The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 41

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE CLAIRE’S POV

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By the time evening came, and the city outside had started becoming quiet lights and distant traffic, the files on the conference table had begun to blur together.

Witness statements, Lucian’s motions, everything was beginning to make my stomach churn

I turned another page of the deposition summary and realized I had no idea what I had just read.

My eyes lifted slowly from the paper.

The conference room looked like the aftermath of a storm. Documents were scattered across the table, Margot’s laptop glowing faintly beside a half-empty coffee cup that had long gone cold.

We had been here for hours, planning, preparing and anticipating the first court hearing tomorrow.

And yet the closer tomorrow came, the more it felt like standing in front of something massive and immovable.

Because tomorrow wasn’t just another legal proceeding or going through another legal briefing.

Tomorrow was Lucian.

For years, I had watched Lucian dismantle competitors with impeccable precision.

I had watched CEOS walk into meetings confident, and leave looking like they had just realized they’d been negotiating with a ruthless predator.

Lucian never raised his voice. He never even rushed.

He simply surrounded his opponents until there was nowhere left to move.

Back then, I had been sitting beside him.

But now, I was sitting across from him.

Now I was the opponent.

Margot stepped back into the conference room, sliding a file onto the table as she walked

“We should go over tomorrow one more time,” she stated.

I straightened slightly in my chair.

Margot sat across from me, opening the file calmly. I wondered how she could be remain calm under

such circumstances.

“Lucian’s team is going to focus on two narratives,” she said.

Her tone was measured and professional, but the seriousness behind it was unmistakable.

“The first is that you’re emotionally unstable.”

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Emotionally unstable!

I huffed, but my fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the paper in front of me.

“They’ll connect that argument to the therapist subpoena, the medical records request, and any testimony they can use to suggest emotional volatility.” Margot stated.

I leaned back into my seat.

Lucian wasn’t just trying to prove anything about the marriage. He was trying to prove something about

Margot flipped to another page.

“The second narrative is that you’re attempting to damage Dhark Holdings publicly.”

I frowned faintly.

“They’ll argue that your accusations and public statements create reputational risk for the company. That you’re acting recklessly. Emotionally.”

Of course they would imply that.

Lucian understood public perception better than almost anyone- except Eva of course.

If he could turn the case into a question of credibility, then the facts of the marriage would become less

relevant.

Margot closed the folder slowly.

“I believe Lucian’s legal team will be extremely aggressive,” she said. “They will try to provoke you.”

“How?”

“They’ll interrupt. They’ll challenge your statements and emotional angles.” She paused briefly, allowing me to take in the words. “They want you to react.”

Because if I reacted…

If I lost my composure even slightly…

Their narrative would start writing itself.

Margot’s expression hardened. “You absolutely cannot give them that.”

Then Margot’s phone vibrated against the table.

She glanced at the screen.

“I need to take this,” she said, standing. “Two minutes.”

The door closed behind her, leaving the room silent again.

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I could only hope it wasn’t more bad news.

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For a moment I didn’t move. I simply sat there, staring at the documents spread across the table

Emotionally unstable. Reckless. Damaging the company’s image.

Lucian’s lawyers couldn’t have chosen those angles randomly.

Lucian had lived beside me for years. He knew all my pressure points.

If he wanted to dismantle my credibility, he knew exactly where to start.

My gaze drifted toward the dark reflection of the window.

What if he succeeded?

The thought slid into my mind before I could stop it.

Not just winning the case… winning the narrative.

Because if the court believed I was unstable…

If they believed I was reacting emotionally…

Then everything I said about the marriage would sound like exaggeration.

And Lucian knew this. He knew exactly how the system worked.

The door opened again and Margot stepped back inside, then set her phone down on the table again.

She studied my face briefly.

“You look like you’re carrying the entire case on your shoulders.” She said, attempting to lighten the

mood.

I let out a quiet sigh. “Feels like it.”

Margot walked around the table, leaning against the edge of it.

“Claire, listen to me.” She said. Her voice softened slightly, though it remained firm. “You’re not alone in this. You have Sinclair&co behind you. But Lucian’s team is excellent.”

That was an understatement.

“But they’re also predictable in one very specific way.” I frowned slightly, but Margot continued anyway. They rely on you reacting emotionally.”

She let that sink in before continuing.

“They want you angry and defensive. Maybe even frustrated.”

I looked down at the files again.

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“And if I don’t give them that?”

Margot held my gaze. “Then their strategy loses half its strength.”

The room stayed quiet for a moment, before Margot said something that shifted the weight of tomorrow slightly.

“You’re thinking about tomorrow like it’s the entire war.”

I didn’t answer, because truly, that was exactly what I had been doing.

Margot shook her head. “It isn’t.” She stated firmly, then pushed the stack of files gently toward me.

“Tomorrow, you don’t fight Lucian.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

Margot’s gaze sharpened slightly. “You survive tomorrow.”

That’s when it hit me- she was right.

Tomorrow wasn’t the battle that decided everything.

It was the first round.

The first move.

And Lucian had always been a long-game strategist.

By the time I finally left the office, the building had grown nearly silent, and the elevator ride down felt longer than usual.

When I got home, the estate lights felt brighter than usual. They felt watchful. A sharp contrast to the way Sinclair&co felt.

My heels echoed softly as I walked into the sitting room.

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