The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 53

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE CLAIRE’S POV

I let Nathaniel’s message sit on my screen long after the room had gone quiet.

The words were simple.

“Claire, we need to talk.”

Very direct.

But there was something about the message that made my stomach twist and turn.

Nathaniel had never contacted me like this before.

Not outside the courtroom, and definitely not outside the rigid boundaries of his role as Lucian’s lawyer.

The last time we spoke privately, he had still been representing my husband.

Now he had stepped down, and all of a sudden he wanted to meet up.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard for several minutes before I finally typed back.

“About what?”

I hit the ‘send’ button.

My screen glowed again, less than a minute later: he had replied.

‘Something you need to know.’

I stared at the message for a moment, thinking.

Something you need to know?

I had never known Nathaniel as the type to dramatize things.

So whatever this was… it was important.

I glanced around the room.

After Camilla’s testimony in court, the atmosphere inside the house had shifted and it hadn’t been the

same seen.

Staff who had avoided my eyes since Eva moved in, now greeted me politely.

And Eva noticed it. In fact, everyone did.

I slipped my phone into my bag and stood.

If Nathaniel wanted to talk, I would hear him out.

But not here.

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The café Nathaniel chose was quiet. Discreet. One of those small places people of high status visited.

It was the kind of place people overlooked- that’s what made it so perfect.

When I stepped inside, I spotted him immediately, seated at a corner table near the window.

For a moment, I simply stood there and watched him.

Nathaniel always looked composed in court. Everything about him was usually precise and controlled.

Tonight, something seemed different.

I easily noticed the faint tension in his posture, and a certain tiredness around his eyes.

Then he looked up and our eyes locked onto each other.

He stood immediately. “Claire.”

His voice was calm, but softer than usual.

I walked over to the table, and took the seat across from him.

“Thank you for coming,” he said.

“You sounded serious.” I shrugged cautiously.

Nathaniel gave a small nod. “I was.”

A café server walker up to our table to take my order. I asked for regular tea before turning my attention back to Nathaniel.

For a moment neither of us spoke.

Then Nathaniel broke the silence by saying something I wasn’t expecting.

“You shouldn’t still be living in that house.”

I blinked. Once. Twice. “That’s an unusual way to start a conversation.” I stated.

“It’s an honest one.”

I studied him carefully, wondering what the real issue was. “You asked me to meet you just to tell me that?”

“No.” Nathaniel said, then leaned back slightly in his chair. “There’s something you need to know.”

That’s when his tone changed, returning to the professional one he used in court while dismantling his opponent’s arguments.

“Lucian hired a new attorney.” He disclosed.

I wasn’t surprised. “He would have to.” I stated.

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“Yes,” Nathaniel said. “But this one is different.”

Then he paused briefly, while staring at me… studying me like he was contemplating how much information to reveal to me. 1

“Her name is Victoria Merlyn.” He finally disclosed.

The name sounded vaguely familiar.

Nathaniel noticed the change in my expression.

“She handles high-profile divorces,” he explained. “Celebrity cases and corporate families alike.”

“What kind of reputation does she have?” I enquired.

I watched Nathaniel’s mouth tighten slightly. “Ruthless.”

Nathaniel never exaggerated, so I knew if he used that single word to describe her, that is exactly what

she was.

“She wins cases not by dismantling the opposing spouse, but by destroying them.”

“How?” I asked.

“Victoria Merlyn specializes in turning the courtroom into a character trial.” He stated factually. “While it is not a method I agree with, I must admit that it’s effective.”

The server returned with my brewer tea. I thanked her quietly and waited until she left before speaking

again.

One could never be too careful.

“So she’ll attack my credibility.” It was a question disguised as a statement.

Nathaniel understood, so he nodded in response. “Your credibility, your past and most importantly, your role in the marriage.”

His gaze held mine intensely. “Victoria Merlyn builds narratives.”

“What kind of narrative?” I asked, a frown forming on my face.

“The kind that makes the court question why you deserve anything at all.”

My breathing slowed in my chest, but Nathaniel continued.

“She’ll argue that Lucian built everything himself,” he explained. “That you contributed very little to his empire, yet you’re now trying to profit from the divorce.”

I wrapped my fingers around the warm teacup.

“And the affair?”

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Nathaniel was quiet for a moment.

Then he said something that made my chest tighten even more.

“They may try to reframe it.”

“How could you possibly reframe that?” I asked, disgust evident on my face.

Nathaniel’s voice remained firm and steady. “As a turning point.” He said.

Nathaniel continued carefully. “They’ll argue that Lucian needed to secure his future.”

An uneasy realization crept through me slowly. Tjis new lawyer was going to rewrite the whole story, and possibly tell a lot of defaming lies against me whilst doing it.

My throat felt suddenly dry.

“And that’s where the most personal argument comes in.”

He hesitated briefly, and for a moment, I saw his eyes soften. “They’ll use the infertility.”

My hand stilled on the cup.

But I didn’t raise my head immediately to look at him as I normally would have.

I just said nothing.

Nathaniel didn’t rush to speak just to fill the silence. Several moments passed between us, and we just sat there, completely silent.

“They may claim the marriage had already failed,” he continued quietly. “That Lucian had no heirs, and that Eva’s pregnancy changed the situation.”

Meaning the betrayal could be twisted into something else entirely.

Not a moral failure, but a practical decision.

I let out a slow breath.

“Did Lucian approve that strategy?” I asked.

It shouldn’t mean much if he did or didn’t… but it did.

Nathaniel didn’t answer immediately.

But his hesitation said enough. 1

“Lucian hires people to win,” he finally said.

The statement was simple, but it revealed more than he probably intended.

I studied him for a moment, taking in his calm green eyes and slightly round mouth, realizing that he

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hadn’t lost the looks that made girls nervous around him back in law school.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

Nathaniel looked down briefly before meeting my gaze again.

“Because the lawyer Lucian hired doesn’t care how much damage she causes.” He paused. “Not even to you.”

The words lingered between us.

I tilted my head slightly, still studying him. “That still doesn’t explain why you stepped down.”

Nathaniel leaned back in his chair.

For the first time since I’d arrived, he seemed uncertain.

In fact, it seemed like my question threw him off more than the revelation of the affair did in court.

Then he exhaled quietly. “What happened yesterday changed something.”

“Camilla’s testimony?”

“Yes.”

His expression turned thoughtful. “I’ve handled difficult divorce cases before. Ugly ones.” He paused.” But this was different.”

“How?” I asked, confused.

Nathaniel’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before he answered.

“Because I realized what had been happening in that house.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I didn’t know an appropriate way to respond.

Nathaniel picked up on my silence, and continued more quietly.

“I wasn’t comfortable building the narrative they wanted.”

“You mean the one where I’m the opportunist.” I stated.

“Yes.” He answered simply. Honestly.

The honesty surprised me.

“You were doing a good job of it in court,” I said, returning the honesty.

Nathaniel gave a faint smile.

“That’s my job.” He said with a slight shrug of his broad shoulders. “But jobs have limits.”

I studied him carefully, for a painfully long moment. “Is that the only reason you wanted to see me?”

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Nathaniel hesitated briefly. But it was long enough for me to notice.

“No,” he admitted.

I raised an eyebrow. “Then what else?”

For a moment he didn’t answer. Then he said something unexpected.

“I wanted to know if you were alright.” His voice was calm, but precise.