The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 226

CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX_CLAIRE’S POV

Lucian was awake.

I must have stopped breathing.

For one terrifying second, I thought grief had finally broken my mind.

He was looking at me!

His dark eyes were heavy with exhaustion, clouded by medication and pain, but they were unmistakably focused. On me.

Alive.

My lips parted before I realized I was speaking.

“Lucian?” I squeaked.

His gaze softened as he tried to answer.

Unfortunately, he could only manage a rasp.

His throat was too dry.

“Oh…”

My hands moved fast, reaching for the glass of water beside his bed. I poured a little more into it, and slipped one arm carefully beneath his shoulders.

“Easy,” I whispered. “You’ve been unconscious for days.”

Lucian leaned into my support without protest, taking a few small sips through the straw before sinking back into the pillows.

“Better?” I asked,

He offered a small nod in response.

I set the glass down with trembling hands.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. We didn’t need to.

The silence spoke of every sleepless night, every prayer, every fear I had tried and failed to bury over the past few days.

I had held myself together through everything.

Hart Sullivan, Eva, the lawsuit, police stations, the preliminary hearing and even Dhark Holdings.

Watching surgeons disappear behind operating room doors, standing outside an ICU praying more than I had in years.

Now…

Now I couldn’t hold on anymore.

The first tear slipped down my cheek before I even noticed it. Then another, and another.

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Lucian frowned weakly. “Hey…”

That single word shattered whatever strength I had left.

I laughed-weak and shaky.

“You almost died.” I choked out.

His lips curved into a faint smile. “I noticed.”

I swatted his good arm without even thinking.

Then I remembered that he was injured, and horror crossed my face.

“Oh my God.” I exclaimed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

Lucian chuckled softly, then let out a wince he’d been holding back.

“See?” I scolded through my tears. “You aren’t even allowed to laugh.”

“I’ll… remember that.”

Once again, despite myself, I laughed.

“The doctors.” I said, reality dawning on me.

I quickly rose to my feet.

“Doctor!” I screamed, my voice echoing into the hallway. “Doctor! He’s awake!”

Within seconds the room was filled with movement.

A physician hurried in with two nurses close behind.

They surrounded Lucian, checking monitors, shining a light into his eyes, asking him simple questions.

“Mr. Dhark, can you tell me your full name?”

“Lucian Dhark.” Lucian answered drily.

“What day is it?”

“I’m unsure.” He answered honestly.

“How old are you?”

He answered correctly.

“Do you know where you are?”

“The hospital.”

“What do you remember?”

“The construction site. Hart.” He looked at me. “Claire.”

The doctor exchanged a pleased look with the nurses.

Lucian’s reflexes were checked, as were his pupils, his breathing and his grip strength.

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Finally, after several long minutes, the doctor smiled.

“I think we’ve crossed the worst part.” He declared.

My heart lurched.

He continued before I could ask any questions.

“He’s still recovering from significant blood loss, and we’ll continue monitoring him closely.” The doctor explained. “But this…”

He looked at Lucian. “This is a very encouraging sign.”

Relief washed through me so suddenly my knees almost gave way.

The doctor gave a few more instructions before stepping outside with the nurses.

Not even a minute later another familiar voice echoed through the room.

“Lucian!” Camilla rushed inside.

The moment she saw him awake, tears spilled freely down her face.

She wrapped her arms around me first.

“Oh, Claire…” she heaved a sigh. “Thank you.”

I shook my head. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You stayed.” Her voice cracked. “And you fought for him.”

Then she moved carefully to Lucian’s bedside, taking his hand as though she were afraid he’d disappear if she let

“You frightened me.” She scolded. “You frightened us all!”

Lucían managed a tired smile.

“I was only trying to bring that bastard to justice.”

Camilla nodded, brushing his hair back from his forehead.

“You’ve always been stubborn.” She said. “But you’ve done well.”

Lucian smiled. “I hope so.”

The doctor returned, and gently reminded everyone that Lucian needed rest.

Camilla nodded, rubbed his arm and let out one of those long sighs. “I’ll come back later.”

She squeezed my hand before leaving the room.

