The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 148

Chapter 148

Chapter 148

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Damon visited Maddy at the apartment, but she remained silent, refusing to speak. She made sure he would have to come back to her again and again. She had already escaped from Eric once and would not waste this opportunity to claim Damon-especially now that Lila was not around.

“Hi, Maddy. How are you?” Damon asked, placing the fruits he had brought carefully on the table.

“My head still aches whenever I try to remember what happened,” Maddy replied, fidgeting with precise, careful movements-the movements of a woman who knew she needed protection and patience. She looked up at Damon, her gaze steady, making sure he would soften his heart toward her.

“I’m so sorry, Damon. I can’t… I can’t help,” she whispered, tears beginning to slide down her cheeks.

“It’s okay, Maddy,” Damon said softly.

But he refused to sit beside her. He refused to linger. He refused to let the misunderstandings of the past start again.

This time, Damon would do whatever it took to ensure that no rumors between him and Maddy ever

surfaced.

He feared Lila might see or hear something and misinterpret it-and he refused to let that happen.

So he remained standing, watching her, silent but attentive.

“I heard from the staff that you haven’t been eating much,” Damon said, his voice calm but probing.

“I… I’m not feeling well,” Maddy replied softly, letting her voice drop, gentle and measured.

“Damon… can you stay with me tonight?” she asked, testing the waters, her words barely above a whisper.

“No. I can’t. I have meetings,” Damon said flatly.

He started to turn away.

Maddy immediately stood and grabbed his arm.

“Can you stay a little longer? I’m scared to be alone again… and I don’t trust the staff,” she said, her eyes wide and pleading-the same look, the same voice that had once made Damon linger with her.

To her surprise, Damon slid his arm from her grasp and ran his hand along his own arm, as if trying to erase the warmth and scent of her touch-like her grip carried something he didn’t want to catch. Then, without another word, he turned and left in a hurry.

Maddy’s lips curved into a determined smile.

I’ll get him back into my arms. Wherever you are, Lila… don’t come back, she whispered.

That time, when Eric asked her to call Lila and read the script he handed her, Maddy felt a flutter of

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Chapter 148

nervousness. She wasn’t sure if Lila would answer and agree-or if Damon would intervene.

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At the auction, Maddy’s nerves were taut; she prayed that Damon would bid for her. She wasn’t fully certain what Eric wanted, or what he was trying to test-but she was grateful when Damon did bid. For the first time in months, she felt some measure of control. She had escaped the situation where Eric had stripped her of her dignity.

No matter what happened next, Maddy was determined never to return to that place-or that state of helplessness.

To make that happen, she would have to cling to Damon, to draw him in. Yet he seemed to reject her. She knew that if Damon ever discovered the full truth, he might set her aside and drag Lila back into his life- again.

And Maddy could not, would not, allow that to happen.

We had all the time in the world, Damon, Maddy whispered to herself, her voice soft but laced with frustration.

Her fingers curled tightly against her palm as her thoughts raced.

Damon clearly didn’t want to spend time with her. Not anymore.

Then fine… she would find another way.

If he wouldn’t come to her-

She would go to him.

A slow, calculating look settled in her eyes.

Returning to work.

That was the answer.

Maddy followed the doctor’s advice carefully, taking care of herself, rebuilding her strength day by day. She made sure there would be no reason for anyone to stop her this time. No excuses. No delays.

Because once she stepped back into Blackthorne Industries, she would be close to Damon again. Close enough to remind him. Close enough to pull him back.

But there was one problem.

Damon rarely visited her now.

And worse-

She didn’t even know his new address.

The realization sent a flicker of irritation through her chest.

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Chapter 148

nervousness. She wasn’t sure if Lila would answer and agree-or if Damon would intervene.

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At the auction, Maddy’s nerves were taut; she prayed that Damon would bid for her. She wasn’t fully certain what Eric wanted, or what he was trying to test-but she was grateful when Damon did bid. For the first time in months, she felt some measure of control. She had escaped the situation where Eric had stripped her of her dignity.

No matter what happened next, Maddy was determined never to return to that place-or that state of helplessness.

