The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 178

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-EIGHT_ CLAIRE’S POV

The applause never came- not even polite applause.

The ballroom remained unnervingly still as Lucian stepped away from the podium beneath hundreds of glittering lights.

His cold expression never changed as he came down the stage.

But I knew him too well.

I knew what it had cost him to stand on that stage and say those words publicly.

“The woman I love most.”

My chest still hadn’t recovered from hearing it.

Before anyone could recover, Nathaniel moved- fast.

Too fast.

My stomach dropped instantly.

“Nathaniel-”

He ignored me completely, and kept walking.

People turned immediately as Nathaniel strode across the ballroom after Lucian, fury radiating off him.

Conversations died mid-sentence, cameras shifted instinctively toward the unfolding disaster.

Lucian had almost reached his table when Nathaniel grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

Then punched him.

A wave of sharp gasps ripped through the ballroom.

Lucian staggered sideways from the force.

The sound of the impact echoed horribly loud in the completely silent ballroom.

Blood appeared immediately at the corner of Lucian’s mouth.

“Nathaniel!” I shouted, my heels clicking violently against the floor as I rushed toward them.

Words cannot describe the kind of panic that was surging through me.

Around us, phones were already rising-recording, watching and waiting to see what would happen next.

Nathaniel looked absolutely furious.

Not composed, not polished- furious.

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“You think you can destroy everything,” he yelled harshly, “and still stand there talking about loving her?”

Lucian’s face remained terrifyingly calm as he slowly wiped the blood from his mouth with the side of

his thumb.

“I wasn’t speaking to you.’

The answer only made Nathaniel angrier.

He moved again, but I stepped between them immediately.

“Stop it!”

I barked, my voice cracking harder than I intended.

Nathaniel froze.

So did Lucian.

For one awful second, I felt both of them reaching toward me at once.

Nathaniel’s hand closed around my arm protectively.

At the same time, Lucian reached for my waist as though he meant to shield me from the movement

around us.

The moment lasted less than a second, but Nathaniel noticed.

I saw it in his face immediately.

The ballroom had become alive with whispers.

“Oh my God-”

“He punched Lucian Dhark-”

“This is about Claire Moreau-”

“They’re fighting over her-”

I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

Across the room, Victoria has this smug, triumphant look on her face.

And then Eva started walking towards us- of course she did.

I had to give her credit, she was nothing if not elegant.

Perfect, in a silver gown that moved around her like liquid light.

Cameras immediately shifted toward her too.

She stopped near us, her expression carefully composed into concern.

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But her eyes glittered almost as dangerously as her gown.

“You really do enjoy men fighting over you, don’t you?”

The cruelty in her voice hit like a slap.

I stared at her in disbelief, not wanting to give the cameras a reaction.

Nathaniel looked ready to lose control again.

But before either of us could speak, Lucian did.

“Leave.”

The single word sliced through the tension sharply.

Eva blinked.

I noticed that she looked genuinely caught off guard.

Lucian’s eyes were ice when he looked at her- full of absolute resentment. “You’ve done enough.”

Something flickered across Eva’s face then.

Embarrassment.

Quick, but unmistakable.

Maybe she was just starting to realize that Lucian no longer cared about protecting her publicly. Or about how he appeared in public.

The room seemed to sense it too.

Eva recovered quickly, lifting her chin gracefully.

“I was only trying to help,” she said softly.

“No,” Lucian replied coldly. “You never were. You’ve done enough.”

The silence was so intense, I felt sick.

Completely overwhelmed.

Everyone was staring at us like we were entertainment.

Like we were some tragic drama unfolding for their amusement.

But none of them truly understood.

None of them knew what it had cost all of us to arrive here.

Nathaniel’s jaw tightened as he looked between Lucian and me.

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“She chose me.”

The words landed heavily- firmly. Like a challenge.

Lucian’s gaze shifted slowly toward me then.

He looked straight into my eyes.

“Did she?”

My breath caught.

And for one overwhelming moment, I couldn’t answer.

And that silence-that horrible silence- hurt Nathaniel more than the punch ever hurt Lucian.

I saw it in the flicker of pain across his face.

“Nathaniel-” I called, guilt tearing through me.

“I need some air,” he said tightly, then walked away.

My chest tightened as cameras started flashing wildly around us again.

I turned toward Lucian immediately.

Now, I felt like punching him too.

“This is exactly what I didn’t want.” I hissed.

His face softened just a little. “I know.”

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