The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 43

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE CLAIRE’S POV

The courthouse steps were in complete chaos when we walked outside.

Cameras started flashing the minute we stepped out, brighter and harsher than before. Reporters surged forward, their voices rising over each other as they thruster microphones in my direction.

“Claire!”

“Mrs. Dhark, how do you respond to the financial records presented today?”

“Did you remain in the marriage for the lifestyle?”

“Are the allegations against Mr. Dhark financially motivated?”

The questions hit hard like stones. Like I was being persecuted.

The narrative was changing in real time.

I kept walking, with Margot’s hand pressed lightly but firmly against my back, guiding me down the steps toward the waiting car.

The reporters followed us hurriedly, with all their equipments, as they tried to keep up.

“Claire, are you asking for half of Dhark Holdings?”

“Was the marriage financially beneficial for you?”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t even look at them.

But the words sank in anyway. The narrative had already begun shifting.

To them, I wasn’t a woman fighting a powerful husband in court.

I was a woman who had lived in luxury for five years and now wanted more.

Margot opened the car door and ushered me inside before the crowd could close in on us.

After the door slammed shut, neither of us spoke for a moment.

The driver drove away from the courthouse fast, leaving the reporters behind.

I stared out the window as the car sped past, thinking of all that had happened in court today.

“They’re already turning it against me,” I said quietly.

Margot didn’t pretend not to understand. “Yes.” She admitted.

Her honesty didn’t surprise me. Margot Sinclair had never been the kind of lawyer who softened reality.

“The document Nathaniel introduced today wasn’t about proving anything,” she continued. “At least not legally.”

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I turned my face toward her. “Then what was it for?”

“Perception.” She replied, leaning back slightly, studying me. “Courts don’t just look at evidence… they look at credibility.”

Her voice remained calm.

“Lucian’s team just planted doubt about yours.”

I swallowed.

“Do you think the judge believes them?” I asked, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer.

Margot didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she looked out the window for a moment before speaking

again.

“That’s the problem,” she said quietly. “He doesn’t have to believe them yet.”

The silence that followed was heavier than any answer.

After a moment, Margot continued. “This isn’t just a legal defense, Claire. It’s a narrative.”

She sat up straighter, holding my gaze intensely. “They’re building a character portrait.”

Margot began listing out the pieces as if she was laying out a strategy on a board. A chess board.

“Financially dependent.” She held up one finger. “Emotionally unstable.” She said, holding up another finger. “And resentful after losing access to wealth.”

I felt my stomach tighten.

“That’s how they want the court to see you,” she finished.

I realized that she was right. Lucian wasn’t trying to prove I was lying.

He was trying to make everything I said look questionable.

If the judge doubted my intentions and character, the truth itself wouldn’t matter as much.

I looked down at my hands, suddenly understanding the scale of the battlefield.

Lucian wasn’t there to defend himself.

He was there to dismantle me.

Later that afternoon, my phone buzzed while I was sitting in Margot’s office.

It was a message from a number.

I opened it.

“I’d like to speak with you. Privately.

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-Nathaniel Vale”

I stared at the screen for a moment, confused.

Why would Nathaniel want to speak with me privately? While he was a former classmate, he was still Lucian’s lead attorney. That’s what mattered.

Did Lucian set him up to this? The thought sent a chill down my spine.

Margot noticed the change in my expression almost immediately.

“What is it?” She asked, watching me.

I handed her the phone, then watched her grey eyes narrow as she read the message.

“Nathaniel?” She asked, equally as confused.

“Yes.”

She leaned back in her chair for a moment, thinking. “That’s unusual.”

“Should I ignore it?”

Margot tapped the desk lightly with her pen. A habit she displayed when strategizing. “No.”

I looked at her in surprise.

“He’s Lucian’s lead attorney.” I stated.

“Yes,” she said calmly. “Which means if he’s asking to meet you privately, there’s a reason. But we’re not meeting anywhere private.” 1

The café Margot chose was busy enough that no one would notice our presence or even hear

conversation.

Nathaniel was already there when we arrived.

He sat at a small table near the window, a cup of black coffee untouched in front of him.

When he saw us approaching, he stood politely. “Ms. Sinclair.” He greeted Margot.

“Mr. Vale.”

Margot’s tone remained cool but professional.

