The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 247

CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN LUCIAN’S POV

The judge adjusted his glasses before looking over the courtroom.

“That concludes today’s proceedings.”

His gavel struck once.

“Court is adjourned until tomorrow morning.”

The tension that had held the room together for hours loosened all at once.

People stood, lawyers gathered their files and the jurors were escorted out.

Reporters hurried toward the exits, no doubt eager to be the first to report what had happened inside.

Theo was led away by a court officer without so much as a backward glance.

I watched him disappear through the side door.

One hundred and seventy million dollars.

He hadn’t stolen because he was desperate. He hadn’t even claimed to have been coerced.

He’d stolen because he wanted more.

His motive was obvious. Greed- plain as day.

My thoughts were interrupted by the familiar click of heels approaching me.

Claire.

“You weren’t supposed to be here,” she hissed, her voice quiet but annoyed.

The truth was, her voice carried more concern than annoyance.

“I had permission.” I stated.

She folded her arms in front of her chest.

“You manipulated your doctor.” She deduced.

“…Maybe.”

One eyebrow rose.

“Maybe?”

“I negotiated.”

Claire let out a soft laugh beneath her breath.

“You negotiated?”

“I did.”

“You mean you bribed him with promises that you’d rest afterward, and left him with no choice

Well, that’s one way to put it.

“I merely reassured him.”

Claire shook her head, though I caught the corner of her mouth lifting.

“You are impossible.”

“So I’ve been told.”

She sighed before stepping closer.

Without asking, she reached for the sling supporting my injured shoulder.

Her fingers carefully adjusted the strap that had twisted beneath my jacket.

The movement was so natural… so intimate that I didn’t think either of us realized what she was doing until she’d already finished.

Her fingertips brushed my collarbone.

Then she looked up. And for one suspended moment, neither of us moved.

Then she quietly cleared her throat and took a step back.

I noticed Nathaniel watching us from a few feet away. 1

His expression wasn’t bitter. If anything… it was almost peaceful.

Margot noticed too. Even seated in her wheelchair, she wore a faint hint of satisfaction.

Claire’s colleague tried-and failed-to hide a smile behind the stack of folders in her arms.

Claire herself, unaware of the audience we’d apparently attracted, looked back at me

“Better?”

I rolled my shoulder experimentally. “It actually is.”

“I know.”

She said it so matter-of-factly that I laughed a little. And immediately regretted it

The pain that exploded through my ribs forced a wince out of me.

Claire shook her head. “I told you.”

“I know.”

“No laughing.”

“I’ll add it to the doctor’s list.”

“Mr. Dhark!”

Tessa’s voice echoed through the corridor before I even saw her.

A few seconds later, she appeared, clutching a tablet against her chest and looking as relieved as she was furious.

“There you are!”

“I’ve been here the whole time.”

“I noticed.”

She stopped in front of me, placing both hands on her hips.

Nathaniel himself lowered his phone.

Two courthouse security officers subtly shifted their attention toward us.

Eva swallowed. “Just for a minute.” She added quickly. “I won’t ask for anything else.”

Silence stretched between us.

I studied her. Red lipstick, perfectly styled hair, shimmering blue eyes.

For one fleeting instant, memories surfaced.

The events. The interviews. The nights we’d laughed together.

The woman I had once believed I loved, just to be caught in a trap she set years later.

Then another memory pushed through.

Claire sitting alone in our bedroom, pretending she hadn’t been crying. How broken she had looked when I brought Eva home.

And the nightmares that followed: Hart’s knife entering my side, the abandoned construction site, the hospital.

Claire sleeping beside my bed because she refused to leave.

Everything.

Every choice I had made that led us to this point. Every consequence.

I looked toward Claire. “Would you mind?”

She paused, searching my face carefully. It was obvious she didn’t like the idea- not even a little.

But something passed between us then. A new found trust.

So she gave one slow nod, and exhaled. “I’ll be right over there.”

Nathaniel instinctively moved with her. Margot on the other hand, remained where she was, her sharp eyes never leaving Eva.

Security stayed close enough to intervene if necessary.

Close enough that nothing could happen, yet far enough to give us privacy.

I waited until Claire was only a few steps away before turning back to Eva, who stood directly across from me now.

The realization that there was nothing left between us was glaring.

No romance, no longing.

Eva opened her mouth first, then closed it again.

After a moment, she inhaled slowly, as though gathering courage.

Then, almost in a whisper, she said,

“I don’t think I ever thanked you…”

I didn’t answer.

I simply looked at her, and waited.