The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 188

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-EIGHT_ LUCIAN’S POV

I was trying to focus- God knew I was trying.

The quarterly projections sat open on my desk.

Three different restructuring proposals were waiting for my approval.

The executive team wanted answers, while the shareholders wanted reassurance.

And the board? The board wanted miracles.

Somewhere in the middle of all of it, somehow, I was supposed to save Dhark Holdings from collapsing completely around me.

But instead, I found myself staring at the same page for nearly ten minutes.

My thoughts kept drifting back to Claire.

To the way she’d looked standing in that hospital hallway while crying against my chest.

To the way she’d fallen asleep in my arms just the previous night.

A knock sounded at my office door, interrupting my thoughts.

“Come in.”

Tessa stepped inside.

“It’s time for your one o’clock meeting, sir.”

I rubbed my temples.

“Give me five minutes.”

She studied me carefully.

“Sir-”

My phone rang before she could even finish talking.

I turned to glance at the screen, then immediately sat upright again.

Claire was calling.

Somehow, everything else seemed to have vanished.

The reports, the meeting, the company- all of it.

I answered before the second ring.

“Claire.”

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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND LIGHTY EIGHT TUCIAN’S POV

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There was a brief pause before her voice finally came through.

“Lucian.”

Something was wrong.

The strain in her voice was the first thing that caught my attention.

Perhaps someone else wouldn’t have thought much of it.

But I did.

“What happened?”

Another pause.

Then she told me.

About how she had retrieved the second file.

About identifying Hart Sullivan.

About the phone call.

About the threat.

I listened without interrupting.

The calmer she tried to sound, the more furious I became.

By the time she finished, my hand was clenched around the phone so tightly my knuckles must have gone white.

When I spoke, my voice came out surprisingly calm.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“The hospital parking lot.” Claire replied.

“Stay exactly where you are.”

“Lucian-”

I ended the call at once, because I was already moving.

“Tessa.” I called.

She walked in immediately.

I grabbed my coat. “Cancel everything.”

“Sir, I would remind you-”

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HUNDRED AND LIGHTY EIGHT, LUCIANS POV

“Everything.” I repeated.

She looked at my face. And whatever she saw there made her stop asking questions.

I walked out of the office, quickly heading for the elevator.

The drive should have taken twenty minutes, but I made it in twelve.

My jaw remained clenched the entire way.

And despite everything- my mind drifted.

Years ago.

Back when Claire and I were still newly married.

She’d gotten food poisoning after some charity event she had attended.

Nothing serious, she said. Nothing life-threatening. The doctors had reassured me repeatedly.

Yet I had spent the entire night beside her hospital bed, ignoring phone calls. Ignoring the board.

Ignoring everyone.

Claire had eventually opened her eyes around three o’clock in the morning.

“You know this isn’t fatal, right?” She asked, a small smirk plastered on her face.

I’d glared at her.

She broke into a weak laugh, then reached for my hand.

“Lucian.”

“What?”

“You look more sick than I do.”

I remembered squeezing her fingers.

Remembered the relief that had nearly brought me to my knees as I watched her recover.

Even then- she terrified me.

Not because she was dangerous.

Because losing her was.

And now?

Nothinh had changed.

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3/8

WET AND LIGHTY EIGHT TUCIANS POV

I spotted Claire immediately.

She stood near the far end of the hospital parking lot, with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Even now, she was still trying very hard to look composed. And failing.

The first thing I noticed was how tense her shoulders were.

I parked and got out of the car.

The second I reached her, I checked instinctively.

Her face, her eyes, her hands. I searched for any signs of injury.

Looking for proof she was okay.

I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath until I confirmed she was unharmed.

“What exactly did he say?” I enquired.

Claire frowned. “I already told you.”

“Tell me again.”

She narrowed her eyes at me before she repeated everything.

Word for word.

Every threat, every implication.

By the time she finished narrating what had happened, something cold had settled inside me.

Hart Sullivan had made a mistake.

A huge one.

He’d threatened Claire directly.

“Good.”

Claire blinked. “Good?” She repeated.

“Now I know where his attention is.”

She stared at me like she was disappointed. “That’s your response?”

“Yes.”

“Lucian, he threatened me.”

“I know.”

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4/8

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND LICHTY FIGHT LUCIAN’S POV

“Then why are you acting like that’s a good thing?”

“Because before now, we didn’t know what he wanted.”

I stepped closer. “Now we do.”

Claire looked unconvinced.

I didn’t care.

Hart had shown his hand.

And eventually, that would get him caught.

“I’ll drive you to the station.” I suggested.

Claire shook her head almost immediately. “I have my car.” She countered.

“No.”

“Lucian-”

“No.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Why?”

For a moment, all I could do was stare at her in disbelief.

“Why?” She had asked.

Because Margot Sinclair had nearly died.

Because someone had sabotaged a structure to collapse on her.

Because someone had clearly engineered a car crash.

Because someone had broken into a law firm.

Because someone had threatened her less than thirty minutes ago.

“Because I don’t trust your car.” I finally said.

Claire stared at me. “What?”

“I want to have it inspected.” I explained.

Claire clearly disagreed. “Lucian, that’s ridiculous.”

“It’s not.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re being paranoid.”

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5/8

COACIEN ONE HUNDRED AND LIGHTY FIGHT LUCIAN’S POV

“Margot probably thought so too.”

That shut her up completely.

Immediately.

Realizing that I had passed the message effectively, I softened my tone slightly.

“Let me have it checked.”

For a moment, she hesitated. I thought she was going to argue again, until she finally sighed.

“Fine.”

“Good.”

“I still think you’re being ridiculous.”

“Probably.”

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Statements, questions, paperwork, officer documenting nearly every detail.

Claire and I were at the police station for nearly an hour.

When they finally finished, I drove her back to Sinclair & Co.

The moment we entered the building together, heads turned. Conversations paused. People stared.

I was getting used to that.

From the way Claire’s shoulders went stiff, I realized she wasn’t.

We took the elevator to Margot’s office.

The replacement file sat securely inside a leather case.

Claire entered the code, opened the safe and placed the file inside.

Then she locked it again.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Finally, she turned toward me. “Thank you.” She simply said.

I nodded in response.

Then she stepped back slightly- the movement was subtle, but deliberate.

She was distance.