The Wife He Threw Away 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 51 - 챕터 60

The mansion felt different when I walked in that evening. To be fair, there were no visible differences. The furniture was still in the same places, and the marble floors still gleamed under the huge chandelier light. But something had shifted. And I felt that shift the moment the doors closed behind me. Two maids standing near the staircase stopped speaking when they saw me. One of them quickly lowered her gaze. The other gave a small nod before moving away. Everyone in the house knew what had happened in court today. They knew that Camilla had testified, which meant everyone in this house also knew something else: That someone from inside these walls had stood in a courtroom and told the truth. I walked further inside, my heels echoing softly against the marble floor. For the first time since Eva had moved in, I noticed something strange. The staff weren’t rushing to greet her this evening. They weren’t hovering nervously around her presence the way they had fo

I let Nathaniel’s message sit on my screen long after the room had gone quiet. The words were simple. “Claire, we need to talk.” Very direct. But there was something about the message that made my stomach twist and turn. Nathaniel had never contacted me like this before. Not outside the courtroom, and definitely not outside the rigid boundaries of his role as Lucian’s lawyer. The last time we spoke privately, he had still been representing my husband. Now he had stepped down, and all of a sudden he wanted to meet up. My fingers hovered over the keyboard for several minutes before I finally typed back. “About what?” I hit the ‘send’ button. My screen glowed again, less than a minute later: he had replied. ‘Something you need to know.’ I stared at the message for a moment, thinking. Something you need to know? I had never known Nathaniel as the type to dramatize things. So whatever this was… it was important. I glanced around the room. After C

I closed the front door behind me carefully as I stepped into the mansion. It was quiet that night. The only thing louder than my footsteps was the sound of Nathaniel’s voice, echoing in my mind. “She builds narratives.” “She’ll dismantle your credibility.” And the worst part— “They’ll use the infertility.” I walked slowly through the dimly lit hall, with the sound of my heels clicking softly against the marble floor. So many thoughts kept invading my mind. The realization that Lucian wasn’t just fighting me in court, but was also preparing to destroy me emotionally and strategically was frightening. And admittedly, it hurt. I turned toward the library. The door was open and the lights were on. I spotted Lucian almost immediately, standing near the large window, with his right hand resting lightly against the back of a chair. His jacket had been removed, and his sleeves were rolled up just enough to expose the clean lines of his forearms. He looked up

“And based on your professional observations…” Victoria folded her hands together in front of her. “Did you believe Mrs. Dhark had reason to think that might be the case?” Again, Margot stood instantly. “Objection! Calls for speculation.” Victoria continued without even looking at her. “Your Honor, the witness is a licensed therapist describing his clinical observations.” The judge allowed the answer. Then Dr. Carter nodded. “I believed it was possible she had already received medical indications suggesting fertility issues.” All I could do was stare in absolute horror as Dr. Carter told his ugly lies. I had never known that I was infertile until the hospital visit with Lucian. Sure I was under a lot of pressure to continue the Dhark legacy, right from the second year of marriage, and I had discussed the pressure I was feeling with Dr. Carter. But I had never received a diagnosis and I had never even suspected it, not to talk of hiding it from Lucian or discussing it

“Did you enjoy your day with Nathaniel?” The question lingered in the air between us, sharp and deliberate. Lucian’s gaze was intense and intimidating, but I didn’t look away. “Yes.” My answer came out steady. Lucian stilled. His reaction wasn’t visible, but I felt it. A shift in the room. A shift in him. His jaw tightened slightly as he took a step closer to me. “Is that what this is now?” he asked quietly. “You’re spending your days with him?” I held his gaze. “I went out.” I restated. “That’s not what I asked.” There it was. Not the composed, calculated man from the courtroom, but something else. Something closer to anger. Or worse— jealousy. But I didn’t know what a jealous Lucian looked like. In all the years of our marriage, he had never had a reason to be jealous. I was always either at home, being the mistress of his mansion, or at one charity event or another as Mrs. Dhark. Always linked to him, always his property. Until I wasn’t.