The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 88

CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT_ LUCIAN’S POV

I stood there with the half-full glass still in my hand.

The faint scent of champagne lingered-sharp, unmistakable.

My gaze rested on Eva, who stood across the room, watching me- composed. Too composed.

“You’ve been drinking.”

It wasn’t a question.

No, this was an accusation.

Eva’s expression shifted instantly-not into guilt, but offense.

“It’s a sip,” she said, her tone too light and dismissive. “You’re overreacting.”

I didn’t respond, so she continued.

“You really think I’d be careless?” she said, raising her brows slightly. “About something like this?”

She wanted that to land.

She wanted me to feel unreasonable. It was an old tactic of hers- I would recognize it anywhere.

I set the glass down slowly, then took a few steps closer to her.

My gaze remained steady on her, assessing.

“You said you were being careful.” I stated.

For a second, it looked like she didn’t know what to say. It looked like she was scrambling for her words.

But she recovered just as fast.

“I am carrying your child,” she said, sharper now. “And this is what you focus on?”

Her voice rose slightly-not too loud, but loud enough to sound like she was in distress. “Not the stress you’ve put me under? Not everything I’ve had to deal with because of you?”

There it was- the shift.

Clean and efficient.

This wasn’t about the drink anymore.

This was about control.

About redirecting the narrative.

About making me the problem.

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I watched her. I watched her every movement… her

every

word.

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And I couldn’t fight the feeling that something didn’t sit right.

It wasn’t the argument. It wasn’t the deflection. It was her.

She wasn’t afraid. She was managing me.

“You hosted a party without control,” I said evenly. “You’re drinking. And you expect me to believe you’re taking this seriously?”

“You expect me to live like a prisoner?” she cut in immediately.

“I expect you to act like someone responsible.” I replied, cold and stern.

“I expect you to remember who I am.”

There it was- her ego, stripped clean of pretense.

She felt the need to remind me that she wasn’t just any other woman- she was Eva Sterling. The star.

She wasn’t emotional is defensive about it- she was declarative.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

My gaze drifted briefly to the glass again, then back to her.

This wasn’t a mistake.

It was a pattern.

I didn’t need any investigations to arrive at that conclusion.

“You’re overreacting,” she said again, softer this time. Controlled. “This is stress. You’re projecting your guilt onto me.”

She believed that.

Or at least-she believed I would.

It was laughable that she believed she had redirected it enough. That the argument had tilted in her favor. That she had control again.

I held her gaze for a second longer.

Then let it go. Completely.

“Enjoy your evening.” I spoke flatly. Finally.

I didn’t wait for a response. I didn’t pause to look at her face as I walked out of the room.

The noise hit immediately I went downstairs.

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4K 26-36TS FIGHT LUCIANS POV

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Music. Laughter. Voices layered over each other in careless excess.

The party had only grown louder. The house looked more crowded now. More chaotic.

Nothing if this sort had ever happened before the Dhark mansion before. Not until I brought Eva here.

People moved around me as I stepped into the hallway-smiling, talking, drinking like nothing in this house was previous. A house that held all the memories I had of my mother.

They partied like there were no consequences.

For a moment, I just stood there, letting the sound pass through me.

Then I kept walking.

Behind me, a voice caught up carefully.

“Sir-”

It was Theo.

Of course.

I didn’t slow down.

“How long has she been doing this?” I questioned.

Theo hesitated.

I didn’t need to look to know.

That silence said enough.

I stopped.

Turned slowly.

“I don’t ask questions twice.”

My voice wasn’t raised.

It didn’t need to be.

Theo straightened slightly, his grip tightening around the tablet in his hand.

But before he could speak-

I moved past it.

Past him.

Past the question.

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Because the answer didn’t matter right now.

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