The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 196

Chapter 196

Chapter 196

“Miss Maddy… would you like to come with me?”

The nurse’s voice was gentle, careful-like she was afraid the wrong tone might break her completely.

Maddy sat quietly on the edge of the her bed, her hands resting in her lap. The room felt colder than before, emptier in a way she couldn’t explain.

“I don’t have much,” the nurse continued. “No luxury, no big apartment… just a small place. But I can take care of you until you can walk again.”

A pause.

“And I can help you return to your family.”

That word-family-hung in the air longer than it should have.

Maddy slowly shook her head.

“I don’t have a family,” she said quietly.

The nurse frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

“My parents are gone,” Maddy replied. Her voice didn’t shake, but her eyes did. “I have no one.”

Silence settled between them.

Then, softer-almost like a confession she had held for too long:

“I already bit the hand that once helped me unconditionally.”

Her fingers tightened slightly.

“I think you already know me. I’m a bad person.”

A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it.

“I once wanted to destroy a marriage.”

The words came out broken.

Heavy.

Real.

The nurse’s expression softened instantly. She stepped closer, lowering her voice.

“Miss Maddy… I don’t believe it’s too late for you to change.”

Maddy let out a small, bitter laugh, but there was no humor in it.

“You think so?”

“I know someone you should meet,” the nurse continued. “Ms. Lila. I met her once at the hospital.”

At the mention of the name, Maddy went still.

The air changed.

“Do you think she could forgive me?” Maddy asked quietly.

The nurse hesitated-but only for a moment.

“I believe she can,” she said. “If you ask sincerely. With your whole heart.”

Silence followed.

Maddy lowered her gaze.

Forgiveness.

It sounded simple when someone else said it.

But in her chest, it felt impossible.

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Chapter 196

Because some mistakes didn’t feel like mistakes anymore.

They felt like damage that couldn’t be undone.

“I’ll stay here,” Maddy said at last.

Her voice was softer now.

“Maybe… this is my punishment.”

The nurse’s eyes tightened with worry, but she didn’t argue.

Instead, she reached into her pocket and gently placed a small piece of paper into Maddy’s hand.

“If you ever change your mind,” she said quietly, “contact me.”

Maddy looked down at it.

A number.

A lifeline she wasn’t sure she deserved.

When she looked up again, the nurse was already at the door.

She paused once more.

“May I know your name?” Maddy asked the nurse softly.

The nurse paused for a moment.

Then answered, “Rose.”

“Rose…” Maddy repeated quietly.

Her eyes shifted toward the pills on the tray beside her.

“What are those pills for?” she asked.

Rose inhaled slowly and looked directly at her.

“It’s something you shouldn’t take,” she said firmly.

Then, after a pause, her voice lowered even more.

“Miss Maddy… don’t ever take any pills they give you in the future. Can you promise me that?”

Maddy felt something tighten in her chest.

Not fear.

Something heavier.

She realized there were still people who cared for her-people who protected her without asking for anything in return.

“…Okay,” Maddy said softly.

Rose gave a small nod.

“Good. Go rest.”

And then she left the room.

Outside the door, the hallway was silent.

The doctor stood motionless.

“I hope Nurse Rose did not say anything to her patients,” he said calmly, one hand resting in his pocket.

Rose’s expression stiffened for a brief moment.

“Of course, Doctor,” she replied.

The doctor studied her.

Then gave a slight nod.

“Well then… my job here is completed. Please do not forget what you have promised me.”Rose said.

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The doctor didn’t respond.

She simply turned and walked away.

The doctor watched her retreating figure until she disappeared down the hallway.

Then he entered Maddy’s room.

Inside, Maddy sat quietly on the bed.

The doctor approached her and placed two pills into her hand.

“Take it, Miss Maddy,” he said.

Maddy stared at the pills.

Rose’s warning echoed in her mind.

Don’t ever take any pills they give you.

A long silence passed.

“Later, Doctor,” Maddy said, carefully setting the pills aside.

The doctor’s eyes narrowed.

“No. You have to take it,” he insisted.

