The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 233

NE WETY AND HIRTY THREE CLAIRES 、-༥

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CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE CLAIRE’S POV

By the time I arrived at the police station again, I could have walked into its corridors with my eyes closed.

The officers at the front desk recognized me immediately.

One of them gave me a sympathetic smile. “Morning, Ms. Moreau.”

I smiled back, though the smile itself felt more like muscle memory than genuine warmth.

“Morning.”

“Interview Room Three.”

I nodded my thanks and headed toward the elevators.

Everything looked and smelled the same.

It struck me how much time I’d spent inside this building over the past few weeks.

Too much.

I’d become familiar with detectives, investigators, evidence technicians, even the woman who worked the reception desk on the second floor.

None of us had expected this case to grow into something so enormous.

None of us had expected Hart Sullivan to be so stubborn.

None of us had expected the shooting. Or Lucian nearly dying.

The thought alone made my chest tighten.

I instinctively reached for my phone.

No relevant new messages.

Camilla hadn’t called, which meant Lucian was still resting.

Good.

I needed at least one thing today not to go wrong.

“Claire.”

I looked up.

Nathaniel was walking toward me with a thick file tucked beneath one arm.

He stopped in front of me, studying my face for a second longer than necessary.

“You look exhausted.”

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MONONE AND THIRTY THRET CLAIRES POV

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I laughed quietly.

“I appreciate the honesty.”

“You look worse than exhausted.”

“I probably am.”

His expression softened.

“When was the last time you slept?”

I pretended to think about it.

“I’ve closed my eyes several times this week.”

He sighed.

“That wasn’t what I asked.”

“No.”

“It wasn’t.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he gestured toward the interview room.

“They’re ready.”

I nodded.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Hart Sullivan was already seated when Nathaniel and I entered.

He was wearing the same unsettling calm I’d come to associate with him, his wrists cuffed to the steel

table.

He didn’t look frightened or angry.

He looked…

Content.

As though prison walls and locked doors meant nothing to him.

A detective switched on the recorder.

“Interview resumed. Present are Ms. Claire Moreau, Mr. Nathaniel Vale, Detectives Harris and Quinn, and the suspect, Hart Sullivan.”

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EN TALTRENERE AND THIRTY THREE CLAIRE SAKIV

The red recording light blinked steadily.

I placed my folder on the table before sitting opposite Hart.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

His eyes settled on me.

“You look tired.”

“I’ve had a busy week.”

“So have I.”

His tone was conversational.

Almost friendly.

It sent a chill through me.

I opened the file anyway.

“No one has come to see you.”

He didn’t answer.

“Not Eva.”

Silence.

“Not her lawyers.”

Nothing.

“Not a single person.”

His expression remained unreadable.

I leaned back slightly.

“Eva’s legal team is focused on protecting one person now.”

Still nothing.

“Themselves.”

A beat.

“And Eva.”

That was enough.

He blinked once.

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TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY THREE CLAIRES POV

Barely noticeable.

But I’d spent my career reading witnesses.

People lied with their mouths.

Their bodies rarely did.

I continued.

“They’ve requested settlement discussions.”

Nathaniel remained silent beside me, allowing me to lead.

“They’re trying to minimize Eva’s exposure.”

Hart looked down briefly at his cuffed hands.

Then back at me.

“Whatever decision Eva makes…”

His voice was quiet.

Steady.

“I trust it.”

I frowned.

“I always will.”

The certainty in his voice was almost religious.

Not love.

Faith.

Worship.

“You’ve sacrificed everything for her.”

He smiled faintly.

“It wasn’t sacrifice.”

“It was purpose.”

The room fell quiet.

I exchanged a brief glance with Detective Harris.

Then I tried a different approach.

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HATHER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY THREE CLAIRES POV

“Hart.”

He met my eyes.

“I can negotiate a plea agreement.”

His eyebrows lifted just enough to acknowledge he’d heard me.

“If you testify truthfully against Eva…”

“I’ll recommend that the prosecution consider reduced charges.”

“You’ll still be punished.”

“You’ll still answer for your crimes.”

“But it won’t be the rest of your life.”

For the first time since we’d entered, he smiled.

A genuine smile.

“You still think this is about prison.”

I held his gaze.

“It isn’t?”

He slowly shook his head.

“No.”

“What is it about, then?”

His eyes drifted toward the tiny window in the interview room.

“Making sure she survives.”

I felt my stomach sink.

Even now…

Even after everything…

He still believed she was worth destroying himself for.

I carefully slid one of my business cards across the table.

It stopped directly beneath his cuffed hands.

“You don’t have to answer today.”

He looked down at the card.

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WITHUNDRED AND THIRTY THREE CLARES POV

“The trial begins in a few days.” I continued. “You have time.”

“If you change your mind…”

I stood. “You know where to find me.”