The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 124

Chapter 124

Chapter 124

The door opened without a sound.

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Maddy slipped into the hallway, her steps slow, measured-each one placed with care. The mansion stretched endlessly before her, all polished marble and golden light. To anyone else, it was beautiful. Elegant.

To her-

It was a cage dressed as paradise.

Maids moved quietly in the distance, heads lowered, their presence ghostlike. No one looked at her. No one dared to.

Good.

That made this easier.

Maddy kept her breathing steady, her gaze forward. The gate wasn’t far now. Just a few more steps. Just one chance-

Freedom.

Her fingers twitched slightly against her side, feeling the hidden blade tucked within her clothes.

Closer.

Closer-

A hand shot out of nowhere.

Iron-strong fingers clamped around her arm, yanking her back so hard the air left her lungs. Before she could react, she was slammed against the cold floor, her wrists pinned painfully behind her.

“Trying to leave?”

The voice above her was amused.

Cruel.

Footsteps followed.

Slow. Measured. Familiar.

Maddy’s body went rigid.

No…

The steps stopped just beside her. A shadow fell over her, and she didn’t need to look to know who it was.

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Chapter 124

“Filthy.” Eric said.

The word cut deeper than any blade.

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Maddy forced her head up, her breath uneven as her eyes met his. There was no warmth in his gaze tonight. No false softness.

Only disgust.

“Now you are nothing but filthy,” he added, his voice colder, sharper-like he was finally seeing her for what he had decided she was.

Her heart pounded, but not from fear alone.

Rage flickered beneath it.

But she buried it.

Buried it deep.

Because right now-

She needed to survive.

Eric sighed, almost bored, adjusting his sleeve as if she were nothing more than an inconvenience. “But it’s fine,” he continued. “My men have been asking about you.”

Maddy’s blood ran cold.

“They can have you.”

He turned, already dismissing her. Already walking away.

No.

Not like this.

Not yet.

“Master-please!” Maddy’s voice broke as she twisted against the grip holding her, desperation spilling out with perfect precision.

Eric stopped.

Just barely.

“Don’t leave me…” she begged, her voice trembling, fragile-exactly what he expected.

Exactly what he wanted.

“You’re the only one I want.”

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Chapter 124

The words tasted like poison.

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Her fingers curled slightly against the floor, nails digging into the surface as she forced herself to look small… weak… dependent.

A lie wrapped in tears.

A performance.

Because beneath the pleading, beneath the shaking-

Her mind was sharp.

Watching.

Waiting.

Eric turned his head slightly, just enough to glance back at her. Silence stretched between them, heavy, suffocating.

Deciding.

Maddy held her breath.

Not in fear-

In calculation.

If he walked away now…

Everything would change.

And not in her favor.

So she let a tear fall.

Just one.

“Please…” she whispered again, softer this time. “Don’t give me to them…”

The grip on her arms tightened.

The house seemed to hold its breath.

And Maddy-

Waited to see which version of Eric would answer.

The one who used her…

Or the one who would destroy her completely.

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Chapter 124

“What?”

Eric halted.

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Slowly, he turned back, amusement flickering across his face-dark, curious, entertained by the sight before him.

The man holding Maddy released her at once.

She didn’t hesitate.

Maddy dropped to the floor, her knees hitting the cold marble as she crawled toward him-slow, desperate, deliberate. Every movement stripped of dignity, every second carefully calculated.

“Master… you’re the only one I need… the only one I want…” she pleaded, her voice shaking as if her world began and ended with him.

Her fingers clutched at his legs, holding on as if letting go meant death.

In a way-

It did.

Her shoulders trembled as she buried her face against him, soft sobs escaping her lips. To anyone watching, it was pitiful.

Broken.

Real.

But hidden beneath the act, her mind remained clear.

Sharp.

Counting.

Watching.

Waiting.

A long silence followed.

Then-

“Fine.”

The word dropped like a verdict,

Maddy stilled.

Eric exhaled softly, almost bored as he looked down at her. “Okay,” he said. “But if you ever try to leave again

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Chapter 124

without my approval…”

His voice hardened.

“You know exactly what will happen.”

His eyes were cold enough to kill.

No anger. No hesitation.

Just certainty.

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Maddy lowered her gaze instantly, shrinking into herself as if his words had crushed whatever spirit she had left.

“Yes… I understand,” she whispered.

And she did.

More than he realized.

Because this wasn’t surrender.

It was survival.

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She was brought back inside.

Not as a person-

But as something owned.

Something to be restored.