Nathaniel nodded once before looking at me.

“Claire.” He greeted.

Not “Mrs. Dhark”, just Claire.

His voice was calm. Neutral. Just like it was in the courtroom earlier.

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We sat at the table.

For a moment, no one spoke. Then Nathaniel final broke the silence.

“I won’t waste your time,” he said.

Margot crossed her arms slightly. “I’d appreciate that.”

Nathaniel glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to me.

“Lucian won’t settle.” He stated.

The words were delivered simply. No hostility, just facts.

“Not now,” he continued. “Not later.”

Margot’s expression didn’t change. “That’s not surprising.”

“Lucian doesn’t fight battles he intends to lose.” Nathaniel stated bluntly, his gaze meeting mine.

I studied him carefully. “Are you trying to scare me?”

Nathaniel shook his head. “Not at all.” His voice remained steady. “I’m trying to be fair.”

“Fair.”

Said by the the man currently dismantling my credibility and character in court.

Margot leaned forward slightly. “Is there a point to this meeting, Mr. Vale?”

Her tone told me that her patience was growing thin.

Nathaniel paused, then looked at me again.

“There will be a witness.” He finally blurted out.

My chest tightened immediately. I felt my breath hitch in my

throat.

“What kind of witness?” Margot asked.

Nathaniel didn’t answer her. He kept his gaze on me instead.

“If you have anything in your past that could be misinterpreted, you should prepare for it.” He stated calmly.

A chill ran through me.

Lucian had been digging into my past. Deeply.

Nathaniel stood. “That’s all.”

Margot’s narrowed her eyes at him. “You called this meeting just to warn us?”

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Nathaniel adjusted his jacket casually. “I called it because you deserve to know what kind of fight this

will be.”

He said, then walked away.

Margot and I sat in silence for several moments after Nathaniel had already disappeared through the café doors.

Then Margot finally leaned back in her chair, watching the entrance he had just walked through, as if he would walk through it again.

“That was strange.”

I looked up. “What was?”

Margot turned her gaze to me. “Your ex-husband’s lead attorney just gave you a warning.”

I frowned slightly. “Not really. He just-”

“He did,” she interrupted calmly. “Nathaniel Vale is one of the most careful and reputable litigators in the city. Men like him don’t meet opposing parties for coffee just to chat.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that.

Margot studied my face for a moment.

“Did you notice something else?” she asked.

“What?”

“He didn’t have to say any of that.”

I remembered the way Nathaniel had looked at me across the table. Calm and relaxed. Almost… reluctant.

“He could have blindsided us in court with that witness.” Margot stated quietly.

It was true.

“But he didn’t.” I reasoned.

Margot tilted her head slightly. “And that raises an interesting question.”

I folded my arms lightly. “What question?”

Margot scrunched her face up thoughtfully. “Why would Lucian’s attorney warn you about something that could hurt your case?”

The answer should have been simple.

It should’ve been strategy. Maybe some manipulation tactic I didn’t quite understand.

But none of those explanations quite fit the way Nathaniel had said it.

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“I’m trying to be fair.”

Margot watched me carefully.

“Do you know him well?”

“No.” The moment the word left my mouth, I realized I had answered too quickly.

And nothing went unnoticed to Margot Sinclair.

She raised one eyebrow but didn’t comment.

Instead she asked quietly:

“Do you think Lucian wants to destroy you?”

I stared down at the table, thinking about the courtroom.

About the calm way Lucian had watched everything unfold.

About the certainty in Nathaniel’s voice.

I shook my head slowly. “I think he wants to win.”

And somehow that felt worse.

Margot didn’t respond immediately.

“Maybe.” She finally said. “But Nathaniel? I’m not so sure about him.”

That night I was still awake in the mansion when my laptop chimed.

It was email from Margot.

My pulse started racing before I even opened it.

One attachment. It was the witness list.

I clicked the file and waited for the document to open.

I started skimming through the long list of names.

Then my eyes reached the last one. And stopped.

My stomach dropped.

Caroline Reed.

For a moment, I simply stared at the screen.

Caroline was my former roommate. My best friend before everything changed.

Someone who knew things about my life that the court didn’t.

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IN THREE CLAIRE SPOV

Someone Lucian had somehow found.

Now he wasn’t just fighting me in court.

He was dismantling my life piece by piece.

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