The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 211

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CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND ELEVEN_EVA’S POV

I had never hated silence so much before.

But silence was all I had now.

Not the peaceful or comforting kind- this silence was suffocating.

The kind that of silence that settled in a room after a disaster.

The kind that came after everything started falling apart.

I sat alone in my penthouse, staring at the television on the wall.

Every channel was talking about the same thing:

The lawsuit Lucian had filed against me.

The press conference that had shaken the entire country.

The endless stream of accusations he had thrown my way in front of the entire country.

The television replayed everything; one clip after the another.

It was endless, yet I couldn’t stop watching.

I should have- God knew I should have.

But I couldn’t.

My fingers tightened around the remote as I watched the annoying reporter on the television screen.

“Mr. Dhark, are you saying that the infertility diagnosis which circulated publicly almost a year ago belonged to Eva Sterling and not Claire Moreau?”

The room on the television had gone silent.

Lucian hadn’t. “Yes.” He answered immediately.

I had watched that clip repeatedly, yet my stomach still twisted every time.

I switched channels, but it was no different.

Another replay, another headline.

“ANOTHER LIE? EVA STERLING FACES LAWSUIT”

“DHARK HOLDINGS STRIKES BACK”

“FRAUD OR SMEAR CAMPAIGN?”

I hated all of them.

Every single one of those headlines made my skin crawl.

The next clip began- this one hurt even more.

“If Claire Moreau was never infertile, if she was deceived, and if she was publicly humiliated because of that deception… do you owe her an apology?”

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I already knew the answer.

I’d heard it fifty times since yesterday- maybe even a hundred.

But it still made my chest burn.

Lucian looked directly into the camera and said:

“I owe Claire Moreau far more than an apology.”

That’s when I switched the television off immediately.

Because I knew exactly what that meant I always had.

The lawsuit wasn’t what frightened me. It wasn’t even press conference or the possibility of losing money.

The thing that terrified me was something much simpler:

Lucian had chosen Claire.

Publicly.

And the entire country knew it now.

Now, the entire country knew how much he loved her.

That embarrassed me more than a wardrobe malfunction would.

For years- even before I had made my way back into Lucian’s life- I had been so sure that Claire had never

mattered.

She had always seemed… convenient. Comfortable. Very much replaceable.

Claire Moreau was just woman Lucian settled for when I wasn’t available.

The woman he only tolerated and would surely, eventually would eventually leave behind.

Then I came into that house and sure how much Claire really meant to him. How his life revolved around her even though he wouldn’t admit it. Even though he tried to fight it.

That changed my perspective.

Now the press conference had changed everyone’s perspectives completely.

My phone rang, so I grabbed it immediately.

It was my manager.

Of course it was.

I answered. “What’s happening?”

His voice sounded strained and panicked.

“Eva, we have another problem.”

I laughed bitterly. “Another problem?” That’s all I’d heard all day.

“We have several.”

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*** WINE AND BEVIN IVAS POV

Silence.

Then he continued. “Three are reviewing existing contracts.”

My heart began pounding.

“And?”

“And investors are distancing themselves.”

I closed my eyes.

He wasn’t finished. “The studio is having serious conversations about your contract.”

Now that was serious.

My chest tightened. I stood and started pacing.

“And social media is turning.”

Social media had always loved me. Always.

“What do you mean turning?” I asked.

His hesitation told me everything.

“They’re believing him.”

I hung up before he could say anything else.

Fury exploded through me.

Not just fear or sadness.

Rage- pure rage.

Because this wasn’t supposed to happen to me.

It was supposed to happen to Lucian.

He was supposed to be seen as the villain.

He was supposed to be the one everyone abandoned and discarded.

Not me.

It was never supposed to be me.

My phone rang again.

This time, I didn’t recognize the number.

But somehow, I knew who it was.

Hart.

I answered immediately.

“What did you do?”

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WOONPETAND HIVEN EVAS POV

“I missed.” Hart sounded calm. Far too calm.

For a moment I didn’t really understand. Then I did and all the blood drained from my face.

“What?”

“I missed.” He repeated, his voice calm as though that were the most normal thing in the world.

The room spun.

I felt sick to my stomach.

God, he was stupid!

“You were supposed to do nothing!”

Hart laughed.

The sound irritated me so much I almost hung up.

“You think doing nothing fixes this?” He asked.

I started pacing- faster this time. Angrier.

“Lucian wanted this!” I screamed, feeling pent-up anger and frustration spewing out of me.

Hart reminded silent.

“He wanted you angry.”

I pointed at nothing. At everything.

“He wanted you reckless.”

Still silence.

“You walked straight into Lucian’s trap!”

When Hart finally spoke, his voice had changed. It had become harder. Colder.

“My target wasn’t Dhark.”

My stomach dropped.

“The lawyer was.”

Claire.

Of course,

It had been Claire.

I pressed a hand against my forehead.

“Listen to me

His voice remained calm, almost reasonable.

Which somehow made it worse.

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AND DEVIN EVALPOV

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“Kill the lawyer and all this ends.” He said, like that was the grand solution to all our problems.

I stared at the floor, unable to believe what I was hearing. Unable to believe he genuinely believed that.

He didn’t see what he was doing. He didn’t understand that Claire or Lucian getting murdered just days after the press conference confirmed everything.

“You’re insane.” I spat out.

His laugh disappeared immediately. “I’m protecting you.” He shot back.

The words sent a chill down my spine.

Hart continued. “Like somebody should have years ago.”

I swallowed hard.

I had always known Hart Sullivan to be an impulsive man. I had liked that about him.

Then his impulses had become useful to me.

Until now. Now, for the first time in years, Hart Sullivan’s impulses frightened me.

Not because he was violent and dangerous. Because he wasn’t listening anymore.

He wasn’t following my orders.

He was making his own decisions.

And somehow, he believed they were for my benefit.

“Hart.” I called.

Silence.

“Hart, listen to me.” I continued.

Still nothing.

“Stop.”

My voice cracked.

“Do you hear me?” Silence was the response.