The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 275

I closed the door behind me as quietly as I could.

For a moment, I just stood in the hallway. I could still hear the faint hum of the hotel at night. Voices drifted from somewhere downstairs, followed by the occasional sound of footsteps.

Eva was waiting for me. Downstairs. At midnight.

After everything that had happened between us, I should have woken Lucian. I knew that.

But something inside me told me I needed to hear what she wanted first.

I tightened the belt of my robe around my waist before walking toward the elevator.

Every step I took made my stomach twist a little tighter.

I had spent months preparing to take for Eva Sterling to court.

I had studied her lies, her schemes, her relationships.

The people she’d manipulated, the money she’d stolen, and the evidence she’d tried to destroy.

I thought I understood her by now.

But standing in an elevator at midnight because she had asked to speak to me privately made me realize something.

I didn’t know what Eva would do when she had nothing left to lose.

And perhaps that was the most dangerous version of her.

Within minutes, the elevator doors opened and I stepped out.

A member of the hotel’s security staff glanced at me before looking toward the seating area near the entrance.

Eva was there— alone.

She was sitting in one of the armchairs near the windows.

For several seconds, I barely recognized her.

Tonight, she wasn’t wearing the perfectly tailored clothes I’d become accustomed to seeing in court.

Neither was she wearing one of those elegant dresses she loved. Instead, she wore a simple dark coat, her hair pulled back loosely.

No makeup, no cameras, no confident smile.

She looked exhausted. But the moment she saw me, she rose to her feet.

“Thank you for coming.”

I stopped several feet away. “You said it was urgent.”

“It is.”

I folded my arms in front of my chest. “Then talk.”

She glanced toward the security guard.

“I’d rather do this somewhere private.”

“You said you wouldn’t come upstairs.”

“I won’t.”

Her eyes met mine.

“I just need five minutes.”

I almost laughed.

“Everyone who asks for five minutes seems to need much longer.”

A faint smile touched her lips.

“You haven’t changed.”

“Neither have you.”

The smile disappeared.

She looked down briefly.

Then back at me.

“I know what Hart is going to do.”

My heart skipped.

I didn’t move.

“Do you?”

She nodded.

“He’s going to testify.”

I forced myself not to react.

It was difficult.

Very difficult.

Because that was the one thing we’d been waiting for.

The one thing that could completely change the trial.

But Eva was watching me carefully.

So I gave her nothing.

“How do you know?”

“He told me.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Hart told you?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“A few days ago.”

I said nothing.

She continued.

“He hasn’t agreed to anything yet. But he’s thinking about it.”

I studied her face.

Something about her expression bothered me.

She wasn’t simply afraid.

She looked offended.

As if the possibility of Hart betraying her was something she couldn’t comprehend.

“He loves me,” she whispered.

There was almost disbelief in her voice.

“And I know him.”

I didn’t respond.

Eva took a slow breath.

“That’s why I’m here.”

“To ask me to stop him?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’re very perceptive.”

“Occupational hazard.”

She looked away.

“If Hart testifies, everything ends.”

I stared at her.

“You mean your freedom.”

“My freedom. My career. Everything.”

“Those are consequences.”

Her jaw tightened.

“You really don’t have any sympathy for me.”

I almost laughed.

“Should I?”

“I suppose not.”

She looked toward the windows.

The city lights reflected against the glass.

“When we were younger, I used to think I would have everything.”

I remained silent.

She smiled faintly.

“Fame. Money. Love. A beautiful life.”

“You had all of those things.”

“Yes.”

She looked at me again.

“And then I ruined them.”

I wasn’t sure whether she was finally admitting the truth or simply choosing words she thought I’d want to hear.

Probably both.

“You didn’t ruin them all at once,” I said.

Her expression hardened.

“No.”

“You made one decision after another.”

She looked away.

I continued.

“And every time something went wrong, you made another decision to cover it.”

Her fingers tightened around the strap of her handbag.

“I know.”

That answer surprised me.

I hadn’t expected it.

Eva looked at me.

“I know.”

Then she whispered:

“But I can’t lose everything.”

I stared at her.

“You already have.”

Her eyes glistened.

“You got Lucian back.”

I didn’t answer.

“You got your career back.”

I frowned.

“You got the truth.”

She took another step toward me.

“So why isn’t that enough?”

I stared at her.

“Enough for what?”

“For you to stop.”

My expression hardened.

“I didn’t do this to take things from you.”

“That’s what it feels like.”

“I didn’t take anything from you, Eva.”

She laughed bitterly.

“You took Lucian.”

I stared at her.

“No.”

My voice came out quieter than I expected.

“You lost Lucian.”

She went still.

“You lost him long before I ever got him back.”

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

Then Eva looked down.

And when she finally raised her eyes again, there was something almost desperate in them.

“That’s not why I’m here.”

“Then why are you here?”

She swallowed.

“I need you to do something.”

I almost smiled.

Of course.

There it was.

The real reason.

“What?”

She looked directly at me.

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