There was no room for refusal.

Maddy hesitated.

Then slowly picked up the pills.

All the while, the doctor watched her closely.

She placed them into her mouth.

And swallowed.

“Open your mouth,” the doctor ordered.

Maddy obeyed.

She opened it wide.

Empty.

The doctor studied her for a moment… then finally nodded in satisfaction.

“Good,” he said.

And he left.

The door closed behind him.

Silence returned.

Maddy exhaled softly.

Her hand slowly opened. ‘

The pills were still there-hidden carefully between her fingers.

She had pretended to swallow them at the last second.

Her heart was pounding.

She already knew what was coming next.

This would become routine.

They would start checking her mouth every time.

To make sure she obeyed.

Maddy leaned back slightly, clutching the hidden pills tightly in her hand.

And for the first time-

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she fully understood.

She wasn’t recovering.

She was being controlled.

The Name in the Cup

Rose had been searching for a month.

Not just online records or hospital files-but real traces of people, movements, habits. Quiet inquiries in places where names still carried weight.

That was how she found Marlou.

He had survived.

Barely.

A month earlier, he had been admitted under emergency care after the incident. Now, he was awake-stable enough for observation. When Rose visited, he could already sit up, though his body was still weak, like something inside him had been drained and was only slowly returning.

After a few days, they discharged him.

Took him home.

That should have been the end of it.

But Rose couldn’t stop.

She kept watching.

Kept asking.

And planning.

Eventually, she made a decision.

If she was going to protect Maddy, she couldn’t do it from a distance.

So she began preparing something else.

A new identity.

A new position.

A way back into the system-close enough to see everything.

She would apply as a personal nurse.

Close to Lila.

Close to the truth.

And close enough, if needed, to stop it.

The café was warm and crowded that afternoon..

Lila’s coffee shop had become a quiet landmark in the city-locals and tourists filling every table, the scent of roasted beans hanging in the air like comfort itself.

Rose sat at a corner table, watching it all carefully.

A cup of coffee untouched in front of her.

A few minutes later, Lila approached with a polite smile.

“Hi… I’m sorry about the wait,” Lila said.

“It’s fine,” Rose replied gently. “The place is busy today.”

Lila let out a soft laugh as she looked around. “It’s been like this for months now. I guess the shop is finally getting attention.”

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“Seems like it’s attracting both locals and tourists,” Rose said.

“Yeah,” Lila nodded. “I’ve been busy lately.”

A brief pause settled between them-but Rose didn’t waste it.

“I actually wanted to talk about something,” she said carefully.

Lila tilted her head slightly. “Of course.”

Rose took a breath.

“My former patient,” she began. “Her name is Miss Madeline Laurent.”

The name landed between them.

Carefully.

Deliberately.

Rose watched Lila’s reaction closely-any flicker of recognition, any trace of emotion.

Lila froze.

Just for a second.

Then she recovered.

“Oh..” she said slowly. “What happened to her?”

Rose didn’t answer immediately.

“She’s not well,” she said at last.

Lila’s expression tightened. “Why did you resign then?”

That question had been waiting.

Rose looked down at her hands for a moment.

“I was forced to resign,” she admitted quietly. “After I learned something about her care.”

Lila’s posture changed immediately-subtle, but noticeable. Her attention sharpened.

Rose reached across the table and gently took Lila’s hand.

“Miss Lila…” she said softly.

Then she told her everything.

“Miss Maddy was forced to take pills that kept her muscles numb. When I first met her, she was skin and bones-barely holding herself together.”

Lila’s breath slowed.

Rose continued, her voice steady but heavy.

“Her husband… he didn’t want her to recover. He wanted her weak.”

A pause.

“And the doctor-he followed orders.”

Lila didn’t speak.

Her hand remained in Rose’s grip, but her fingers had gone still.

Rose lowered her voice even further.

“He is the one who ordered them to keep her that way.”

The noise of the café around them blurred into the background.

And for the first time that day-

Lila didn’t look like someone running a busy coffee shop.

She looked like someone remembering something she had tried very hard to forget.

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