The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 237

CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY SEVEN CLAIRE’S POV

I gave Elise a reassuring smile before asking my next question.

“Mrs. Sinclair… could you tell the jury a little about your career before everything happened?”

She nodded once.

“I was an actress. I’d dedicated my whole education to it,” her hands rested calmly in her lap.

“Eventually, I started getting roles.” She said, a small smile crossing her lips as she reminisced.

“Well, that was after at least forty auditions.”

A ripple of soft laughter spread through the courtroom.

“My first big break was playing a supporting character in a movie where Eva was the main.”

“That was when Eva and I became friends.” She glanced briefly at the jury. “She was four years older than me, and had been in the industry for even many more years.”

“Soon I started getting roles where I was the main character, soon after that. I got a contract with the biggest agency in the country. Studios started seeking me out.”

“I told my dear friend, Eva, everything of course.” Elise said, shooting a glare across the courtroom, towards Eva.

“She was not just my mentor. She was my friend. And she always told me how proud of me she was.”

I could almost hear the jurors mentally placing themselves in her position.

Years of work, years of sacrifice.

Years of building a career and reputation.

“What happened after Ms. Sterling made the allegations against you?” I asked.

Elise inhaled slowly. “Well for one, my phone stopped ringing as much.”

Silence.

“Studios wanted nothing to do with me. The public turned on me. My agency dumped me.”

She looked toward the floor for only a second before lifting her chin again.

“People I’d worked with for years suddenly wouldn’t return my calls.”

“My referrals disappeared.”

“I walked into rooms where people whispered as I passed.”

The courtroom had grown so quiet that I could hear the scratching of one juror’s pen against paper.

“What were they saying?”

Elise smiled sadly.

“That I’d been sleeping with producers for roles.”

“That I was a whore.”

“That I’d sold my integrity for money and fame.”

Her voice never wavered. “And none of it was true.”

I took a slow step closer. “What did Ms. Sterling do while all of this was happening?”

Elise shook her head, like the mere thought of it pained her. “She denounced me to the press. She said in interviews that she regrets being close with someone as loose as me.”

“Were you ever charged with any crime?”

“No.”

“Were you ever contacted by any of the producers they claimed you had affairs with?”

“No.”

“They didn’t come out to deny the rumors either?”

“They were pretty much flattered.” She spat, evidently disgusted.

“Were any of Ms. Sterling’s allegations substantiated?”

“No.”

“Yet your career suffered.”

“Yes.” Elise stated. “Severely.”

I nodded once. “And how did that affect you personally?”

This time, Elise hesitated.

I understood the hesitation wasn’t because she didn’t know the answer.

“The hardest part wasn’t losing my career.” She said, her voice softening. “It was knowing…”

“… that it was someone I trusted with my life who was responsible for it.”

My chest tightened.

Across the courtroom, I saw Margot lower her head ever so slightly.

Neither of us looked at the other.

We didn’t need to.

I already knew exactly what she was feeling.

Loss.

Betrayal.

Pride.

All at once.

I looked back toward Elise.

“Did you eventually rebuild your practice?”

“No.”

“Why?”

She smiled faintly.

“No studio wants me. No agency wants to represent me.”

“The industry I’m in is an unforgiving one.” She explained to the court. “A scandal as big as that is not something one can come back from.”

I swallowed carefully before continuing.

“Ms. Sinclair… why are you here today?”

She didn’t even have to think. “Because the truth deserves witnesses.”

“Eva Sterling cannot give me back my career which she destroyed out of jealousy and spite,” again, she glared at Eva.

Elise’s voice was very clear, carrying through the courtroom with ease. “But this court can give me justice.”

A long silence followed.

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