The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 174

Chapter 174

Chapter 174

When Lila and Ina arrived at the house, the silence hit them first.

It was too quiet.

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Ina slowed her steps as they approached the door, her brows knitting together. “This is bad,” she muttered under her breath.

Lila felt it too-that strange, uneasy stillness that usually meant something had already happened.

“Do you think he’s teaching Damian something he shouldn’t?” Ina added, pushing the door open carefully.

The living room was empty.

No laughter. No footsteps. No chaos.

Just silence.

“Mark?” Lila called out, her voice echoing faintly through the house.

Her heart began to pound.

Without waiting for a response, she hurried down the hallway, her footsteps quick and uneven. She reached the room and pushed the door open-

-and froze.

Damian sat at the desk, small fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard. The glow of the screen lit his face as lines of information filled the monitor.

Lila stepped closer, her breath catching.

Photos.

Records.

Details.

It didn’t take long for her to realize what she was looking at.

Damon.

Behind Damian, Mark sat casually, leaning back in his chair like this was the most normal thing in the world. He glanced up as Lila entered, completely unfazed.

“He did that after I taught him the basics,” Mark said, his voice carrying a hint of pride.

His lips stretched into a wide grin. “Kid’s got talent. Definitely got it from me.”

15:34 Mon, May 4

Chapter 174

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Damian turned at the sound of his mother’s presence. The moment he saw Lila, he quickly stood up, his head lowering.

“I… I just wanted to know about my father, Mommy,” he said softly, his voice small and filled with guilt.

Like he’d done something wrong.

Lila’s expression softened instantly.

She walked toward him without hesitation and pulled him into a warm embrace, one hand gently cradling the back of his head.

“Sweetheart,” she murmured, her voice calm and reassuring, “Mommy’s not mad. You don’t have to hide it.”

Damian clung to her slightly, still unsure.

“In fact,” she continued, her hand gently patting his back, “if you want to meet your father, we can call him. We can arrange something. Do you want that?”

Damian didn’t answer right away.

Instead, Lila lifted her gaze and looked straight at Mark, her eyes narrowing just a little.

“Did Uncle Mark force you to do all this?” she asked, her tone calm-but pointed.

Mark straightened immediately. “Lila, I did not force him,” he said quickly. Then, turning to Damian, he added, “Hey, buddy… tell your mom I didn’t force you.”

There was a hint of pleading in his voice now.

Damian looked up at Lila, his wide, innocent eyes making it almost impossible to stay stern.

“Mom… don’t be mad at Uncle Mark,” he said. “I was the one who asked him to teach me.”

He hesitated, then added honestly, “He just sits here all the time… and I got bored. He doesn’t want to play with me outside or build castles with Mr. Dinosaur.”

Ina, who had been quietly leaning against the doorframe, let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Oh, wow,” she said, shaking her head. “So the real crime here is Mark being a terrible playmate.”

Mark scoffed. “Excuse me? I am an excellent playmate.”

“Yeah,” Ina shot back, smirking, “if the game is ‘sit still and stare at a screen.”

Despite everything, Lila let out a small laugh, the tension easing just a little.

But as she glanced back at the computer screen-still filled with Damon’s information-her smile slowly faded.

Because this wasn’t just curiosity anymore.

15:34 Mon, May 4

Chapter 174

A brief pause.

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“And the rest?” he added. “Tried to defend themselves in court… and failed.”

The room fell quiet again, the weight of it settling between them.

“I need a one-month leave after this,” Simon said suddenly.

“No such thing as a one-month leave,” Damon replied flatly.

Simon dropped his arm and turned his head, staring at Damon in disbelief. “Oh, come on. Don’t be stingy, boss.”

He sat up slightly, frowning. “Even Lila approved my two-week leave.”

Damon’s expression didn’t change.

“Then ask for her approval,” he said casually.

Simon blinked, thrown off by the response. Unbelievable, he thought. How can someone be this stingy?

But Damon had already turned his attention back to the screen.

To the message.

To the words that lingered longer than they should have.

I wanted to meet you…

For a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes-something quieter, more uncertain.

It had been a month.

A full month since he last spoke to Lila.

A month of distance… of silence… of restraint.

And yet, not a day had passed that he hadn’t seen her.

From afar.

Always from afar.

Watching.

Waiting.

Longing.

Damon leaned back slowly, his gaze drifting away from the screen.

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Chapter 174

For the first time in weeks, the case, the court, the endless pursuit of justice-it all felt secondary.

Because somewhere out there…

Was a child who wanted to meet him.

And a woman he still couldn’t bring himself to face.

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