The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 195

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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-FIVE LUCIAN’S POV

The hospital smelled like antiseptic and exhaustion.

I hated hospitals.

Not just because they reminded me of death, but because they reminded me of helplessness.

There was nothing a man could negotiate with inside these walls.

No boardroom, no shareholders, no contracts.

No amount of money that could guarantee the people you cared about would walk out alive.

I found Claire sitting outside Nathaniel’s room.

She looked exhausted- her hair was pulled back carelessly. Dark circles shadowed her eyes.

She looked up when she saw me and for a second, something softened in her expression.

Relief.

Then it disappeared again.

“He’s awake,” she said quietly.

I nodded.

“How is he?”

“He’s been better, but he’ll recover.” She said.

The answer should have reassured me.

It didn’t.

Because once again, Claire looked like she had spent the entire night carrying the weight of someone else’s suffering.

I glanced toward the room.

“Can I see him?”

Claire hesitated before nodding. “Briefly.”

That alone told me everything;

Nathaniel wasn’t going to be pleasant.

The room was quiet when we entered.

1/9

ZONE HUNDRED AND NINETY LIVE LUCIAN’S POV

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Nathaniel sat upright against the hospital bed, his shoulder heavily bandaged.

Painful looking bruises darkened the side of his face.

He looked terrible, but somehow still managed to look annoyed.

His eyes landed on me immediately; sharp, cold and unwelcoming.

I ignored it.

“You look awful.” I said as I walked further into the room.

Nathaniel snorted. “Thank you.”

“I’m serious.”

His expression remained flat. “I noticed.”

Claire shot me a warning look, which I pretended not to see.

A particularly hostile silence followed, then I said quietly,

“I heard what happened.”

Nathaniel looked away, his jaw tightening.

I recognized the expression at once.

Humiliation.

Sometimes, the worst part of these things wasn’t getting hurt, it was needing help afterward.

“I’m sorry that happened to you.” I managed to say.

The words felt strange- not because I didn’t mean them, but because I wasn’t used to saying them.

Nathaniel looked genuinely surprised. Well, the surprise lasted only for a second before his expression hardened again.

“Why?”

I frowned.

“Why what?”

“Why are you apologizing?” He asked.

I immediately grew irritated. “Because someone tried to kill you!”

Nathaniel shrugged. “Occupational hazard apparently.”

Claire sighed. “Nathaniel.” She called.

2/9

KIONORED ANEN NLTY F

GIANS FOV

“I’m joking.”

He wasn’t. Not really.

I studied him for a moment, then made a decision.

“I’ll assign security.”

Nathaniel laughed.

Actually laughed.

A short bitter sound.

“No.”

“It wasn’t a request.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate because I’m refusing.”

“Be reasonable.”

“That’s rich coming from you.”

Claire pinched the bridge of her nose.

I ignored her.

“This man threatened Claire.”

Nathaniel’s expression darkened immediately.

“Don’t use her as an argument.”

“He threatened her.”

“And?”

“And that means anyone connected to her becomes a target.”

Nathaniel stared at me.

Then said coldly,

“Focus on your collapsing company instead.”

The room fell silent.

Claire immediately looked uncomfortable.

I should have been angry.

Instead I just felt tired.

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3/9

EN RED AND NINETY FIVE LUCIANES POV

Nathaniel wasn’t really talking about the company.

He was talking about Claire.

About us.

About everything.

I glanced toward her.

She stood beside his bed.

Closer than she was standing beside me.

But not by much.

And somehow that realization made me feel worse.

Nathaniel noticed it too.

Of course he did.

His eyes moved between us.

Something hardened inside them.

Then he looked away.

“I want to rest.”

Claire immediately straightened.

“Nathaniel-”

“I said I want to rest.”

The words weren’t directed at her.

They were directed at both of us.

A dismissal.

A clear one.

I understood immediately.

Claire did too.

Nathaniel looked toward the window.

“You should both go.”

Neither of us argued.

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4/9

ON FUNDITSANONINETY FIVE, TEXTANS POV

The silence followed Claire and I all the way to the elevator.

Neither of us spoke- neither of us knew exactly what to say.

The doors opened and we stepped inside, still silent.

The ride down felt endless.

Finally Claire exhaled heavily, then proceeded to break the silence. “He hates me.” She whispered.

I looked at her. “No.”

“He does.” She insisted.

“He doesn’t.” I countered.

Claire laughed softly- humorlessly. “I can’t blame him for hating me.” She said. “He should.”

I didn’t answer, because part of me understood exactly why she felt that way.

And another part knew Nathaniel Vale well enough to know she was wrong.

Nathaniel wasn’t angry because he hated her.

He was angry because he loved her.

There was a difference; a clear, painful one.

Outside the hospital, rain had started falling again.

Not heavy, but just enough to darken the pavement.

Claire wrapped her coat tighter around herself.

I immediately took off mine.

She looked at me. “No.”

“Yes.”

“Lucian.”

“You’re freezing.”

“I am not.” She argued.

“You’re shivering.”

She glared at me, but let me drape the coat over her shoulders anyway.

She didn’t give it back, and that made me smile.

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5/9

ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVE, TUCIANS POV

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Small victories mattered.

Slowly, we made our way toward the parking lot.

The rain followed us, soft and persistent, like memory.

“I keep thinking about what Hart said.” I looked at her. “He threatened you.”

“He threatened everyone around me.”

The words came out quietly- too quietly.

Guilt.

I knew that tone. I’d heard it before.

After every disaster, Claire always found a way to blame herself first.

“None of this is your fault.” I stated.

She laughed softly. “I know.”

Her tone told me she didn’t know at all.

When we reached the cars, neither of us moved to leave.

Claire stared out across the parking lot, then suddenly said,

“Do you remember when we got lost in Florence?”

I blinked.

The memory hit instantly. Unexpectedly.

A honeymoon trip three days after our wedding.

Claire had insisted she knew where the hotel was.

She absolutely had not.

We’d spent two hours wandering narrow streets, arguing, laughing and getting progressively more lost.

Until we’d ended up sharing terrible pizza in a tiny restaurant run by a man who spoke no English.

I had severe diarrhea after. Claire remained in perfect health.

I found myself smiling despite everything.

“Yes.”

Claire smiled too.

“You blamed the map.” I recalled.

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BONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVE, LUCIANS POV

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“The map was wrong.” Claire replied haughtily.

“The map was perfectly fine.”

“It was not.”

She laughed. And for one beautiful second-just one-it felt like before.

Before I started building my walls back up.

Before Eva.