The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13

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Grabbing her keys, Lila rushed down the stairs, the echo of her footsteps chasing her thoughts. Outside, the evening air was cool, sharp against her skin as she slid into the car. The engine roared to life, and moments later she was pulling onto the road, the villa disappearing behind her.

The drive felt longer than it should have been. Streetlights blurred past as memory and resolve tangled in her mind. She hadn’t meant to forget his return-not consciously. It had simply stopped being central to her life.

When the forest villa finally emerged through the trees, lit and waiting, Lila slowed, her grip tightening on the steering wheel.

She parked.

For a brief moment, she sat there, breathing, steadying herself. Then she stepped out of the car and walked toward the door, knowing that the conversation waiting inside would mark another shift-one she could no longer avoid.

When Lila stepped inside the villa, the door closing softly behind her, the house felt heavier than she remembered.

Damon was already in the living room.

He sat on the couch, jacket draped neatly beside him, posture relaxed in a way that was anything but. Slowly, deliberately, he lifted his gaze to her, eyes tracking her as though she were a stranger who had wandered into the wrong place.

“You said home,” he said at last. “Which home did you mean, Lila?”

She paused just inside the room, her keys still in her hand. The silence stretched, thick and uncomfortable.

“The villa I was staying in,” she replied evenly.

A faint, humorless smile tugged at his mouth. “Staying,” he repeated. “Interesting choice of words.”

He stood then, unhurried, taking a few slow steps toward her. “You weren’t here. You weren’t answering. And when I finally reach you, you’re somewhere else entirely.” His voice lowered. “So tell me who were you with?”

Lila’s grip tightened around her keys.

“Don’t do this,” she said quietly.

But Damon didn’t stop.

“Another house. Missed calls. Vague answers.” His eyes hardened. “Are you having an affair?”

The accusation hung in the air, sharp and sudden, as if he’d been waiting to throw it. Lila felt it strike-but it didn’t shatter her the way it once might have.

She straightened, lifting her chin, meeting his gaze without flinching.

“That’s what you think?” she asked.

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Chapter 13

For the first time, Damon hesitated.

Lila’s lips curved-not quite a smile, not quite a challenge.

“So if you can sleep around,” she asked calmly, “why can’t I?”

The words landed like a strike.

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Damon’s expression darkened instantly. “Watch your mouth,” he snapped. “You’re still bound to me, Lila. Don’t forget that.”

She laughed softly, the sound devoid of warmth. Before she could answer, a voice cut in from the hallway.

“Enough.”

Maddy stepped into the living room, her tone measured, her presence deliberate. She moved closer to Damon, placing herself just slightly between them, a silent attempt to de-escalate.

“Damon, calm down,” she said evenly.

Lila’s gaze flicked to her-and something unmistakable passed through her eyes. Amusement.

She tilted her head, studying them both. “See?” she said lightly. “If you can bring a woman home, maybe I should’ve taken my man too.”

That did it.

Damon surged forward a step, fury blazing across his face. “That’s enough, Lila.”

Maddy raised a hand immediately. “Stop.” Then she turned to Lila, her expression firm but controlled. “There is nothing happening between Damon and me. Nothing.”

Lila shrugged, unconvinced.

Maddy continued, her voice steady. “I’ll be joining the firm as Vice President. We’ll be working closely-yes- but that’s all it is. Professional.”

Damon’s jaw tightened. “Lila is just being unreasonable,” he said sharply, directing the words at Maddy more than at his wife. “She’s trying to start something where there isn’t one.”

Maddy’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t back down. Instead, she turned back to Damon, her gaze sharp, calculating. “And if Lila believes we’ve crossed a line,” she added, “then maybe I shouldn’t proceed with joining the firm at all.”

The room went still.

Damon stared at her, stunned, the anger on his face faltering under the weight of what she was offering—what she was willing to give up.

Lila watched the exchange in silence, her smirk fading into something colder, more knowing.

11:26 Mon, May 4

Chapter 13

For the first time that night, Damon wasn’t the one in control of the room.

And Lila could feel it-the balance shifting, slowly but irrevocably, away from him.

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