Silence settled over us once more, peaceful and intimate.

Lucian stared at the ceiling for a while before turning his head toward me.

“How bad is it?”

I knew immediately what he meant.

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He wasn’t asking about the stab wound or the gunshot that had been ripped open during his fight with Hart

He was asking about everything.

“Not bad at all.” I pulled my chair closer. “Hart Sullivan was arrested.”

A flicker of relief crossed his face.

“Dr. Ramon agreed to cooperate with the prosecution.”

Lucian nodded slowly.

“Eva has been questioned by the police, and although that was a dead end, the preliminary hearing went ahead”

His brow lifted slightly.

“And…”

I hesitated. “The Dhark Holdings board tried replacing you.’

His eyes snapped to mine.

“They what?”

“It didn’t work.”

He relaxed by a fraction.

“They held an emergency meeting while you were unconscious.” I explained.

Lucian closed his eyes briefly. “I should’ve known.”

“You have nothing to worry about for now.” I stated. “We stopped them.”

Lucian’s eyebrows drew together. “We?”

I looked down at the blanket, channeling all my attention to its rough edges.

“I… may have told a tiny lie.”

“A tiny lie?”

I cleared my throat. “I may have informed your board that you signed emergency succession documents after your mother’s death.”

| Silence.

Then-

“You what?”

“They believed me.” I added quickly.

Lucian’s eyes widened. “They actually believed you?”

“It bought us time.”

For several seconds he simply stared, looking amused.

Then, despite the pain, he laughed a real laugh.

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It ended almost immediately as he clutched his side.

I instinctively reached forward. “I said don’t laugh!” I scolded. “You’ve been stabbed.”

He caught his breath before looking back at me. “You bluffed my board.”

Lucian almost seemed… impressed.

I nodded sheepishly. “And it worked.”

He studied me with an expression I couldn’t quite name, then he whispered;

“I’m oddly proud.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. “I learned from Margot.”

“I noticed.”

After a while, the impressed smile faded slowly from his face and his eyes became serious again.

“Claire.” He called.

I looked up.

“Did I scare you?”

I didn’t answer. Because there was nothing I could say that would adequately describe those hours outside the operating room.

The endless beeping of machines, the blood, the uncertainty.

Instead I whispered, “You already know the answer.”

He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“No.” I said, the word coming out firmer than I intended. “No more apologies today.”

He looked at me again.

“Just…” I trailed. “Don’t ever do that again.”

Lucian smiled- a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I can’t promise that.”

I frowned. “Lucian-”

“If it comes down to you…” He spoke slowly, each word costing him effort. “If it’s your life…” He swallowed.

“If it’s between me and you,” he said, trying to gather his strength, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’ll always choose you.”

The room fell still.

There was no grand declaration, no dramatic music, no romance.

Just certainty.

Absolute certainty.

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Fresh tears blurred my vision.

Before I could say another word, a polite knock sounded on the door.

A detective stepped into the room. “I’m sorry to interrupt.” He said, looking apologetic.

“Mr. Dhark, while your memory is still fresh, we’d like to take your statement about what happened with Hart Sullivan.”

Lucian nodded. “Of course.”

The detective turned to me. “Ms. Moreau, would you mind giving us a few minutes?”

Every instinct told me not to leave. Not yet. Not after everything.

But I knew this mattered. “I’ll be right outside.”

Lucian gave me a reassuring look. “I won’t disappear, I promise

I managed a weak smile. “You’d better not.” I warned jokingly, then stepped quietly into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind me.

The corridor felt strangely brighter than it had only an hour earlier.

The nurses seemed to move with renewed energy. Doctors smiled as they passed one another.

Someone down the hall whispered; “Mr. Dhark’s awake.”

Word was spreading astonishingly fast.

Phones began ringing, staff hurried from room to room.

I wandered toward the large window overlooking the hospital entrance.

Down below, reporters were already gathering. News vans rolled into the parking lot one after another, camera crews assembled equipment.

Within minutes, dozens of journalists were crowded behind the barricades.

The news had escaped the hospital.

Lucian Dhark was awake.

And the whole country now knew it.

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