The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 222

CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO_EVA’S POV

The penthouse was silent.

Not peaceful, just silence.

The kind of silence that felt wrong.

The kind that made the entire penthouse feel too large and too empty. Too quiet.

I sat alone on the couch, staring at the television.

No assistants, no manager, no publicist.

I couldn’t even call Hart because the man was now in police custody.

And I wasn’t foolish enough to call him and give Sinclair&co more evidence to prove my connection to him.

There were no invitations from brands. No calls.

Nothing.

Just silence.

The television continued playing.

Every channel was discussing the same thing:

Lucian Dhark.

The shooting, Hart Sullivan, the arrest.

Not me.

Lucian.

For perhaps the first time in years, I wasn’t the center of the story.

And I hated it.

I grabbed the remote and switched channels.

Then switched again.

And again.

Nothing changed.

Every station showed Lucian’s face. Every station showed footage from outside the hospital. Every station discussed Hart’s arrest.

Worse, everyone couldn’t stop mentioning Claire Moreau.

Claire Moreau.

Claire Moreau.

Claire Moreau.

It was like she had infected everything!

1/7

HARTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO EVAS POV

I watched clips of reporters discussing Lucian’s condition.

Claire moving between the police station and the hospital.

Margot Sinclair appearing at Dhark Holdings despite being a patient herself.

Everyone was talking about everyone else.

Nobody was talking about me.

Nobody cared about the video I had posted.

Nobody cared about the statement I had released.

Nobody cared about my truth.

My attempt to regain control had failed completely.

And it was all Claire’s fault.

I told myself I didn’t care.

Then I opened social media.

That was a mistake.

The comments were vicious.

Not from strangers.

From former fans.

People who had defended me for years.

People who had attacked Claire on my behalf.

People who had called me an inspiration.

Now they were abandoning me.

Deleting fan accounts.

Removing profile pictures.

Calling me a liar.

Calling me a fraud.

Demanding proof.

Demanding answers.

For the first time in my career, people weren’t interested in what I said.

They wanted evidence.

And evidence was the one thing I couldn’t manufacture anymore.

When my phone rang, I almost ignored it.

+15 Banus

217

HAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO LVAS POV

Then I saw the caller ID.

The call was from my manager.

Finally, someone with sense.

Someone who would tell me this was temporary.

Someone who would reassure me everything could still be fixed.

I answered immediately. “Thank God,” I said.

Silence greeted me.

That alone was a terrible sign.

“Eva.” He called, his voice low.

My stomach tightened. “What?”

Another pause.

The kind people took when they were preparing to destroy your life.

“The studio is replacing you.”

I froze.

“What?” I screamed.

“The production has been postponed.”

“No.”

“They’ve officially opened auditions.”

The room spun. “No.”

“They’re looking for your replacement.” He added.

All of a sudden, I couldn’t breathe.

“No.”

My manager sounded exhausted.

“They dropped you this morning.”

The call ended shortly afterward.

I sat there staring at the wall.

Motionless.

The movie.

The biggest project of my career yet. It was gone.

Like it had never belonged to me.

+15 Banus

7

3/7

HAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO EVA’S POV

Like I had never mattered at all.

I stood abruptly and started making calls.

One former sponsor.

No answer.

Another.

Straight to voicemail.

A producer.

Ignored.

A director.

Ignored.

An investor.

Ignored.

One after another.

One rejection after another.

Every person who used to answer on the first ring suddenly had somewhere else to be.

People who used to beg for my attention.

People who used to wait outside my dressing room.

People who used to flatter me.

Gone.

Every single one.

The loneliness turned into fury.

Because this wasn’t fair.

Lucian cheated.

Lucian betrayed his wife.

Lucian hurt people.

Lucian destroyed lives.

Yet somehow I was the one being abandoned.

I began pacing.

Talking aloud.

Trying to make sense of it.

+15 Banus

4/7

CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO EVAS POV

+15 Banus

Trying to convince myself I was the victim.

Trying to convince myself everyone else was wrong.

The phone rang again.

Another attorney.

Not KVEK.

One of the smaller firms I had approached after Victoria abandoned me.

I answered immediately.

The conversation lasted less than two minutes.

The attorney politely informed me that after reviewing the evidence and the ongoing investigations, they would not be representing me.

Another rejection.

Another door slamming shut.

The moment the call ended, I hurled the phone across the room.

It struck the wall.

Plastic shattered.

Glass exploded.

The screen cracked beyond repair.

I stared at it.

Breathing hard.

Then slowly sank onto the couch.

Because for the first time-

I understood.

Hart was arrested.

Dr. Ramon was cooperating.

Lucian survived.

Claire was leading the prosecution.

Margot Sinclair was involved.

Nathaniel Vale was involved.

The police were involved.

Everyone was closing in.

The walls were shrinking.

5/7

MAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO IVAS POV

And for once-

There wasn’t an easy way out.

My chest tightened.

Then tightened again.

And suddenly I couldn’t stop it.

The tears came.

Hot.