The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 147

Chapter 147

Chapter 147

Mark landed at the South City airport just as dawn broke across the horizon.

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The sky was painted in soft hues of gray and gold, the city slowly waking beneath it–but Mark had no time to admire it.

He hired a taxi and gave a familiar address.

His apartment.

When he stepped inside, a thin layer of dust greeted him.

It had been a year.

A full year since he last set foot in the place.

The air felt stale, untouched-like time itself had paused and waited for him to return.

Mark exhaled quietly, rolling up his sleeves.

He spent the next hour cleaning, wiping away the dust, opening windows, letting the morning air breathe life back into the space.

Only when everything was in order did he head to the shower.

The water ran long and hot, washing away the exhaustion of travel… but not the weight on his mind.

Afterward, he collapsed onto the bed.

Sleep came quickly.

He woke up hungry.

The room was brighter now, the sun fully risen.

Mark grabbed his phone-no messages.

No reply.

Nothing from Lila.

His jaw tightened slightly.

He stood, grabbed his jacket, and headed out.

A small convenience store stood just down the street.

Mark bought bread and coffee, then sat by the window, eating in silence.

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Chapter 147

The world outside moved normally-people passing by, cars honking faintly in the distance.

Everything felt… ordinary.

Too ordinary.

He checked his phone again.

Still nothing.

Then-

A sudden flash of red and white from a large LED screen across the street caught his attention.

Breaking news.

Two military officers arrested.

Mark inhaled sharply, his grip tightening around the coffee cup.

Simon.

He’s already done his part.

Mark stood immediately.

Now it was his turn.

After a long drive across the city, the taxi finally slowed in front of a gated property.

Eric’s place.

Mark stepped out, straightening his jacket before approaching the gate.

He pressed the doorbell.

A small screen flickered to life.

“Hi, I’m Mark,” he said calmly. “I’m here to see Eric. Is he home?”

A brief pause-

Then the gate clicked open.

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A staff member greeted him and led him inside, through a spacious, polished interior, and into a large living

room.

And there-

Eric sat casually on the couch, wearing nothing but a robe.

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Chapter 147

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“Hi,” Mark said politely. “Sorry to bother you, Mr. Bjorn. I tried visiting your office, but your staff said you were sick.”

He paused, studying him.

“Are you okay?”

But the moment stretched.

Because from where Mark stood-

Eric didn’t look sick at all.

Faint marks were scattered across his neck and chest, barely hidden beneath the loose robe.

Fresh.

Unmistakable.

A hickey.

Several of them.

Mark’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Something wasn’t right.

And whatever Eric had been doing-

it definitely wasn’t recovering from an illness.

“May I help you with something?” Eric asked, lowering the empty glass after draining it in one long swallow.

Mark hesitated at the doorway. “I hope I didn’t interrupt your rest, Mr. Bjorn.”

Eric let out a quiet scoff. “Oh, come on, Mark. Don’t be so polite.”

His eyes narrowed as he took a closer look. “What happened to your face?”

Mark instinctively touched the bruise along his cheek. “I had a heated argument with Mr. Blackthorne. You know we don’t get along.”

A beat of silence passed.

Eric leaned back slightly. “So…. what do you need?”

Mark swallowed. His fingers curled at his sides. “I just… wanted to ask if you’ve seen my sister. In the past few

months.”

For a moment, Eric didn’t move. Didn’t blink.

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Chapter 147

The air shifted.

“No,” he said finally. “No… I haven’t seen Lila.”

His voice came slower now, more careful.

“Why?” Eric tilted his head, eyes fixed on Mark. “Is she missing?”

Mark’s gaze dropped. “I don’t know.”

Another pause-longer this time.

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“She hasn’t contacted me,” Mark continued quietly. “The last time we spoke… she said she needed to be alone.”

Silence settled between them, heavy and unmoving.

Eric watched Mark closely before speaking.

“Is Damon looking for his wife?” he asked, his tone deceptively casual-testing whether Lila still mattered to

him.

The question wasn’t random.

Eric had been on edge for months.

Ever since the building burned down.

The investigation ruled it an accident.

Eric didn’t believe that.

Not when Lila disappeared the same night.

Not when the young driver, Marlou-the one sent to pick her up-vanished without a trace.

Too many things didn’t add up.

And Eric had already lost enough.

Maddy-gone.

Now he was stuck with his wife, who had become obsessively attached to him after months of crying over her missing lover-the same driver. Now she clung to Eric, suffocating him with her need.

