The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 63

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE CLAIRE’S POV

The sound of the slap echoed longer than it should have.

Not because it was loud… but because of what followed it.

Silence. Absolute, utter silence.

The hallway went unnaturally still.

No one spoke. No one moved.

But I could feel it-eyes everywhere, watching us.

The spectacle. The scandal.

The billionaire, his soon-to-be ex-wife and the celebrity mistress.

Employees pretended to look busy, but conversations had stopped mid-sentence. The subtle shift of attention that no one wanted to make obvious.

Eva stood in front of me, her hand slowly rising to her cheek.

Her expression didn’t change. It didn’t break.

But something in it… tightened.

Lucian hadn’t moved since the altercation began. At least not yet.

And I didn’t apologize. I wouldn’t.

After all she had done, she should be the one apologizing. Not me.

Eva took a deep, controlled breath. Measured. Self-aware.

She straightened her posture, smoothing a hand over her hair as if nothing had happened.

As if she could erase the moment by refusing to acknowledge it.

Then she looked at me.

Her gaze was cold and precise.

“You just made a mistake you can’t undo.”

Her voice didn’t rise.

It didn’t need to. I could sense the warning behind it.

I met her gaze then, unflinching.

Unflinching.

1/6

HATING ATY THREE CLAIRES POV

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“No,” I said calmly. “I corrected one.”

For a split second, something flashed across her face.

Not anger, not rage… something else. Something sharper.

“That’s enough.” Lucian’s voice cut through the tension, low and commanding.

He stepped forward then, finally inserting himself between us.

Not protectively.

Not defensively.

Just… there.

And that was the problem.

Because he didn’t look at Eva. At least not first.

He looked at me. 1

I held his gaze then, refusing to look away. Refusing to back down.

Eva noticed.

Of course she did.

Her attention shifted to him, something in her expression tightening further, like she had been betrayed.

“You’re just going to stand there?”

There it was- the expectation to be shielded. The demand to be protected. 1

Lucian didn’t react the way she wanted.

“This isn’t the place,” he said evenly.

Not you’re right. Not she’s wrong.

Not are you okay?

Just that.

Something in Eva’s composure cracked-not visibly, not enough for anyone else to notice.

But I saw it.

And so did Lucian.

His gaze shifted briefly past us, taking in the hallway.

The employees. The silence. The watching.

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“Everyone, back to work.” He ordered.

His tone changed instantly. Colder. Sharper.

The authority was obvious.

And just like that, movement resumed.

Quietly and carefully, as if nothing had happened.

But it had. And everyone knew it.

Eva exhaled slowly, like she was resetting.

She turned back to me, her expression composed again.

Perfect, like the star of the show. “I’ll see you in court, Claire.” She said.

A beat passed, then she added, softer and more personal, “And next time…” Her gaze flicked briefly to my face. “I won’t be so generous.”

She turned before I could respond, and walked down the hallway without hesitation, the sound of her heels clicking against the floor.

She didn’t rush.

Didn’t retreat.

She left like she still owned the space.

That’s what made Eva Sterling so appealing.

But we both knew that she hadn’t won that moment.

The hallway emptied gradually, and the tension too, disappeared.

Until it was just the two of us.

Lucian and me- two damaged people.

Lucian didn’t speak immediately, but I could feel his gaze on me.

Not angry, not soft, but assessing.

And something else entirely that I could not name.

“You’ve changed.” He said.

The words were quiet. Like he was observing a variable change right before his eyes.

I didn’t hesitate before replying. “You gave me a reason to.”

Something flickered in his expression, but it was gone before I could name it.

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AIRES ADV

I didn’t wait.

Didn’t linger in it.

“Are you firing Camilla?” I asked.

There it was.

The real reason I was here anyways.

Lucian’s expression didn’t change.

“The board is reviewing the situation.” He said flatly.

Of course.

A non-answer. Typical.

I held his gaze, listening to what he wasn’t saying, trying to make out an answer by myself.

“If you do,” I said quietly, “that tells me everything I need to know about you.”

The words sat between us, heavy and final.

Lucian didn’t respond, but I saw it.

That slight pause.

That fraction of hesitation he would never admit to.

And for a moment, neither of us moved.

Then I turned and walked away from him. 1

Not dismissed, not pushed.

I chose to leave.

And that felt almost as powerful as winning.

The house was quiet when I got back later that evening. Too quiet.

I barely made it halfway up the stairs when my phone started ringing.

It was Margot.

I frowned slightly, answering immediately.

“Hello?”

“Claire,” she said.

No greeting, no warmth. Just tension.

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HATTO SALTY THREE CLAIRES POV

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That was unlike her.

“What have you done?”

I stopped completely. “What?” I asked, confused.

“Where have you been today?”

Something about her tone made my pulse quicken.

“Dhark Holdings,” I said slowly. “Why?”

I heard her exhale sharply through the line.