The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 169

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE CLAIRE’S POV

I stared at the screen for several long seconds before finally pressing the unlock button.

The click of the door unlocking sounded far too loud than it was supposed to be, in the quiet apartment.

And suddenly, as the door opened, I wasn’t sure if I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. Or not.

By the time I opened the door, Lucian was already standing there.

Tall, but exhausted.

And still devastatingly composed somehow despite looking like he had not slept in days.

His dark eyes met mine, and for one dangerous moment…

everything between us felt exactly the same.

But neither of us spoke immediately.

I stepped aside quietly, letting Lucian enter.

The familiar scent of him followed instantly, wrapping itself around memories I had spent months trying

to bury.

I closed the door carefully behind him, and the silence afterward was unbearable.

Lucian glanced around the apartment slowly, then his gaze returned to me.

“Nathaniel said it was part of Eva’s scheme.”

His voice was rough.

I swallowed hard before nodding. “Yes.”

That single word seemed to change everything.

Lucian looked away briefly, his jaw tightening hard.

I could practically see the thoughts destroying him from inside.

“The report Margot recovered…” My voice sounded distant, even to myself. “It belonged to Eva.”

Lucian remained still.

“She had the diagnosis almost ten years ago.”

Still silent.

“We repeated my tests tonight,” I continued quietly. “Nathaniel took me to a private hospital.”

The mention of Nathaniel caused a small flicker in his expression.

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XIN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE CLAIRES POV

But I noticed it- I noticed everything about him, still.

And somehow, that hurt too.

I held the papers tighter in my hands.

“The doctor said there’s nothing wrong with me.’

Lucian closed his eyes briefly.

And when he opened them again, something about him looked ruined.

“We could’ve had a family.” He said.

The words came out quietly.

Not angry, not bitter. That would’ve been easier.

This was worse. This was heartbreak.

My chest tightened painfully.

Because I had thought the exact same thing all night.

Suddenly the apartment felt too small for the grief between us.

I looked down at the results again, my vision blurring.

“I spent years mourning children that never even had the chance to exist.”

My voice cracked violently.

“I thought I failed you.”

Lucian’s head snapped toward me immediately.

“No.”

The force behind that single word startled me.

I looked up.

And for the first time in months-

I saw absolutely no coldness in him.

Only pain.

Raw and devastating.

“You were never the tragedy, Claire.”

The tears came immediately after that.

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NONE MONDRED AND SIXTY NINE CLAIRES POV

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I turned away quickly, pressing a hand against my mouth.

Because hearing those words now-

after everything-

hurt almost unbearably.

“I hated myself,” I admitted shakily. “After the diagnosis… after the board started pressuring you… after

Eva…”

I laughed weakly through tears.

“I kept apologizing for something that was never even true.”

Lucian stared at me in silence.

Then finally-

very quietly-

“I know.”

There was so much regret in those two words that I could barely breathe.

I looked at him again.

And suddenly memories started hitting me one after another.

The fertility clinic.

The drive home afterward.

Me crying quietly in our bedroom while Lucian sat in silence.

Me begging him to say something.

Anything.

Anything at all.

“You left me alone,” I whispered.

Lucian looked like I had physically struck him.

“I know.”

“I kept trying to reach you.”

My voice shook harder now.

“I thought if I loved you enough, if I stayed patient enough, eventually you’d come back to me.”

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OZON PUNDRED AND SIXTY NINE CLAIRES POV

+25 Bonus

Lucian lowered his head slightly.

And for the first time since I met him-

he had no defense.

No cold response.

No pride.

Nothing.

“When the diagnosis happened…” he said slowly, “I felt like I was drowning too.”

His voice had gone rougher.

“I didn’t know how to handle losing that future.”

His jaw tightened painfully.

“So I stopped feeling anything at all.”

I stared at him silently.

“And instead of holding onto you…” he continued quietly, “I pushed you away because I thought distance

would hurt less.”

His eyes finally met mine again.

“But losing you hurt anyway.”

God.

That almost destroyed me.

Because this was the conversation we should have had years ago.

Not now.

Not after everything.

Not after Eva.

Not after Nathaniel.

Nathaniel.

The thought grounded me instantly.

And maybe Lucian saw it happen across my face because his gaze shifted slightly toward the couch.

Toward Nathaniel’s jacket draped carelessly over the armrest.

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A tiny thing.

But it changed the room immediately.

Lucian looked away first.

And suddenly I realized-

someone else had occupied spaces in my life that once belonged entirely to him.

That realization hurt both of us.

I hated that it did.

Lucian laughed once quietly then.

Not amused.

Just tired.

“He was there for you.”

It wasn’t a question.

I swallowed.

“Yes.”

Lucian nodded slowly like he deserved that answer.

Maybe he did.

The silence stretched again.

Heavy.

Intimate.

Dangerous.

Then suddenly he stepped closer.

Not aggressively.

Carefully.

Like he was afraid I would disappear if he moved too quickly.

My heartbeat became uneven immediately.

He lifted one hand slowly toward my face.

And I should have stepped away.

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AND SOTY NINE CLAIRES POV

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I knew I should.

But I didn’t.

His fingers brushed lightly against my cheek.

Warm.

Familiar.

Devastating.

My breath caught.

Lucian stared at me like he was trying to memorize every part of my face all over again.

And God help me-

part of me still leaned toward him naturally.

Loving Lucian had never really left me.

I had only buried it beneath pain.

“You have no idea,” he said quietly, “how many times I wished I could undo everything.”

Tears burned harder behind my eyes.

Because I believed him.

That was the problem.

I believed him now.

Lucian moved closer. Close enough that I could feel the warmth of his body.

Close enough that one more inch would change everything.

My breathing became uneven.

And so did his.

Then softly-almost painfully-