The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 194

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-FOUR NATHANIEL’S POV

I stared at the document open on my desk without actually reading it.

The words blurred together, my thoughts drifting somewhere far less productive.

Claire.

Eva Sterling seeking legal representation from KVEK.

Victoria’s determination to defend a woman whom she didn’t know the truth about.

A knock sounded at my door.

I didn’t bother looking up. “Come in.” I said.

Victoria entered.

I recognized the sound of her heels before I even saw her.

She closed the door behind her.

I sighed, immediately regretting giving her consent to enter.

Victoria’s lips twitched. “That makes three today.”

I looked up. “What?”

“Sighs.” She answered, taking a seat across from me. “I’ve counted three.” She added.

I stared at her. “Please tell me you have better things to do.”

“I don’t.”

That was an obvious lie.

Victoria crossed one leg over the other.

“We need to discuss Eva.”

“No.” I replied flatly.

“We’re discussing her.” Victoria insisted.

“No, you’re discussing her.”

Victoria rolled her eyes. “You are behaving like a child, Nathaniel.”

I leaned back. “And you’re representing a sociopath.”

Her expression hardened. “Allegedly.”

I burst into laughter before I could stop myself.

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INFOUNDRU AND NINETY FOUR NATHANIEL’S POV

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Victoria frowned.

“You know, your inability to separate personal feelings from professional obligations is becoming very concerning.”

“My inability?” I repeated, pointing at her. “You’re the one representing Eva because she reminds you of yourself.”

The words landed harder than I’d intended.

Victoria went still.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then she said quietly, “I guess that’s one way to look at it.”

I immediately regretted what I’d said.

Because suddenly she looked less angry and more wounded.

Before I could say anything else, my phone buzzed.

It was a message from Mark regarding an urgent board review tomorrow morning.

I deleted it without reading the rest.

Victoria stood. “I’ll leave you to your sulking.” She said resignedly.

“I’m not sulking.” I argued.

“You are.”

She headed for the door, then paused to call my name.

“Nathaniel?”

I looked up.

Victoria’s expression softened-slightly.

“Try not to spend the rest of your life punishing yourself for losing someone who couldn’t choose.”

Then she left.

Leaving me wondering why she suddenly cared so much.

I finally left the office two hours later, when the building was almost empty.

Most of the staff had already gone home.

The rain from earlier in the morning left the parking garage feeling colder than usual. Quieter, too.

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NATH

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I unlocked my car remotely and started walking towards it.

A voice echoed through the concrete structure.

“Mr. Vale.”

I stopped in my tracks, every instinct I possessed sharpened instantly.

I turned slowly to see a man in a dark jacket, standing several spaces away. He was tall and broad shouldered.

His baseball cap was pulled so low, I could barely see his face.

But something about him felt terribly wrong.

Dangerous. Deliberate.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

The man smiled faintly- a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“No.”

His jawline caught my attention- sharp and uneven. His skin had a slight tan to it.

My stomach tightened, because suddenly… I knew.

Hart Sullivan.

I had never met him, but I had seen his picture all over the news this morning.

And the description fit too perfectly; the calm, the confidence.

There was a nationwide manhunt for this man, yet wasn’t hiding.

“You’re Hart Sullivan.” I spelled out.

His smile widened slightly. “Good.”

“You realize the entire country is looking for you.” I said, whilst managing to keep my expression neutral.

“That’s why I’m here.”

Hart shoved his hands into his pockets.

“You should tell Claire Moreau to stop looking for me.”

There it was.

Claire.

Of course.

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I stared at him. “If you’re trying to intimidate her, you’ve picked the wrong strategy.”

“No.” He tilted his head slightly. “She didn’t take my first warning seriously.”

My pulse slowed- not from calm.

From focus.

I subtly reached toward my pocket- toward my phone.

And perhaps I wasn’t as subtle as I had thought- because Hart noticed immediately.

His eyes flickered downward, then back up, like he was amused.

“If you’re looking for fear,” I said evenly, “you’ve got the wrong person.”

For a moment, he simply looked at me.

Then he smiled coldly.

“No.”

A pause.

“I’m looking for grief.”

His words sent a chill up my spine. My hand tightened around my phone then.

Hart saw the movement… and moved.

Fast.

Too fast.

One second he stood twenty feet away.

The next he was right in front of me.

A fist slammed into my ribs, sending waves of pain through my side.

I staggered backward.

I managed to throw a punch, but it barely connected.

Hart didn’t even seem annoyed.

His next blow hit my jaw, and everything flashed white.

Before I hit the concrete hard, I heard something crack.

Maybe bone.

Maybe pride.

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4/7

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The world tilted violently once I felt my face against the floor.

I could taste the blood in my mouth.

Hart kicked me back down before I even fully tried to stand up.

He was as fast as someone dismantling a machine.

Not a man. Not personal.

Just practiced.

I coughed, and even that sent pain shooting through my chest.

Hart crouched beside me, his expression almost bored.

When he spoke, his voice was low and dangerous.

“So tell Claire.”

I forced myself to meet his eyes.

Hart smiled. “Next time I’ll choose someone she loves even more.”

Then he stood, turned, and walked away, leaving me bleeding on the concrete floor.

The next thing I remember was light-blindingly bright.

Voices, machines and the smell of antiseptic overloaded my senses.

A hospital.

I blinked slowly.

Everything hurt.

My ribs, my head, my jaw.

Hell, even breathing felt like torture.

Then I saw her.

Claire.

She sat beside the bed, eyes red and face pale.

She looked terrified.

The moment she realized I was awake, she stood so quickly her chair nearly toppled over.