It bored him to death.

As if that weren’t enough, two military officers were now under arrest, desperately urging him to help them- as if he owed them anything.

Idiots, Eric thought coldly.

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Chapter 147

“No.” Mark said. “He’s been busy with Maddy.”

Eric’s gaze sharpened.

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“Does that mean he doesn’t care about his wife?” he pressed. “What did Richard say? That his son doesn’t care about Lila?”

“I don’t know,” Mark replied flatly. “And I don’t care.”

A pause.

“It’s better if they stay away from my sister.”

Mark’s expression remained unreadable.

He gave nothing away-nothing about how Damon had started to lose his mind, how he was always on edge, chasing every possible lead just to find Lila.

Mark had seen it himself.

The way Damon broke down when no one was looking.

And despite everything, Mark couldn’t help but feel a flicker of sympathy.

Because the truth was painfully clear-

Damon and Lila were both fools in love.

Neither of them brave enough to say it.

Always testing each other.

Always circling the truth.

Their marriage might have been different-might have been easier-if they had just been honest from the beginning…

Instead of constantly beating around the bush.

Eric’s gaze sharpened.

“Does that mean Maddy is more important to Damon than Lila?” he pressed again.

“I don’t know,” Mark replied, his voice turning colder. “And I don’t really care. It’s better if he stays away from my sister.”

Before Eric could respond, footsteps echoed from the hallway.

His wife entered and moved straight toward him, settling beside him on the sofa. She clung to his arm, her robe loosely tied, barely concealing her chest.

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Chapter 147

Without hesitation, she leaned in and kissed him.

Eric didn’t resist.

:

Mark stiffened, discomfort flashing across his face. He quickly looked away.

“I should take my leave,” Mark said, standing. “I apologize for wasting your time.”

Eric didn’t answer.

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He simply pulled his wife closer, letting her drape herself over him as if Mark were no longer there.

Still, his eyes flicked toward Mark’s back as he walked out of the living room.

Cold. Calculating.

If Damon didn’t care about Lila… then finding her wasn’t worth the trouble.

Instead, Eric’s thoughts shifted elsewhere.

Leverage.

If Damon had a weakness, Eric would find it.

Maddy.

A slow smirk formed on his lips.

“Maybe I’ll take back my pet,” he murmured under his breath.

Outside, Mark let out a quiet sigh as he walked away.

Does this mean Eric isn’t interested in looking for Lila? he wondered.

That only made things worse.

He drove back to his apartment in silence.

His phone began buzzing nonstop.

Damon.

Mark answered.

Before he could speak, Damon’s voice cut through-urgent, sharp.

“Does he know where Lila is?”

Mark tightened his grip on the phone.

“No. Lila hasn’t reached out to him,” he said.

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Chapter 147

A brief pause.

Then-

:

“That’s good,” Damon said quietly. “Less people looking for my wife.”

Mark frowned slightly. “Yeah…”

But something about Damon’s tone didn’t sit right.

Not relief.

Something else.

Something darker.

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Silence stretched between them for a few moments before Damon spoke again.

“Do you believe he doesn’t know where Lila is?” Damon asked, his voice low, almost cautious.

“I think he doesn’t,” Mark replied evenly.

“Okay,” Damon said, then paused.

“How many hours before you reach the outskirts of South City?” Damon asked.

“Which outskirts?” Mark shot back.

“At the secluded town,” Damon answered.

“Maybe five days… too far. You want me to check there?” Mark asked.

“No. Just come back here. Simon needs you,” Damon said firmly.

“Okay,” Mark replied, ending the call.

Damon sank back into his chair. Silence enveloped him again, broken only by the rising stacks of documents crowding his desk.

Time passed, and the paperwork seemed to grow faster than he could handle. Damon found himself juggling his responsibilities as CEO and the impossible task of locating Lila.

Bryan stood nearby, watching Simon and Damon quietly. He couldn’t help but feel sympathy for his boss- how difficult it must be to search endlessly for both a missing wife and son.

“Mr. Lee,” Bryan began cautiously, “why don’t we ask the authorities for help? Publicly announce that Madam is missing?”

Simon didn’t even lift his head from the documents. His voice was flat, measured.

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Chapter 147

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“We could do that… if we want opportunistic people chasing after Lila, or worse, someone pretending to be her. And that would mean you working nonstop to verify each lead,” Simon said without looking up.

“Oh… I see,” Bryan said softly, a chill creeping over him. How stupid I am, he thought.

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15:23 Mon, May 4