The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 166

Chapter 166

Chapter 166

2)

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Freddie Bjorn staggered to a halt, his breath ragged and uneven. The relentless running, the constant dodging of bullets-it had all taken its toll. Age, once just a distant thought, now pressed heavily on his body, slowing his movements and clouding his focus.

He lifted his gaze toward Damon, Lila, and Mark, his eyes burning with unrestrained hatred.

“These two families should perish… no matter what,” Freddie muttered, his voice laced with venom.

But even as he spoke, reality settled in. They were outnumbered-and with Damon leading the charge, Freddie knew the odds had shifted beyond his favor. Strength alone would not carry him through this fight.

Not anymore.

A sharp exhale escaped his lips as he made his decision.

“We retreat. For now,” Freddie ordered, turning away. “We plan… and we escape.”

His group hesitated only for a moment before following his lead, disappearing into the shadows.

From across the battlefield, Damon noticed the movement. His eyes narrowed as he realized Freddie’s intent.

“He’s getting away,” Damon said, preparing to give chase.

But before he could take a step forward, Mark reached out and stopped him.

“Don’t,” Mark said firmly.

Damon glanced at him, frustration flickering across his face.

“They’re retreating. This is our chance.”

Mark shook his head, exhaustion evident in his expression.

“We’ve lost too much already. And we’re not in any condition to keep fighting.”

For a moment, the tension hung thick in the air. Then, slowly, Damon relented.

The battlefield fell into an uneasy silence-both sides battered, both sides forced to withdraw. For now, the fight was over.

But the war was far from finished.

Damon stopped in his tracks.

His gaze found Lila, seated quietly in the corner, her presence distant despite being only a few steps away. She seemed lost in her own world, wrapped in thoughts he could no longer reach.

A sharp ache gripped his chest.

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15.31 Mon, May 4

Chapter 166

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For a fleeting moment, he almost gave in-almost closed the distance between them. He wanted to tell her everything he had buried for so long… how much he missed her, how deeply his heart still yearned for her

But he didn’t.

His hands tightened at his sides as he forced himself to stay where he was.

This wasn’t the right time.

Maybe it never would be.

Damon took a step back, then turned away.

“Assist Mark for now. Keep them safe,” he ordered the man standing behind him.

“Yes, sir.”

Without hesitation, the man moved quickly toward Mark.

Mark looked up as the man approached.

“Mr. Blackthorne asked me to be your assistant from now on, Mr. Everith. My name is Joey,” he said.

Mark gave a small, polite nod. “Alright.”

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But his attention shifted past Joey, lingering on Damon’s retreating figure. There was something heavy in the way he walked-something unspoken that Mark chose not to question.

Inside the car, the door shut, sealing Damon in silence.

For a moment, he stared straight ahead. Then, almost against his will, his eyes shifted.

Lila.

Even now, he couldn’t stop himself from looking.

His expression softened-just for a second.

“Let’s go to Wago City,” Damon said coldly, his voice betraying none of what he felt.

The car pulled away.

Lila remained where she was, unmoving.

She had seen it.

That moment when Damon stopped.

The way his eyes lingered on her.

There had been something there-something she once knew by heart.

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Chapter 166

Worry.

Longing.

Maybe even love.

But he never came.

Never spoke.

Not even a single word.

As the distance between them grew, doubt crept in.

Maybe she imagined it.

Maybe the look in his eyes was nothing more than a passing illusion.

Because if it had been real… he would have stayed.

Wouldn’t he?

Lila lowered her gaze, her expression empty.

Maybe this was how it all ended.

Not with anger.

Not with closure.

Just silence.

And the quiet, unsettling truth-

She felt nothing at all.

The road to Wago City stretched long and empty, swallowed by the night.

Inside the car, silence lingered like a heavy fog.

• ))

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Damon sat still, his gaze fixed beyond the windshield, but his thoughts were nowhere near the road ahead. Every passing shadow, every flicker of light only pulled him deeper into the moment he had just left behind.

Lila.

Her stillness.

Her silence.

The way she didn’t call out to him.

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Chapter 166

His jaw tightened.

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“She didn’t even try…” he murmured under his breath, almost inaudible.

The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror but said nothing.

Damon leaned back, closing his eyes briefly, but it only made things worse. The memory of her face—calm, distant, unreadable-refused to leave him.

For the first time in a long while, uncertainty crept in.

Had he waited too long?

Back at the compound, the air felt different.

Quieter.

. Heavier.

Lila remained seated where Damon had left her, unmoving even as people passed by, tending to the wounded and rebuilding what little they could.

“Miss Lila?”

Joey’s voice was careful, hesitant.

She didn’t respond at first.

“I… I was told to assist Mr. Everith, but… if you need anything-”

“I’m fine,” Lila said flatly, cutting him off.

Joey nodded awkwardly and stepped back.

From across the room, Mark watched her closely.

Something wasn’t right.

He stood, ignoring the dull pain in his body, and walked over.

“You’re too quiet,” Mark said, stopping a few steps away. “That’s not a good sign.”

Lila let out a small breath, her eyes still fixed on nothing in particular. “There’s nothing to say.”

Mark frowned. “About Damon?”

That got her attention-barely.

Her eyes shifted, but there was no anger in them. No sadness.

Just… emptiness.

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Chapter 166

“He made his choice,” she said simply.

“And you?” Mark asked.

A pause.

Longer this time.

Then-

“I don’t care.”

But the words didn’t sit right.

Not to Mark.

And maybe… not even to her.

Miles away, the car slowed as the distant lights of Wago City came into view.

Damon opened his eyes.

“Sir, we’ll be entering the city in five minutes,” the driver said.

Damon nodded faintly.

“Good.”

But his voice lacked conviction.

As the city lights reflected in his eyes, one thought refused to leave him—

Running away from the battlefield was one thing.

But walking away from Lila…

That might be the mistake that cost him everything.

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15:32 Mon, May 4