The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 61

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE CLAIRE’S POV

Eva stood across the gallery, saying pleasant nothings to the people who stopped by to greet her.

She looked elegant, in a beautiful designer dress, untouched by the noise around her.

She didn’t approach me. She just watched.

And then her gaze shifted slowly.

From me… to Nathaniel. 1

Suddenly, the warmth of the gallery and the ease of the evening had disappeared. At least on my end.

Nathaniel noticed before I said anything.

I didn’t even have to speak.

He followed my line of sight, his expression barely changing as his eyes landed on her.

A flicker of recognition appeared in his eyes. Who wouldn’t recognize the glamorous Eva Sterling anyways?

“That complicates things.” He said, the flicker of recognition disappearing from his eyes quickly.

I didn’t look away. “I know.”

Eva didn’t come to us immediately.

Of course she didn’t. That’s the thing wouldn’t be like her.

She liked letting tension build before showing her hand.

Eva let the moment stretch. She needed the awareness to settle between us. To let us know that she had

seen.

Everything she did was calculated and intentional.

Then, when the space between us felt heavy enough with tension, and she was sure that enough people were watching-

That’s when she moved.

Eva approached us with quiet confidence, her expression smooth, her posture effortless, her strides glamorous-looking every bit of the star people adored.

There was no visible tension in her, no trace of discomfort- nothing.

She looked perfect. She always did.

When she finally stopped in front of us, her gaze settled on me first, sweeping from my head to my feet and back up again.

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ONE CLAIRE SPOV

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She must have expected me to feel small under her scrutinizing gaze- just like I had at that charity gala all those weeks ago when we first met.

I wouldn’t.

Because things were different now- I was no longer Lucian Dhark’s little wife, who didn’t have a say in the world, or a career of her own.

But that’s not who I was anymore. Now, I was an attorney at Sinclair&Co, and a woman challenging an iron clad prenuptial agreement… challenging an empire most people wouldn’t dare challenge.

The woman I had become was not intimidated by Eva Sterling- not by her career, not by her looks, not by her husband-snatching tactics.

“Claire.” She said. 1

Nothing else.

No warmth, no hostility, just acknowledgment.

Then she turned slightly to look at Nathaniel.

“Mr. Vale.” She flashed a small, charming smile.

So she knew him.

I wasn’t exactly surprised.

Nathaniel inclined his head.

“Miss Sterling.” He greeted, polite and neutral.

Careful silence followed. Like everyone involved in the uncomfortable conversation was weighing their next words, or worse, waiting for someone to speak.

Then Eva returned her attention to me.

“You look well.” She smiled lightly. “Considering everything.” She added.

I held her gaze.

But I didn’t react. I wouldn’t.

Not here. Not like she wanted.

“I could say the same.” I replied with the same false sweetness.

Eva’s smile didn’t falter, but I noticed something beneath it sharpen.

She glanced between us, slow and deliberate.

“I didn’t realize you and Mr. Vale were… acquainted.” She said.

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UXIY ONE CLAIRES POV

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Even a fool could see the meaning behind her eyes.

Nathaniel answered before I could.

“We go back further than most people realize.” He said calmly.

A moment passed.

I noticed how Eva’s eyes lingered on Nathaniel for longer than necessary. Too long.

Assessing. Recalculating.

Then she turned back to me.

“It’s good to see you out again.”

Her tone remained light, but meaningful. And annoying. “You’ve been rather… occupied.”

The implication settled easily.

Courtrooms, headlines, judgement.

Eva knew the perfect way to get a reaction.

Unfortunately for her, she wouldn’t get one today. Not from me.

“So have you.” I replied with the same tone.

Her smile softened again, almost as if the exchange amused her.

She glanced around the gallery.

At the art- the curated elegance of it all.

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Then, almost idly, she said: “Places like this remind me how much legacy matters.”

Her fingers brushed lightly against the stem of her glass as she spoke. “What people leave behind. What continues after them.”

I felt it immediately.

Not the words. But the meaning.

She looked back at me. “Some people are more prepared for that than others.” She said.

Silence. Followed. Sharp, clean silence.

Then Nathaniel broke the silence. “Legacy isn’t always biological.” He said, his tone light, but precise.

Eva’s gaze shifted to him. Then she smiled again.

“That’s a matter of perspective, don’t you think?” She held my gaze. “Investors, board members and men who have powerful legacies to continue would agree with me. Don’t you think, Claire?”

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CLARES POV

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A server passed with champagne then.

Eva waved it off quickly. Too quickly.

And Nathaniel noticed.

I saw it in the smallest movement-the way his eyes flicking briefly toward her hand, then back to her

face.

It was nothing obvious, but I knew that look. 1

He was analyzing.

The conversation continued as if nothing had happened.

But something had. Something small, but worthy of note.

Nathaniel spoke again, casual this time.

“How far along are you now?” He asked.

Eva paused for a second. Barely noticeable, but long enough when suspicion had already been planted.

Then she answered smoothly. Unhesitatingly.

I didn’t react. 1

In that moment, it took me my all not to glance at Nathaniel.

Eva continued as if nothing had faltered.

“I won’t keep you waiting.” She spoke with a wave of her hand, like she was talking to a fan.

Her gaze returned to me then. “I’ll see you in the mansion.”

Then, she turned to Nathaniel:

“I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.” She said.

And then she left.

She didn’t rush.

No, she exited the same way she had entered_controlled.

The silence she left behind was heavier now.

For a moment, neither of me nor Nathaniel spoke.

Then Nathaniel exhaled slightly.

“She’s careful.”

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HAUR SAY ONE CLAIRES POV

My gaze lingered where she had disappeared.

“She has to be.”

A pause.

Quieter now.

“That’s how she survives.”

He looked at me then.

Not just listening.

Understanding.

“And you?”

My lips curved faintly- not into a smile, but something quite alike it.

“I didn’t.” I answered. A couple seconds passed. “Not at first.” I added.

Something in his expression shifted.

Less distant.

More grounded.

“She’s part of the strategy.”

I nodded.

“I know.”

He studied me for a moment longer.

Then:

“She’s not as untouchable as she wants people to believe.”

I glanced at him.

“You noticed.”

“I notice things that don’t line up.”

A pause.

“That didn’t.”

I didn’t respond.

But something in me eased.

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CLAIRES POV

Just slightly.

He gestured lightly toward the gallery.

“Do you want to stay?”

I looked around.

At the people.

The art.

The quiet performance of civility.

Then I shook my head.

“No.”

I exhaled.

“I think I’ve had enough for one night.”

He nodded.

“Fair.”

We left together.

Outside, the air felt different.

Cooler.

Quieter.

More honest.

For a moment, we stood side by side in silence.

Then he said:

“Let me take you home.”

I hesitated.

Not because of him.

That part was easy.

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NI

But because of what waited.

Lucian.

Nathaniel didn’t push.

Didn’t interrupt the silence.

He just waited.

After a moment, I nodded.

“Okay.”

The drive was quiet.

Not awkward.

Just still.

City lights blurred past the window.

Soft reflections flickering across the glass.

After a while, he spoke.

“You’re being rewritten in that courtroom.”

I turned slightly.

“Piece by piece,” he continued.

“Carefully. Deliberately.”

A pause.

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