The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 84

CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR CLAIRE’S POV

I kicked my shoes off just inside the door without thinking.

They landed exactly where I expected them to.

My bag followed, resting against the same chair I had used the night before.

The files I had brought home from the office were already spread across the table.

Nothing felt unfamiliar.

Nothing felt temporary.

I moved through the apartment easily and instinctively, because I had already learned its rhythm.

It was mine. It didn’t feel new anymore.

I loosened the sleeve of my blouse as I walked toward the table, my attention already shifting back to the documents waiting for me. L

I hadn’t brought the case files home because I had to.

I brought it because I wanted to.

Because it mattered.

I pulled out a chair and sat, tucking one leg beneath me slightly as I flipped through pages.

Then my phone buzzed softly against the table.

I glanced at it.

It was a message from Nathaniel.

“Did you settle in?”

My fingers hovered for a brief second before I replied.

“I did.”

I pressed send.

The reply came immediately.

“And the apartment?”

I looked around once more, at the quiet space that no longer felt borrowed. 1

I chose to reply simply.

“Good.”

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4

APRESINT

Nothing more.

I set the phone down again and returned to the file in front of me.

A knock came not long after.

I frowned slightly, pushing back from the table before walking toward the door.

I wasn’t expecting anyone. Who knew where I lived anyways?

When I opened it, a delivery attendant stood there, holding a large bouquet.

Carefully arranged red roses.

“For you,” he said.

I hesitated for a second before taking them.

“Thank you.”

I closed the door quietly behind me as I stepped back inside, my gaze settling on the flowers.

Roses.

Not tulips.

I noticed a small card resting between the stems, so I pulled it free and opened it.

“something to make your space warmer.

-Nathaniel.”

A thought immediately formed in my mind- uninvited, but undeniable.

The tulips.

My fingers tightened slightly around the card in my hand.

Nathaniel hadn’t sent those.

Which meant-

I didn’t need to finish the thought. I already knew.

Lucian had sent them.

The realization settled without disruption.

Without confusion.

I placed the roses in a vase, adjusting them briefly before stepping back.

They added something to the room. Color. Life.

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And somehow, it brought smile to my face.

The silence returned soon enough.

I walked back to the table, but I didn’t sit immediately this time. 1

Not when my gaze was focused on the chair across from mine.

Unoccupied, as it always would be from now on.

There was a time that space would have been filled.

Occupied without question. Without invitation.

But now it wasn’t.

While the silence and solitude didn’t feel wrong, it felt… different.

But of course it did. This was my first time living alone in five years.

I sat down and picked up the file again.

The next morning felt easier.

I moved through my routine without hesitation- I brewed my own coffee, reviewed legal notes, and chose my clothes with intention rather than uncertainty.

By the time I stepped into Sinclair & Co, I felt like I was thriving.

People greeted me- not cautiously, not curiously.

Respectfully.

“Morning, Claire.”

Not Mrs. Dhark, just Claire.

I nodded in acknowledgment as I moved through the office, already focused on what needed to be done.

Halfway through reviewing a set of documents, I was called upstairs.

Not to Margot’s office, but to HR.

The meeting was brief and professional.

They spoke about performance and composure.

About how I had handled pressure in the courtroom.

While there was no direct praise, I couldn’t deny that there was acknowledgment. They sounded… impressed.

“We’re watching your trajectory closely.” They said at the end of the meeting.

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“I understand.” I replied with a nod.

“There will be opportunities for increased responsibility,” one of them added. “Higher-level involvement. We expect you to be ready.”

“I will be.”

That was all.

I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. But they sounded certain… and that excited me.

When I returned downstairs, Nathaniel was already there.

Standing near the far end of the office, speaking quietly with someone before his attention shifted to me.

He didn’t approach immediately.

Didn’t interrupt.

He waited for me to finish speaking with an associate.

Then, when there was space-he moved towards me.

“You’re different,” he said, like it was a simple observation.

“I should be,” I replied calmly.

Then a feeling of self-consciousness kicked in instantly, and I found myself asking; “Is that a good thing?”

Nathaniel smiled at me warmly, his hazel eyes lighting up with what seemed like pure joy.

“Yes.” He answered without a hint of hesitation or uncertainty.

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