To make that happen, she would have to cling to Damon, to draw him in. Yet he seemed to reject her. She knew that if Damon ever discovered the full truth, he might set her aside and drag Lila back into his life- again.

And Maddy could not, would not, allow that to happen.

We had all the time in the world, Damon, Maddy whispered to herself, her voice soft but laced with frustration.

Her fingers curled tightly against her palm as her thoughts raced.

Damon clearly didn’t want to spend time with her. Not anymore.

Then fine… she would find another way.

If he wouldn’t come to her-

She would go to him.

A slow, calculating look settled in her eyes.

Returning to work.

That was the answer.

Maddy followed the doctor’s advice carefully, taking care of herself, rebuilding her strength day by day. She made sure there would be no reason for anyone to stop her this time. No excuses. No delays.

Because once she stepped back into Blackthorne Industries, she would be close to Damon again. Close enough to remind him. Close enough to pull him back.

But there was one problem.

Damon rarely visited her now.

And worse-

She didn’t even know his new address.

The realization sent a flicker of irritation through her chest.

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Chapter 148

room.

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“Who are you?” Maddy demanded, trying to steady her voice.

The man chuckled.

“Oh, kitten… you were so soft in front of Damon. And now?” His grip tightened slightly. “You turn vicious the moment you realize I’m not Mr. Blackthorne.”

Maddy froze.

Recognition hit her.

He was one of the men from the black market-the one who had bought her first… before Eric took her the next day.

“Don’t touch me,” Maddy snapped, forcing a smirk onto her lips.

But the strength in his grip made her body tense, her confidence faltering.

“Please… let me go,” she said, her voice breaking despite herself.

A slow, satisfied smile spread across the man’s face.

“I like it when you beg, baby doll.”

He stepped closer.

“Let me enjoy what I paid for back then… and maybe I’ll let you go.”

Maddy’s mind raced. Panic threatened to rise-but she forced it down. She couldn’t afford to lose control. Not here. Not now.

“Fine…” she said quickly, her voice trembling but controlled. “But not here. Please… not here.”

The man studied her for a moment-then nodded.

“Alright.”

He grabbed her arm again and pulled her toward the exit.

Maddy stumbled slightly as they stepped out of the venue, her heart pounding violently in her chest.

Her eyes flickered back toward the gala-

Toward where Damon had disappeared.

You left me, she thought, fear and anger mixing inside her.

And now-

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She was on her own.

Damon exhaled deeply, his jaw tightening as he looked toward the crowd.

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“Bryan, check on the media on the floor,” he said in a low voice. “Make sure they don’t misunderstand Maddy standing close to me.”

Bryan nodded politely. “Yes, sir.”

He slipped away through the staff exit, moving quickly and quietly.

But just as he stepped outside-

He paused.

Not far from the entrance, he saw Maddy.

She wasn’t alone.

A man stood beside her, his hand gripping hers as they walked away together-too close, too familiar for it to mean nothing.

Bryan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and took a photo.

A slow smile spread across his face.

Interesting, he thought.

The next morning-

Maddy woke up slowly, her body aching, every movement heavy and sore.

But it didn’t matter.

Not as much as what she needed to know.

She reached for her phone and immediately checked the news.

Her fingers scrolled quickly, her heart beating faster with every second.

Nothing.

No headlines.

No rumors.

No photos of her standing beside Damon.

Nothing at all.

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Chapter 148

Her brows furrowed.

That moment last night-the way she stood beside him, the cameras flashing-it should have been everywhere.

But it was as if it never happened.

As if someone had erased it.

Maddy slowly lowered her phone, her expression darkening.

“Damon…” she whispered under her breath.

Of course.

He had control over the media.

He made sure no one saw her.

No one talked about her.

No one even knew she was there.

Her grip on the phone tightened.

So that’s how it was going to be.

If Damon wanted to erase her-

Then she would make sure he couldn’t.

No matter what it took.

“Baby doll… how about being my girl?” the man said suddenly, his voice low and suggestive.