The mansion swallowed her once again, its golden walls gleaming like nothing had ever happened. As if she had never tried to escape. As if she had never tasted even the idea of freedom.

Maddy stood in the center of a vast bathroom, white marble stretching in every direction, mirrors reflecting her from every angle.

Strangers stared back at her.

The maids moved quickly around her, silent and efficient. Hands washed her skin, brushed her hair, wiped away every trace of dirt, of struggle-of defiance.

They cleansed her.

As if erasing what she had done.

As if rewriting her.

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Chapter 124

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Warm water ran down her body, but she felt none of it. Her arms hung loosely at her sides, her head slightly bowed, her expression empty.

A doll.

That’s what they wanted.

Something pretty.

Something obedient.

Something that didn’t fight back.

Her reflection shimmered in the mirror again-clean now, polished, almost untouched.

But her eyes-

Her eyes betrayed everything.

Because deep inside, beneath the silence, beneath the stillness-

The hatred remained.

Untouched.

Unbroken.

It didn’t matter how many times they washed her.

They couldn’t cleanse what lived inside her.

As one of the maids gently tilted her chin upward, adjusting her posture, Maddy’s gaze flickered-just for a second.

Toward the door.

Toward the world beyond it.

And in that fleeting moment, something dark passed through her expression.

Not desperation.

Not fear.

But patience.

They thought they had her under control.

They thought they had turned her into something harmless.

Maddy let her eyes soften again, her body relaxing into their touch, playing the part perfectly.

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Chapter 124

Because now she understood something she hadn’t before-

Escape wasn’t about running.

It was about timing.

And when the moment finally came…

She wouldn’t beg.

She wouldn’t crawl.

She would make sure-

No one could ever cage her again.

Weeks passed.

And Maddy became exactly what they wanted her to be.

Quiet. Obedient. Predictable.

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She no longer resisted when called. No longer hesitated when touched. She moved through the mansion like

a shadow-soft steps, lowered gaze, empty expression. The maids no longer watched her as closely. The guards grew careless.

Even Eric…

Started to trust her.

That was the first crack.

At night, she remained in his room-draped in thin nightgowns, sheer and weightless, leaving nothing to the imagination. A decoration. A possession. A body meant to warm his bed and nothing more.

She played her role perfectly.

Too perfectly.

Because behind every soft word, every obedient glance-

She was learning.

Memorizing.

Building.

One evening, while Eric was away, Maddy sat silently on the edge of the bed, the television casting flickering light across her pale skin.

The news shifted.

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Chapter 124

And then-

Her.

Lila.

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Maddy’s fingers stilled.

On the screen, Lila stood untouchable-sharp, poised, powerful. Cameras adored her. The world bowed to her. Headlines praised her dominance in the business world, her influence stretching far beyond Belair City. Her name carried weight now-woven into elite circles, whispered with admiration… and ambition.

Suitors lined up.

Powerful men. Wealthy men. Men who didn’t care that she was Damon’s widow.

They wanted her anyway.

Because Lila wasn’t just surviving.

She was *ruling*.

The screen flashed images of galas, boardrooms, interviews-her voice calm, her presence commanding.

Perfect.

Untouchable.

Maddy’s lips curved slightly.

Not in admiration.

In something colder.

“So this is where you are…” she murmured.

Her voice was soft, almost thoughtful.

But her eyes-

Her eyes burned.

While Maddy had been dragged into darkness… broken, used, buried-

Lila had risen.

Thrived.

Expanded her power like nothing had ever happened.

Like *Maddy* had never mattered.

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Chapter 124

The room felt smaller suddenly.

The air heavier.

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Maddy stood slowly, her gaze never leaving the screen. Every detail of Lila’s world etched itself into her mind -the names, the places, the connections.

This wasn’t just envy.

This was direction.

A target.

“If you’re at the top…” Maddy whispered, her fingers curling slightly at her side, “then I just have to climb high enough to reach you.”

The hatred inside her shifted.

Evolved.

No longer just fire-

But purpose.

Behind her, the door opened softly.

Maddy didn’t flinch.

Didn’t turn right away.

Because she had already slipped the mask back on.

By the time she faced Eric, her expression was gentle again. Submissive. Warm.

Empty.

“Welcome back,” she said softly.

As if she hadn’t just chosen her next move.

As if she hadn’t just set her sights on something far bigger than survival.

Because now-

Maddy wasn’t just waiting to escape.

She was preparing to rise.

And when she did…

She wouldn’t just come for freedom.

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Chapter 124

She would come for everything Lila had built.

And tear it down piece by piece.

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15:04 Mon, May 4