The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY_ Claire’s POV

The estate was quieter after the press conference.

The kind of silence that follows something irreversible.

By evening, every news outlet had replayed the footage at least six times. Commentators discussed the tone and the intention behind the press conference.

Eva was being praised for her “grace”, while Lucian was praised for his “honor.”

I was trending for my silence.

My phone buzzed endlessly throughout the afternoon. Notifications full of cruelty or sympathy I didn’t ask for.

I ignored all of it.

Margot had called again.

“Do not react publicly,” she’d instructed. “Let them settle into the narrative they think they’ve secured.”

“Then what?”

“Then we move.” She replied.

Margot spoke like a woman who was seeing the whole board and moving her pieces accordingly. She spoke like she was ahead of the game, and that calm steadied me.

“Go to work tomorrow,” she added. “Routine is power. If you hide, you’ll only validate the narrative they have spun.”

I wouldn’t hide.

1

By the time I stepped into the main corridor that evening, I noticed everything had changed.

There was a complete shift in the atmosphere.

The staff straightened immediately I stepped in. It was almost like a reflex.

Their eyes flicked toward me, and then away.

Of course they’d seen it too- the press conference that changed everything.

Lucian was in his study.

The door was open, so I walked in.

He didn’t look up when I entered. “That was well executed,” I said.

His pen stilled the moment he heard me.

1/4

Code POV

+25 Bonus

“It wasn’t meant to hurt you.” He said, still not looking away from the document in front of him.

“No,” I agreed quietly. “It was meant to erase me.”

That made him look up.

Our eyes locked and for a moment, he almost looked like the man I had married. The man who had once

I

loved me.

Then I blinked once and that man was gone.

Replaced by a stranger who looked at me like I was a threat.

“It needed to be addressed.” He said. “Silence would have made it worse.”

“For whom?” I asked.

His jaw tightened.

“For everyone.”

“Everyone,” I repeated. “You mean you and Eva.”

Lucian rose from his seat slowly, keeping his eyes on me the whole time.

“You think I enjoyed that?”

I paused, before replying.

“You were never going to defend me.”

I wasn’t accusing him, I was stating the truth which we both knew.

His gaze sharpened. “Defend you from what? You have nothing to lose, unlike Eva and I, whose career and legacy are on the line because of this scandal.”

And whose fault was it that I had no career? Who had I given up my dreams and ambitions for?

But I didn’t say any of that. I simply stared at him in silence.

If he noticed that he’d struck a nerve, he didn’t show it. “Besides, there were no accusations.”

“You didn’t need to accuse me,” I replied sharply. “You let the public fill in the blanks.”

Lucian remained silent for several seconds. He didn’t look at me.

In that moment, the distance between us felt wider than the room.

“You’ve always understood how this world works.” He finally said.

“I have.”

“And you know perception matters.”

2/4

AINY Ligin POV

+25 Bonus

“I do.”

“Then you know why that conference was necessary.”

I held his gaze.

“Necessary for you.”

He lowered his voice slightly. “For stability–”

I cut him short. “For your family.”

The air shifted.

“You’re still my wife.” He said.

The words seemed to surprise him as much as they surprised me.

“Until I sign those papers.” I replied without missing a beat.

Lucian’s expression hardened. “We agreed to handle this privately.”

“You handled it publicly!” I snapped.

Lucian remained silent for several moments, so I took a step toward the door.

“I’ll be at SinClair & Co tomorrow.”

He looked at me with disbelief, like he was speaking to a headstrong child. “You think that’s wise?” He

asked.

“I think it’s my job.” I retorted.

“You should consider limiting exposure for a few days.” Lucian suggested.

“Like you care what happens to me.” I sassed.

Lucian’s voice sharpened. “Don’t twist this.”

“I’m not twisting anything, Lucian.”

We stood there, staring at each other.

Two people bound by paper, politics and something long dead.

When I decided I’d had enough of the stare-down, I turned toward the door to leave.

But Lucian’s voice came again, quieter this time.

“Claire.” He called.

I paused at the doorway but didn’t turn immediately.

3/4

+25 Bonus

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