

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The way it was.

Control. Possession. The perfect illusion.

“And if I don’t?” I asked.

Silence.

Then I heard her exhale quietly.

“I don’t think they’ll stop, Lucian.”

If it wasn’t for the weight of the situation on me, I could have laughed!

She didn’t even need to threaten me explicitly. She was so convinced that she had everything under

control.

“They’re already upset,” she continued, her tone almost regretful. “And if they feel like you’re not taking accountability…”

She let it trail.

“…they’ll keep pushing.”

I could hear the restraint in her voice. And the precision of course.

Every word was chosen to protect her.

“You’re asking me to confess to something I didn’t do,” I said slowly, laying emphasis on every word.

“No,” she replied softly. “I’m asking you to resolve this.”

That was the difference- to her.

Truth didn’t matter.

Only outcome did.

“I won’t do it.” I said.

The words came out clean and flat. Very much final.

“Lucian,” she called, quieter now. “Don’t be stubborn.”

“I won’t confess to something I didn’t do,” I repeated, still calm, trying to hold onto whatever control I had left- even though it was barely existent at this point.

But there was no room left for interpretation.

“Not for you,” I added. “Not for them.”

A beat.

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“Not for anyone.”

Something colder settled into Eva’s voice. “I’m trying to help you,” she said.

“No,” I replied. “You’re trying to control this.”

And me.

She didn’t deny it.

Of course she didn’t.

Because she didn’t need to deny anything anymore- not to me.

Because she assumed there were no consequences.

“Think about what you’re risking,” she said instead.

I already had.

And I knew I was risking everything- my name, my company, my reputation.

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