ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE SINGLE DAD (Gabrielle and Damon) novel Chapter 167

CHAPTER 167

DAMON’S POV

Anya stared at me as if I had just spoken a language she didn’t understand.

Her fingers tightened in front of her until her knuckles turned white. “You’re joking.”

“I never joke about my child.”

Her laugh was hollow. “You think you can just take her from me?”

“I’m protecting her.”

“From me?” she snapped.

“Yes.”

Her face flushed with anger.

“I see,

,” she finally said. “You’re letting that woman fill your head with lies.”

My jaw tightened. “Gabrielle has nothing to do with this.”

“She doesn’t?” Anya scoffed. “You expect me to believe that? Ever since she came into this house-”

“Stop.”

Anya froze.

I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “You will not drag Gabrielle into your lies. You manipulated Lila. You tried to turn her against my wife.”

“I was helping you!” she insisted.

“No, you weren’t,” I replied. “I just spoke to Lila and she said you also made her lie about being sick.”

Silence stretched between us.

“She told me everything you said to her about Gabrielle.”

Anya’s eyes glistened slightly, but the tears didn’t move me.

I had seen those tears before.

They didn’t work on me then and they still wouldn’t work now.

“Why did you do it?” I asked, ignoring her tears. “You dragged me across continents for a lie. Why?”

Her lips trembled. “Okay, fine. I admit that was wrong

“Why?!”

“Because it was supposed to be us going on that trip, remember?” she asked, her voice rising. “For our first anniversary. Instead, I got divorce papers.”

I almost laughed.

It was obvious she had a warped memory of what happened to us.

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“Have you forgotten how you cheated on me a few weeks before then?” I asked calmly.

She moved her gaze to the space beside me.

“You cheated on me in the car I bought for you for your birthday,” I continued. “You kept our baby in the front seat and had sex with an acquaintance of mine in the back seat. Or have you forgotten?”

Her eyes snapped back to me. “That was a mistake.”

I exhaled deeply. “I didn’t care who you slept with until you got publicly caught. I had to let you go like I was planning to anyways.”

Shock flashed across her face. “You didn’t care?”

I shook my head. “I cared enough to stop sleeping with you. Besides, there was barely anything between us. Our marriage was empty. It was never going to work out.”

She broke into a sob and placed her hands over her face.

“I don’t have time for this, Anya,” I said, glancing at my watch. “We both wanted the divorce then. Where is this coming from now?”

“I loved you,” she said through her tears. “I was just stupid and insecure.”

I blinked, caught off guard by her response.

“And I thought you were cheating too,” she said hoarsely. “You were always distant, and you’re Damon Gravari for fuck’s sakes. I’ve seen women throw themselves at you.”

“I reassured you every time you brought it up,” I stated.

“And I kept telling myself it didn’t matter because you didn’t love me anyway,” she shot back. “We dated for two years, Damon. And you only married me because I got pregnant.”

I couldn’t deny that.

“It’s too late for us,” I

“I murmured. “But it’s not too late for you to find someone else.”

She didn’t respond.

She just kept crying.

During our relationship, I made it clear that I only wanted something casual.

She agreed.

But over time, she began taking more space in my life than I had expected- even arranging an “accidental” meeting with her parents.

I had never been the type to juggle multiple women at once, so I simply went along with it.

Until she got pregnant unplanned.

I married her because she was carrying my child.

Nothing more.

A part of me felt bad for her, but there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t force myself to love her, even if I had tried.

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She would always be Lila’s mother, and for that, I would always be grateful.

But I loved my wife.

And I had no intention of leaving the beautiful thing we shared for anyone else.

I shoved my hands into my pockets. “I’m not taking Lila away to hurt you.

Anya finally raised her face. “She’s all I have left. I’ll fight you in court if I have to.”

“We both know I’ll win,” I responded. “It’s not worth the stress. Just take care of yourself for our daughter’s sake.”

Anya stared at me in disbelief but I could already see the anger simmering beneath the surface.

She straightened slowly. “I won’t allow you to use my child to start a new family with another woman.”

I glanced at my watch again and moved to walk away. “She’s my child too and no one is stopping you from starting your own family. You should start packing your bags.

Anya’s eyes widened slightly. “You’re seriously kicking me out?”

“I’m asking you

to leave on your own like a dignified guest,” I corrected her.

“You’ve known Gabby for barely a year,” Anya continued. “You built a life with me. We have a child together. And you’re throwing all of that away.”

I stopped walking and turned back to face her. “I can’t give you what you want, Anya. Go upstairs and pack your bags.”

“But-

“Now!”

こ

Her mouth snapped shut.

She turned abruptly and walked away without another word.

The moment she disappeared around the corner, the irritation in my chest eased slightly.

I turned to walk out when I noticed a familiar shadow on the staircase.

“Gabrielle.”

Silence.

But I knew she was there.

I walked toward the staircase and leaned against the frame.

“Are you going to keep hiding,” I asked softly, “or are you coming here?”

Gabrielle stepped out slowly from the top of the staircase.

Her hair was slightly messy, falling over one shoulder, and she was wearing my shirt–the one she must have pulled on after waking up.

Her eyes moved briefly toward the hallway Anya had disappeared into before returning to me.

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“So,” she said, “you knew I was there?”

I pushed away from the frame. “I just noticed.”

That earned a small smile from her, though it faded almost as quickly as it appeared.

She descended the steps slowly. “I overheard your conversation. I never knew Anya cheated during your marriage.

A quiet breath left me. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

I studied her face carefully, searching for any sign that the conversation had upset her more than she was letting

1. on.

Instead, she walked toward me until she was standing right in front of me.

“You’re really taking full custody of Lila?” she asked gently.

“Yes.”

Her brows knitted. “Because of me?”

I lifted my hand and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “This has nothing to do with you, wife.”

Her eyes searched mine like she was trying to measure the truth of that.

“It sounded like it had a little to do with me,” she said. “I just think it was a little too harsh. That’s all.”

I thought so myself.

But it had to be done.

“It’s not permanent,” I said. “It’s just until Anya gets better. She will always be Lila’s mother.”

Gabrielle nodded slowly. “I understand.”

The main door opened, drawing both our attention as Rhys walked in.

He stopped when he saw us standing at the foot of the staircase, his eyes flicking briefly between Gabrielle and me.

“We’re running out of time,” he said.

I nodded once. “Zane?”

“Already at the airstrip for the last twenty minutes,” Rhys replied.

That sounded like him.

Zane always arrived earlier than planned.

Gabrielle’s fingers tightened slightly around mine. “So it’s now?”

I turned back to her. “Yes.”

Rhys cleared his throat awkwardly.

“I’ll wait outside,” he said, already turning toward the door.

The moment the door closed behind him, the house fell quiet.

Gabrielle looked up at me.

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CHAPTER 167