The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 50

CHAPTER FIFTY_ LUCIAN’S POV

The courthouse steps were completely chaos.

Cameras flashed relentlessly as my legal team guided me toward the waiting car.

Reporters called out questions, their voices constantly overlapping.

Speculation, commentary, assumptions.

Everyone had something to say.

And I ignored them all.

For me, noise had never been difficult to ignore.

What I didn’t ignore was Claire.

My soon-to-be ex-wife was standing near the entrance of the courthouse with Margot Sinclair, surrounded by the same swarm of cameras.

For a moment the crowd shifted just enough for me to see her clearly.

Our eyes met.

She didn’t look angry in that moment.

She didn’t even look triumphant after what had happened in the courtroom- after Margot had pulled out a surprising witness with a powerful testimony.

Instead, she looked tired.

The kind of fatigue that comes from carrying something heavy for far too long.

For a second, the memory of Camilla’s voice returned.

“Mrs. Dhark was waiting for her husband to come home.”

Camilla might have gone against me, but she hadn’t told a lie.

I broke the eye contact with Claire first and continued walking down the steps.

The car door opened and I stepped inside without taking another glance at her.

Nathaniel entered the car a moment later, then my assistant shut the door.

Fragile silence settled over the car as it pulled away from the courthouse.

Nathaniel sat across from me, opening a folder and reviewing its contents. His expression was calm, but the tension in the vehicle was undeniable.

My assistant sat beside him, scrolling rapidly through a tablet.

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“Media reaction is shifting after today’s testimony,” she said cautiously. “Several outlets are framing Camilla’s statement as confirmation of the affair timeline. The narrative seems to be favoring Mrs.

Dhark.”

Neither of us responded.

The assistant continued anyway.

“The motion to enforce the prenuptial agreement has already been filed with the court. The clerk confirmed receipt twenty minutes ago.”

Still nothing.

I watched the city move past the tinted window.

Camilla’s testimony replayed briefly in my mind-not the entire scene, only fragments.

Her quiet voice. The way she hesitated before answering certain questions.

And her last statement.

“Waiting for her husband to come home.”

The statement wasn’t exactly inaccurate. In fact, it was very much true.

There had been nights I simply hadn’t returned.

Not because I felt guilty, but because the house had become… complicated.

Claire had become different by then.

Quieter. More detached.

As if she had already begun separating herself from the life we shared.

For a moment I wondered what those nights had felt like from her side of the door. Whether she had found it impossible to sleep too. Whether she had gotten flashbacks of the early days of our marriage.

The thought created an uncomfortable, tight feeling in my chest.

I dismissed it immediately.

Guilt was not useful after all.

The assistant cleared her throat softly, in an attempt to get us to listen.

“Public opinion appears divided, but several commentators are suggesting today’s testimony could influence the settlement discussion-”

She stopped speaking when she realized neither Nathaniel nor I had acknowledged a single word she had said so far.

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The silence in the car grew heavier. More intense.

Nathaniel never looked up from his documents.

And I didn’t look at him either.

We arrived at Dhark Holdings twenty minutes later.

My assistant exited first, holding the door open as we stepped out. She followed Nathaniel and me upstairs, and into my office before quickly sensing the atmosphere in the room.

“I’ll prepare the briefing summary,” she said quietly before slipping out.

The room was quiet for a total of three seconds before Nathaniel spoke.

“You didn’t tell me she was living in the house.” His tone was controlled. Like he was trying his best to contain rage.

I removed my jacket and dropped it on the back of the chair.

“It wasn’t relevant to the legal argument.”

“It became relevant the moment she became pregnant.” Nathaniel snapped.

I looked at him then as he stepped further into the room, closer to me.

“You let me build an entire strategy around contract enforcement while sitting on the fact that your pregnant mistress moved into the marital home.”

“My personal life isn’t part of your job description,” I replied evenly. “Besides, it was an open secret, all the tabloids had it covered.”

“You blindsided me in open court.” Nathaniel accused through gritted teeth.

“You recovered.”

Nathaniel studied me carefully then. There was anger in his expression now, though he was doing his best to remain professional.

“That isn’t the point.”

I walked behind the desk. “You’re my lawyer, Nathaniel. Not my confessor.” I said, as I poured myself a glass of water.

Nathaniel didn’t move.

“You’re my client,” he said. “Which means I’m supposed to know when something is going to happen in the middle of a hearing.”

“You handled it.”

Nathaniel’s jaw tightened again.

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“Claire deserved better than that.”

The name landed like a spark. I turned my head sharply to look at him.

“Careful.” I warned.

Nathaniel didn’t react.

“Claire was humiliated in front of the entire country.”

How dare he keep referring to her by her first name? And in my presence.

The irritation that had been building up in me all day, finally surfaced.

“You’re crossing a line.”

Nathaniel held my gaze. For a moment neither of us spoke.

Then I said, deliberately, “Don’t say my wife’s name.” I warned.

The word wife came out automatically, as if she was still mine. As if we weren’t in the middle of a very messy, very public divorce.

Nathaniel noticed, and somehow that seemed to irritate him even more.

“Your wife,” he repeated, “was treated like an inconvenience in her own home.”

“That is not your problem.”

“No. Apparently it isn’t yours either.”

The room fell silent for a moment again. Then Nathaniel took a step back.

“Maybe I have crossed a line,” he said, calmer now. Detached. “Which is why I’m stepping away from the

case.”

I didn’t react.

“You’ll still have the firm,” he continued. “Another partner can take over.”

He paused. “But I’m done being the one who defends this.”

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