The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 44

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR CLAIRE’S POV

The name refused to leave my mind.

Caroline Reed.

I stared at the document on my laptop for so long that the letters began to blur together.

Out of everyone Lucian could have found, he had chosen her.

Caroline was my former roommate. My closest friend during the years when my life had been a struggle

of shared groceries, thrift clothes and dreams that seemed impossibly far away.

Someone who knew exactly how desperate I had once been to escape that life.

Someone who knew the version of me that existed before I met Lucian Dhark.

My phone buzzed on the desk.

It was Margot.

“Did you see the witness list?” she asked as soon as I answered.

“Yes.”

“And?” She urged me to say more.

I leaned back slowly in my chair, feeling beads of sweat gathering on my forehead.

“He found Caroline.” I stated. “My best friend from college.”

Margot was quiet for a moment. “That’s not an accident,” she said finally.

“I know.”

The man I married didn’t do accidents. He did strategy.

And Caroline was the perfect piece.

“She doesn’t have to lie,” Margot continued. “That’s the problem.”

I rubbed my temple. “She just has to remember things differently.” I reasoned.

“Exactly.”

Margot’s voice sharpened slightly. I could almost feel her nerves rising. “She can talk about your financial struggles, or the jobs you hated. The nights you worried about rent.”

None of that was untrue- I was struggling.

But in a courtroom, truth could be rearranged. “People say careless things when they’re young,” Margot stated. “Things like ‘one day I’ll marry rich and escape all this.”

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WIN FOUS CLAIRES POV

+25 Bonus

My stomach tightened.

I had said something like that once. Actually, a few times.

Jokingly.

Tired after a double shift, irritated when I couldn’t find a suitable dress in the thrift store to wear to a

function. 1

And Caroline would definitely remember.

“And if she repeats it in court, it suddenly becomes motive. They would paint it as your intention for entering the marriage in the first place and contesting the prenuptial agreement now.”

I stared out the window of my bedroom, toward the dark gardens of the mansion.

Lucian wasn’t just fighting me, he was rewriting my past.

Margot exhaled slowly on the other end of the line.

“But you see, Lucian isn’t the only one allowed to build a narrative.” She started.

A small frown formed on my face. “What do you mean?” I asked.

“Yesterday his team attacked your character,” she said. “Which means it’s time we return the favour.”

A chill ran down my spine. “You’re talking about Eva.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes.” Margot affirmed.

The name hung heavily between us.

I swallowed. “Okay.”

“Are you absolutely certain Lucian was involved with her during the marriage?”

I didn’t hesitate before answering. “Yes.”

“Good.” Margot exclaimed.

I blinked. “Good, how?”

“If that relationship existed while you were still married, it changes the court’s perception of the entire situation.” 1

I sat up straighter. “How?”

“Because suddenly this isn’t a woman leaving a marriage for money.” Margot’s voice was calm and precise. “It’s a woman leaving a marriage that was already broken.”

My heart began beating faster, but Margot continued asking questions regardless.

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PAY TOUR CLAIRES POV

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“When did Eva start visiting the house regularly?” 1

“She moved in a month ago.” I stated. “Before that, there were articles and pictures everywhere about them meeting.”

“I know.”

“And she’s pregnant.”

“I know, the whole world saw the press conference.”

“There’s enough digital footprint and articles to serve as proof of the affair.” Margot stated. “But we need

a witness. Someone inside your home who witnessed the situation unfold firsthand.”

I hesitated.

My mind immediately landed on one person:

Camilla.

The housekeeper had worked here longer than I had even known Lucian.

She had seen everything.

The emotional distance between Lucian and I, the tension, the affair.

The way Eva moved into the mansion unannounced.

She knew me better than anyone in the mansion. She had seen me happy, she had seen me unravel. She was like a maternal figure to me once.

Before she started serving Eva, just like everyone else.

But the thought made my chest tighten.

Then answered quietly. “We may have our witness.”

“Camilla, the housekeeper in the mansion. But she still works for Lucian.” I added quietly. 1

Margot was silent for a moment.

“If she testifies…” I trailed.

“She risks losing her job,” Margot finished.

The weight of that settled heavily in the room.

And for a moment, neither of us spoke.

Finally Margot asked the question that mattered most.

“Do you trust her?”

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I thought about the nights Camilla had quietly brought me tea when I couldn’t sleep.

The way she had once said, very gently:

“You deserve better than this, Claire.”

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“Yes,” I finally said. Because I did.

Margot nodded, even though she couldn’t see me.

“Then we ask.”

After the call ended, I sat alone in the bedroom for several minutes.

The mansion was very quiet tonight.

Lucian wasn’t home. Or perhaps he was and just hadn’t come upstairs yet.

It’s not like he was speaking to me much these days anyways.

Finally, I stood and walked out of the room.

Camilla was usually in the kitchen around this time. And sure enough, the light was on when I reached

the doorway.

She was standing at the counter preparing vegetables to be used the next day.

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