The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 46

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX CLAIRE’S POV

The courthouse hallway was already crowded when Margot and I arrived.

Reporters were clustered near the entrance again, their voices low but eager, with cameras and microphones resting in their hands like weapons waiting to be used.

I kept my eyes forward and my shoulders straight, but I could still hear them.

Whispers and speculation follows us.

“… the gold digger narrative…”

“…financial records…”

“…Dhark’s lawyers are destroying her case…”

My chest tightened slightly, but I didn’t slow down.

Margot guided me toward the courtroom doors.

“Remember,” she murmured quietly beside me, “today they’re going to push the narrative harder.”

I nodded.

I had already expected that.

Still, the words sat heavy in my chest as we stepped inside.

The courtroom was quieter than the hallway, but the tension felt thicker.

Lucian was already seated at the defense table. His posture was relaxed as he casually flipped through a document while speaking quietly with Nathaniel.

Nathaniel had several documents spread neatly in front of him. He flipped through them with calm precision, occasionally taking small notes.

For a moment my gaze lingered on him.

His short light brown hair that looked auburn in the sun. His structured jaw that contrasted with his soft hazel eyes. His straight shoulders and immaculate suit.

I waited. But Nathaniel never looked up.

Not once. Not even by accident.

The deliberate distance felt sharper than I expected.

Margot noticed.

“Good,” she whispered as we took our seats. “That means he’s staying professional.”

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I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t like it.

Across the room, Lucian finally lifted his gaze.

Our eyes met briefly, but his expression remained unreadable.

Then the judge entered and everyone in the courtroom rose.

And then the hearing began.

After a few procedural matters, Nathaniel stood.

There was something almost effortless about the way he moved in a courtroom. Calm, but precise. Sharp, but careful.

“My client would like to call the next witness,” he said.

My stomach tightened before the name even came.

And then it did.

“Caroline Reed.” My former roommate. My former best friend.

For a moment, it felt like the courtroom around me had faded.

I watched her walk toward the witness stand, each stride careful and familiar.

She looked older than I remembered.

More mature. Maybe even more careful. But the familiarity was still there.

And that, somehow made the betrayal worse.

She took the oath, then sat.

Nathaniel approached slowly. “Could you please state your name for the record?”

“My name is Ms. Caroline Reed.” She answered quickly, just like she always did. 1

“And you were once close friends with Mrs. Dhark?”

“Yes.”

“How long did you know her?” Nathaniel questioned.

“Several years.”

Nathaniel nodded. “Did the two of you live together during university?”

“Yes.”

The questions were harmless at first.

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CHALE SPOV

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Background, context, where we lived, what we studied, what life had been like then.

Then he asked calmly, almost like it was just any conversation on a Tuesday afternoon. 1

“During that time, would you say Claire struggled financially?”

My fingers tightened in my lap before Caroline even spoke.

“Yes,” she admitted, nodding her blonde head.

Nathaniel nodded too. “Did she ever speak about that struggle?”

“Sometimes.” Caroline shrugged.

“What kinds of things did she say?”

Caroline hesitated, then answered carefully.

“She didn’t like it. Being poor, I mean.”

I saw a few people in the gallery shift in their seats slightly.

Nathaniel continued with his questions. “Did she ever express a desire for a different lifestyle?”

“Of course.”

“Can you explain what you mean?”

Caroline jutted her chin out, then began speaking. “She… admired successful people. Especially powerful men. Everyone was surprised when she married Lucian Dhark- I wasn’t.”

Murmurs spread across the courtroom, until the judge has to hit the gayel to call everyone to order.

Nathaniel tilted his head slightly, then smiled. “Did she ever joke about marrying someone wealthy?”

Caroline paused, then nodded. “Yes.”

The word echoed quietly in the now quiet courtroom.

My chest felt tight, but I kept my face neutral. Composed.

Nathaniel still didn’t look at me. Not even once.

“Did she seem frustrated with the limitations of her financial situation?” he asked further.

“Yes.”

“Did she ever say she wanted more from life?”

“Very often.”

None of it was technically a lie. But the shape it created… the narrative it wrote… it all felt deliberate.

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Like pieces being arranged.

Margot stood at once. “Objection! Speculative characterization.”

“Sustained,” the judge replied, agreeing with her for once!

Nathaniel nodded politely and promised to adjust his phrasing.

But the damage had already begun. The story was already forming.

Poor, ambitious girl fascinated by wealth.

I could almost feel the courtroom drawing its own conclusions.

When Nathaniel wanted to ask another question, something slightly sharper this time, there was a brief pause before he spoke.

Just for a second. Then he continued as smoothly as before.

If I hadn’t been watching him so closely, I might have missed it.

Eventually Nathaniel finished.

Margot stood swiftly. “Your witness.”

She called for cross examination. And unlike Nathaniel, she walked straight to the stand without

hesitation.

Her voice was calm, but there was steel in it. Seeing her in action reminded me of why I had idolized her

for so long.

“You and Claire were close friends for many years, correct?” She started.

“Yes.” Caroline nodded.

“You shared rent?”

“Yes.”

“So you are familiar with the financial pressures both of you experienced during that time.”

“Yes.” Caroline answered.

Margot nodded.

“Had she dated any wealthy men before Lucian Dhark?”

“No. None that i knew of at least.”

“Good. And during that time, Claire worked while studying?”

Caroline paused, glanced at me briefly, then answered. “Yes.”

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“How many jobs?”

“Two, I think.”

“So she supported herself.” Margot stated.

“Yes.”

Margot let the silence sit for a moment, before slipping in another seemingly harmless question.

“When exactly did your friendship end?”

Caroline shifted slightly in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. “A few years ago.”

“Can you explain why?”

“It was… personal.”