The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 333

“Someone in my house has been working for Eva?”

I repeated—as if repeating the words might somehow make them less absurd.

Margot nodded. “That’s what Hart told me.”

I stared at her, trying to make sense of what she’d just said.

A maid.

Someone who had worked under my roof for years, someone who had access to my home and the people in it, had been feeding information to the woman who had nearly destroyed my life.

My first instinct was to dismiss it.

Not because I believed Eva was incapable of something like this—I knew precisely what she was capable of.

But Hart Sullivan?

I didn’t trust that bastard.

Hart was a violent criminal who had spent years doing Eva’s bidding, and that’s all he would ever be in my eyes.

While his testimony had helped expose her lies, I wasn’t about to start accepting everything he said as the unquestionable truth.

“Are you certain?” I asked Margot. “And before you answer, remember who we’re talking about. Hart has hurt innocent people for Eva—repeatedly. What makes you so sure he’s telling the truth now?”

“Because he had no reason to invent this particular detail.” Margot argued.

“That doesn’t mean he didn’t.”

“Lucian, I understand your reservations. I have them, too, considering the kind of man we are dealing with,” she said. “But Hart gave us information that we can investigate, and his account was consistent with what we’ve already discovered about Eva’s access to private information.”

She paused. “He’s been cooperative so far. And you have to think about the photograph Claire received. Someone knew she was pregnant before the news became public. Eva knew, too. We couldn’t understand how she’d found out so quickly, but now we have a possible explanation.”

My stomach tightened.

I could still see the picture clearly: Claire leaving the hospital, unaware that someone had been watching her. Beneath it had been that chilling message congratulating her on being six weeks pregnant.

At the time, I’d assumed someone had followed her to the hospital or perhaps discovered the appointment through some other means.

But if Eva had someone inside the mansion, she wouldn’t have needed to rely on chance.

She could have been receiving information about Claire’s movements directly from someone we trusted.

Someone who knew when Claire left the house, where she went, and when she returned.

Someone who might have known about the pregnancy before I did.

I dragged a hand over my face.

“How long has this been going on?”

“Hart said it had been happening for years, but he couldn’t remember the maid’s name.”

I looked at her sharply.

“He couldn’t remember her name?”

“Apparently not. He knew Eva had someone inside the mansion, but he couldn’t give us a name.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Convenient.”

“I know how it sounds.”

“No, Margot. You know how it sounds to someone who has spent years watching Eva manipulate everyone around her. I don’t trust Hart, and I certainly don’t intend to start trusting him simply because he has decided to cooperate with the prosecution.”

“Then don’t trust him. Investigate what he told us.”

She held my gaze. “We don’t have to believe every word Hart says to recognize that this information could be important. If someone inside your house has been reporting to Eva, we need to find out who it is.”

I fell silent.

She was right about one thing: ignoring the possibility would be foolish.

But the thought of an employee betraying me was difficult enough to accept. The thought of that person potentially putting Claire in danger was worse.

My gaze shifted toward the study door.

Most of the staff had worked in the mansion for years. Some had been there long enough to become familiar faces I barely thought about anymore. They knew my routines, my preferences, and the private details of my life.

I had never considered that one of them might be passing those details to Eva.

“Does Hart know anything else?” I asked.

“Not that he told us.”

“Then we need to find out who this person is before we do anything else.”

“Agreed. But we must be careful about who we tell. If Hart was telling the truth, we don’t know who we can trust inside this house. We shouldn’t alert anyone until we know more.”

I nodded, although I wasn’t entirely convinced that keeping everyone in the dark was the best approach.

There was one person who had been part of this household longer than almost anyone else. Someone who knew the staff, their habits, and the smallest changes in their behavior.

Someone I trusted.

Before I could decide how to proceed, the study door opened and Camilla stepped inside.

“Lucian,” she smiled warmly. “I was told you had returned. Is everything all right?”

I turned toward her.

She stopped when she saw Margot standing beside the desk.

“Ms. Sinclair. You’re on your feet!”

Margot glanced at her cane. “Apparently, I’ve been making quite a habit of it lately.”

Camilla’s face brightened. “Oh, that’s wonderful!You must be feeling much better.”

Margot nodded. “I’m getting there.”

Camilla smiled warmly before turning back to me.

“But you both look rather serious. Has something happened?”

I exchanged a brief glance with Margot.

She had advised caution about whom we told, and I understood her reasoning. If we didn’t know who was involved, spreading the information around the mansion could alert the person responsible.

But Camilla wasn’t just another member of my staff. She had known me since childhood. She had been friends with my mother and had watched me grow up in this house. She had stood by me through the years when I had been too stubborn to admit how lonely I’d become.

She had also welcomed Claire into this family when I’d given her every reason to walk away from me.

In many ways, she was the closest thing I had to a mother figure. And if there was anyone who might help us identify the person Hart had described, it was her.

“We need to discuss something,” I told her.

Her smile faded. “What is it?”

I gestured toward the chair opposite the desk. “Please, sit down.”

She looked between Margot and me before taking the seat.

I remained standing.

“Margot here and Claire spoke with Hart Sullivan. During their conversation, Hart said that Eva has someone working for her inside this house.”

Camilla’s face dropped. “What?”

“Apparently, one of the maids has been giving Eva information about what’s happening here. Our movements, our private lives, and possibly other things we haven’t discovered yet.”

Camilla stared at me in disbelief. “One of the maids?”

“Yes.”

She shook her head. “But that’s impossible.”

“I sincerely hope you’re right.”

She looked genuinely distressed, and I found myself studying her expression for any indication that she already knew something.

There was nothing. Only shock.

“How long?” she asked.

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