The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 271

KVEK was only a few minutes away from Sinclair & Co., so I decided to walk.

The fresh air helped— a little.

At least it gave me something else to focus on besides Hart Sullivan and the two-week gap in our trial.

When I stepped into the KVEK building, the receptionist recognized me immediately.

“Ms. Moreau.”

I smiled. “Hello. Is Nathaniel around?”

“He is.” She glanced at her computer. “But the partners are currently in a meeting.”

“Oh.”

I looked toward the hallway.

“How long will they be?”

“I’m not sure.” She frowned. “They only started about an hour ago.”

I nodded. “I can wait.”

She smiled politely. “Of course.”

I took a seat in the waiting area.

Waiting didn’t bother me today. I had nowhere else I needed to be.

Well, technically, I was supposed to be resting. But Margot had never specified what kind of rest she expected from me.

I pulled out my phone.

Still, there was nothing. No message from Hart, no update on the case.

I locked the screen again.

Maybe I really did need to stop checking it. That conviction lasted approximately four minutes.

Then I checked again.

Still nothing.

I sighed. This was becoming pathetic.

I put my phone away and leaned back.

The meeting continued longer than I expected, but I couldn’t complain

Eventually, voices began drifting through the hallway. The conference-room door opened and one partner walked out.

Then another follower.

I recognized them immediately, and exchanged brief greetings.

I wasn’t paying much attention until Nathaniel finally appeared.

But he wasn’t alone.

Victoria walked beside him.

They were talking about… something. I couldn’t hear what.

Nathaniel laughed— he actually laughed.

It wasn’t his polite professional smile. This was a genuine laugh.

Victoria smiled up at him.

There was something different about the way she looked at him. Something warm. Something I’d seen before.

Only— I was the one who used to look at him like that.

If Victoria did before, I’d failed to notice.

Nathaniel said something else that made her shake her head, laughing.

Then, almost casually, she leaned toward him and kissed him on the lips.

It lasted just m for a second, but it was made my eyes widen dramatically.

Oh.

I watched them pull apart.

Victoria noticed me first, and her smile disappeared immediately.

Nathaniel followed her gaze. His expression changed too.

For a second, all three of us simply stared at one another.

This was awkward. Very awkward.

Victoria was the first to recover.

“Claire.” She… greeted.

“Hi.” I forced a smile, my voice sounding strangely cheerful.

Nathaniel cleared his throat. “Hey.”

I smiled again. “Hi.”

Victoria looked almost nervous.

And I understood why.

There had been a time when she and I couldn’t stand each other.

She had represented Lucian during the prenup case.

For months, I’d seen her as the woman standing between me and everything I wanted.

And she had been very good at her job. Too good, one would have thought the case was personal to her.

And I had loathed her for it.

But that was before… and a lot had happened since then.

But strangely enough, one of the last times I’d spoken to her, she hadn’t been my enemy at all.

I’d been leaving Nathaniel’s office after we’d just broken up.

I could still remember the awkward elevator ride Victoria and I coincidentally shared that day.

I’d been devastated, but surprisingly, Victoria hadn’t mocked me.

She hadn’t reminded me that I’d lost someone as amazing as Nathaniel Vale.

She had simply been… kind. Given our history, that was something I hadn’t expected from her.

I remembered it now.

And suddenly, everything clicked.

The way she’d looked at Nathaniel. The quiet understanding. The patience. All the times she’d implied that we weren’t well suited…

How had I missed it?

She’d probably been in love with him for a long time.

I looked at her again. Victoria had been through a terrible marriage. And I’d heard enough about her divorce to know it hadn’t been easy either.

And somehow, she had found someone like Nathaniel.

Someone patient. Someone gentle. A man who would probably never make her question whether she was loved.

She deserved that. Every woman who had been through something like that deserved a man like Nathaniel.

I smiled— a real smile this time.

“I’m guessing there’s something you two forgot to tell me.”

Nathaniel groaned. “Claire, don’t start.”

Victoria laughed nervously. “I was going to tell you.”

“Were you?”

“Yes,” she glanced at Nathaniel. “But I figured it wasn’t exactly in my place to.”

Nathaniel stepped in. “I was trying to figure out how to tell you without getting interrogated.”

I scoffed, feigning offense. “I wouldn’t have interrogated you.”

He gave me a skeptical look. “You absolutely would have.”

My face broke into a grin. “Okay, maybe a little.”

Victoria smiled again.

The awkwardness finally began to disappear.

Nathaniel glanced at me. “Do you have somewhere to be?”

“Not really.”

“You can come to my office.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

We started walking down the hallway together.

Victoria walked beside Nathaniel for a few steps before another partner called her name.

She stopped.

“I’ll see you later.”

Nathaniel smiled.

“Definitely.”

Victoria gave him another small smile before walking away.

I watched her leave.

Then I looked at Nathaniel.

“So…”

He sighed.

“Don’t.”

“I haven’t said anything.”

“You’re about to.”

I grinned.

“She’s beautiful.”

He smiled.

“She is.”

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