“You mean your mistress?” Maddy replied, her tone sharp despite the tension in her chest.

The man laughed, amused. “Smart,” he said. Then he leaned closer. “If you agree, I’ll give you anything you

want.”

His hand slid over her arm, then lower-touching her like she was something he owned.

“Since Damon isn’t willing to take you… why not?” he added.

The words hit Maddy harder than she expected.

“Damon didn’t reject me,” she shot back quickly. “He’s just busy.”

The man smirked, unimpressed.

“Don’t kid yourself, baby doll. I saw you sneaking around like a thief just to stand next to him… and he still left

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you.”

Maddy’s jaw tightened.

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“I actually admire Mr. Blackthorne,” the man continued, almost casually. “Surrounded by women throwing themselves at him… and yet he has incredible self-control. Loyal to his wife.”

Maddy’s eyes flickered. “What do you mean?”

The man chuckled softly.

“What I mean is… since Damon got married, he’s never fooled around. Not once.”

Maddy froze.

“He always says his wife doesn’t like it when he smells like anything other than the cologne she picked for him,” the man added with a shrug.

“That’s not possible,” Maddy said, her voice unsteady. “You’re saying he never touched any of those escorts? The women he was rumored to be with?”

“Never crossed the line,” the man replied. “He likes attention-but only from his wife.”

He let out a small laugh, as if recalling something entertaining.

“I remember one time his wife showed up at one of our dinners. Walked in like she owned the place and demanded he go home immediately.”

The man shook his head, grinning.

“And him? He looked like a kid-actually excited to go home with her.”

Maddy’s chest tightened, disbelief flooding her mind.

“That’s not true,” she whispered.

But the man only smiled wider.

“It is,” he said softly. “You just don’t want it to be.”

Maddy fell silent.

For the first time-

Doubt crept in.

And it terrified her.

At a business dinner, Damon sat quietly, his expression unreadable as conversations flowed around him.

“Hey, Damon-it’s been a while since we’ve had a drink,” the man across from him said with a casual grin.

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“Yeah. I’ve been busy these past few months,” Damon replied politely, though his tone carried little warmth.

“I heard,” the man said, leaning back slightly. “I hope you find your wife and son soon.”

Damon’s gaze flickered-sharp, brief, dangerous.

The man leaned forward, lowering his voice.

“How about this… you invest in my company-in exchange for information you need.”

The shift in tone was immediate. Serious. Calculated.

Damon’s eyes locked onto his.

“Then let me hear that information first,” Damon said coldly. “I’ll decide if it’s worth the investment.”

Moments later, they stepped into a private room.

The man placed his phone on the table and pressed play.

Maddy’s voice filled the silence.

Clear. Undeniable.

She was confirming everything-how Eric had forced her to call Lila, how he orchestrated the auction, how it all connected.

And then-

Fragments of what she had endured under Eric’s control.

Not everything.

But enough.

Enough to reveal the truth she had been hiding from Damon.

The air in the room turned heavy.

Damon’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening as the recording ended.

“So….” the man said carefully, watching him. “Do we have a deal? That’s all I know. I’m not hiding anything. If anything, I’m the one at a disadvantage here.”

Damon didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes remained fixed on the phone, his thoughts moving fast, cold, precise.

“Send me that recording,” Damon said at last. “Then meet me at my office tomorrow-with your full business proposal.”

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His voice was calm.

Too calm.

The man’s smile widened. “Of course.”

Damon’s gaze lifted.

“And call Maddy. Have her come here.”

The man stiffened slightly.

“… Let’s not do that,” he said with a half-laugh. “I’d hate to lose a plaything.”

Damon didn’t react.

“I’ll make her pay eventually,” the man added casually. “After I get tired of her. How about that?”

Silence.

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Damon stared at him for a long moment-long enough to make the man’s smile falter, just slightly.

“I’ll be watching,” Damon said quietly.

There was no anger in his tone.

Which made it worse.

Then he turned and walked out.

The moment the door closed behind him-

Damon’s expression shifted.

Cold.

Controlled.

But beneath it-

Something far more dangerous had begun to surface.

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