The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 194

Chapter 194

Maddy sat in ellenes, her hady trembling beneath the thin layer of sweet that clung to her skin thw rehabilitation ream felt selder than usual, though she knew it wasn’t the temperature #twins the warp d exhaustion pressing down on her

That’s how long she had been here.

Hours of trying Falling Trying again.

Her fingers twitched slightly at her sides, her arms weak from repetition. Even lifting them now fedt like dragging invisible chains. Her breathing came in shallow bursts, uneven and strained, as though her lungs themselves had grown tired of the fight.

Across the room, the nurse stood watching.

She had seen patients like this before hopeful ones, stubborn ones, the ones who refused to accept what their bodies had already decided. But Maddy was different.

Maddy didn’t just try.

She endured.

Still, the nurse couldn’t ignore the quiet voice in her mind,

This is pointless.

The thought came uninvited, but it stayed,

Because everyone knew.

The staff didn’t say it out loud-not in front of Maddy-but they all understood the same thing, the chances were too small. Recovery like hers… It rarely happened. And yet, here she was, clinging to something as fragile as a fraction of possibility.

The last of the staff filtered out of the room, their footsteps fading into the hallway until only silence remained.

Only Maddy.

Only the nurse.

“Alright,” the nurse said gently, stepping forward. “Let’s try one more time.”

She placed her hands carefully on Maddy’s arms, helping her shift forward.

Maddy swallowed, her throat dry, and nodded,

With effort, she pushed herself up.

Her legs wobbled immediately, unstable and uncertain, like they no longer remembered how to carry her weight. Her arms shook violently as she tried to balance, her entire body straining against itself.

“Miss Maddy…” the nurse whispered, leaning closer, her voice softer now. “You can stop this… if you can’t hold on anymore.”

For a moment, Maddy said nothing.

Then-

She smiled.

It wasn’t a wide smile. Not bright or carefree.

But it was real.

“The doctor said there’s a chance I’ll walk again,” she murmured, her voice fragile but steady. “So even if that chance is just one percent… I’ll hold on to that one percent.”

The words hung in the air.

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Chapter 194

The nurse felt something tighten in her chest.

Maddy’s arms trembled harder now, her breathing turning heavier with every second she remained standing. Sweat slid down her temple, her body screaming for rest, for relief-but she didn’t give in.

She stayed.

Fighting.

The nurse’s gaze flickered briefly toward the corner of the room.

The doctor sat there, half-slouched in his chair, his attention fixed entirely on the glowing screen of his phone. His face showed no reaction, no concern, no encouragement.

Just indifference.

The nurse looked away quickly, something bitter settling inside her.

What’s the point of all this? she thought. Why push her this far…

… when they keep giving her medication that numbs her muscles anyway?

Her hands tightened slightly around Maddy’s arms.

This poor woman.

“Okay,” the nurse said softly. “That’s enough for now.”

Gently, she guided Maddy back down, easing her into the wheelchair behind her. Maddy let out a quiet breath as she settled, her body finally surrendering to the exhaustion she had been holding back.

The session was over.

The fight, for today, was done.

Without a word, the doctor stood up. He slipped his phone into his pocket and walked toward the door, not sparing them a glance as he left.

The door clicked shut.

Silence returned.

The nurse lingered behind Maddy, her hands still resting lightly on the wheelchair handles. She hesitated, her eyes fixed on the floor as if weighing something heavy in her mind.

“Miss Maddy…” she began.

Maddy turned her head slightly. “Yes?”

The nurse leaned closer, lowering her voice to a near whisper.

“Whatever happens… don’t take the pills your husband gives you.”

Maddy blinked, confusion flickering across her face.

“Why?”

The question was simple.

But the answer wasn’t.

The nurse paused, then forced a small smile as she moved around to face her.

“Well…” she said carefully, “you and your husband are trying to have a child, right?”

Maddy’s expression softened instantly.

“Yes,” she said, a quiet warmth in her voice. “We are.”

The nurse nodded slowly, as if that confirmed everything.

“Then maybe it’s better if you don’t take them… at least for now,” she continued. “Sometimes medication can… interfere with things like that.”

She tilted her head slightly, her smile gentle, almost reassuring.

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Chapter 194

“And don’t tell your husband,” she added. “It could be a surprise, don’t you think?”

Maddy let out a soft laugh, barely more than a breath.

“A surprise…”

The idea seemed to settle into her, wrapping itself around something hopeful deep inside her chest.

She nodded.

“Yeah… okay,” she said. “I won’t take the pills.”

The nurse watched her closely.

“And you’ll be the first to know if I get pregnant,” Maddy added, her smile growing just a little brighter.

For a brief moment, the nurse didn’t respond.

Something unreadable passed through her eyes-something quick, something hidden.

Then she smiled back.

“I’d like that,” she said softly.

Maddy leaned back into her chair, her body still aching but her spirit quietly lifted. For the first time that day, the pain didn’t feel as overwhelming.

Because now, she had something more than just the one percent.

She had something to hope for beyond it.

A future.

A child.

A life that wasn’t defined by hospital walls and rehabilitation routines.

The nurse stepped behind her again, her hands resting on the wheelchair.

“I’ll take you back to your room,” she said.

Maddy nodded.

As the wheels began to move, the faint sound echoed through the hallway, blending into the quiet hum of the hospital.

Neither of them spoke.

But their silence was not the same.

Maddy’s was filled with hope.

The nurse’s… was not.

As they turned the corner, the nurse’s expression slowly changed, her smile fading the moment Maddy could no longer see it.

Her grip tightened slightly on the wheelchair.

“Just trust me,” she whispered under her breath-so quietly it was almost swallowed by the air itself.

And somewhere deep within that whisper…

was something that didn’t sound like kindness at all.

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