The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 197

Chapter 197

Chapter 197

Forgiveness

“I couldn’t stand watching her like that,” Rose said quietly.

Her grip around her cup tightened slightly.

“Miss Maddy… she wanted to stand again. To walk. To run freely. But she couldn’t.”

Rose swallowed, her voice lowering.

“The doctor… and her husband… they kept giving her the pills.”

Lila sat across from her, listening in silence.

Her expression didn’t change, but something behind her eyes grew distant-like she was listening to a memory instead of words.

Rose continued anyway.

“I asked her to come with me,” she said. “I told her I could help her leave all of it behind. But she refused.”

A pause.

“She said she’s a bad person.”

Rose’s voice softened.

“That even if she asked for forgiveness… she couldn’t escape the guilt inside her.”

Silence settled between them.

Only the soft sounds of the café filled the space-cups clinking, footsteps, quiet conversations that didn’t belong in this moment.

“…Is that so,” Lila finally murmured.

Her voice was barely audible.

Rose looked up at her, searching for something-anger, sadness, anything that meant she still cared.

But Lila’s face was unreadable.

And for the first time, Rose felt it.

Her hope… cracking.

But even then, she didn’t stop.

“I’m sorry, Miss Lila,” Rose said quickly, lowering her gaze. “I talked too much.”

“It’s okay,” Lila replied gently.

Too gently.

That softness didn’t comfort Rose.

It unsettled her.

A long pause followed.

Then Rose lifted her head again, her voice quieter but steady.

“Miss Lila…” she asked carefully. “Can you forgive Miss Maddy?”

The question hung in the air.

Heavy.

Unfinished.

Lila didn’t answer right away.

Her fingers slowly wrapped around her cup

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Chapter 197

And somewhere behind her calm expression-

something was beginning to shift.

Lila looked at Rose for a long moment.

Not with anger.

Not with resentment.

But with something quieter-something that had been buried for a long time and learned how to stay hidden.

Because the truth was simple.

Lila didn’t hate Maddy.

She never had.

Maddy was not her enemy.

She was the woman Damon had loved.

The one he kept in his heart, even when everything else fell apart.

Lila exhaled slowly.

“Yes,” she said at last. “I forgive her.”

Her voice was steady.

“It’s in the past now.”

Relief washed over Rose immediately.

“Thank you, Miss Lila,” she said softly.

Lila gave a small, polite smile. “Of course.”

A pause followed-but it wasn’t empty anymore. Something had shifted between them.

Then Rose hesitated.

“So… are you willing to move her into town?”

Lila nodded without delay.

“Yes.”

The answer was simple.

Too simple.

“As soon as possible,” she added.

Rose blinked. “Of course.”

Lila stood from her seat.

“Come,” she said. “I’ll drive you.”

Outside, the city air felt different-brighter, louder, as if nothing dangerous ever existed beneath its surface.

They got into Lila’s car and drove in silence for most of the way.

The streets blurred past them.

Buildings. Traffic. Life continuing as normal.

But Rose couldn’t shake the feeling that something important was about to change.

Something she couldn’t see yet.

When they arrived near the residential district, the atmosphere softened.

Quiet homes.

Clean streets.

A sense of stability that felt almost unfamiliar after everything they had seen.

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Chapter 197

Lila parked the car near a modest but well-kept house.

“Marlo and Jenny live next door,” she said as they stepped out.

Rose glanced around. “They’re the couple you mentioned?”

Lila nodded.

“They’re getting married soon.”

She looked at the house beside it, a faint smile forming.

“I bought it for them,” she added calmly. “As a wedding gift.”

Rose paused slightly. “You bought a house?”

“Yes,” Lila replied simply, as if it were nothing unusual. “They’ve been through enough. I wanted them to start properly.”

Rose didn’t know what to say to that.

So she simply followed Lila toward the house.

But somewhere in the back of her mind-

the story didn’t feel finished.

Not even close.

Lila called out toward the house.

“Jenny?”

No answer.

The wind carried only the distant sound of waves breaking against the shore.

She frowned slightly and walked around the side with Rose following close behind.

At the back of the property, the view opened up to the sea.

The ocean stretched endlessly, calm but powerful, waves rolling in steady rhythm as they crashed against the

sand.

And there-

Jenny and Marlou sat quietly near the shoreline.

Just listening.

Just existing in the moment.

Lila’s expression softened.

“There,” she said gently. “Come. I’ll introduce you.”

They approached slowly across the sand.

“Jenny,” Lila called again.

This time, the woman turned.

Her face lit up immediately when she saw Lila.

“Miss Lila,” Jenny said, standing up quickly, brushing sand from her clothes.

Lila gave her a warm smile.

“Jenny, this is Nurse Rose,” she said, stepping slightly aside. “She’ll be taking care of Marlo.”

Rose gave a small polite nod. “Hello.”

Jenny bowed her head slightly, shy but grateful. “My husband will be under your care?”

“Yes,” Rose replied gently. “I will be responsible for his care.”

Rose stepped closer toward Marlo.

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Chapter 197

He sat quietly on the sand, his gaze fixed on the ocean. His body looked weak, still recovering from the aftermath of the fall at the building and the months he spent in a coma.

Jenny followed Rose’s movement with concern in her eyes.

“He still can’t walk,” Jenny said softly. “Even after everything… he hasn’t fully recovered.”

She hesitated.

“To be honest, I don’t really know what to do. I’m not familiar with medicines.”

Rose nodded slowly, observing Marlou carefully.

“That’s alright,” she said calmly. “As long as he receives the correct dosage recommended by the doctor, he should continue improving.”

Jenny let out a small breath of relief.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

A soft breeze passed through them, carrying the sound of the waves a little closer.

Lila stood slightly behind them, watching the scene unfold.

For a moment, everything felt peaceful.

Almost normal.

But Rose’s eyes stayed on Marlo a little longer than necessary-

as if she was reading something beneath the surface.

Something that didn’t belong to peace at all.

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