The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

10 vouchers

By mid-morning, Lila was already navigating the familiar hallways of the university, though today felt different. The crisp scent of books and chalk dust, the faint hum of students moving between classes-it was grounding in a way the villa could never be.

She clutched her folder, the edges of the papers crisp under her fingers. Her schedule had been finalized: she was officially an assistant instructor now, helping teach a refresher course in her department. The thought brought a strange mix of pride and nerves. Teaching alongside professors she had admired as a student was exhilarating, but also daunting.

Her first stop was the departmental office. Professor Reyes looked up from a stack of papers, a welcoming smile spreading across his face.

“Ah, Lila! Right on time,” he said, standing to shake her hand. “We’re thrilled to have you assisting in this course. Your experience will be invaluable to the students.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Lila replied, keeping her tone professional, though a small smile tugged at her lips.

“Let me introduce you to the others,” Hale continued, guiding her through the office where a few professors were gathered. Each offered a polite nod, some even extending greetings, others simply observing with quiet curiosity.

Lila made mental notes: she’d need to review the syllabus carefully, understand the flow of each lecture, and make sure she was ready to assist wherever necessary. It wasn’t just about teaching-it was about stepping into a role of authority she hadn’t held in years.

Professor Nguyen, a veteran lecturer known for her strict standards, extended her hand. “Welcome, Lila. I’ll be in the lecture hall during your first session. You’ll be assisting me with the students’ practical exercises.”

“Of course, Professor Nguyen,” Lila replied, a slight edge of anticipation creeping into her voice.

As she moved through the office, Professor Hale handed her a copy of the finalized schedule. Each class was marked clearly, with times and locations, and her responsibilities as an assistant instructor detailed meticulously. Lila scanned the pages, noting which classes would require hands-on guidance, which would be purely observational, and which would require her to step in for small lectures.

It was a full schedule, but Lila welcomed it. The structure, the responsibilities, the familiar rhythm-it was a welcome escape from the chaos and tension she had been feeling elsewhere.

For the first time that day, she felt a flicker of control.

Here, in the halls of learning, Lila could immerse herself in something concrete. No villa. No bruises. No whispered rumors. Just knowledge, students, and her own steady hands guiding them through the material.

She tucked the schedule into her folder, squared her shoulders, and headed toward the lecture hall. Today marked a beginning-a return to a part of herself that she could claim without question.

And for Lila, that was exactly what she needed.

When Lila returned to the forest villa that evening, the sun had already dipped behind the trees, and shadows

11:29 Mon, May 4

Chapter 20

91

10 vouchers

stretched across the manicured grounds. The warm glow of the villa’s lights did little to ease the tight knot in her chest.

Dinner had already been served, perfectly arranged on the long dining table, the aroma of roasted meat and fresh herbs filling the room. She paused at the doorway, surveying the scene, but didn’t hesitate. Damon wasn’t there-nor did she care to wait. Why should I? she thought, her jaw tightening.

She sat down alone, the chair across from her empty, and pushed the plate slightly closer. With deliberate slowness, she ate, focusing on the act itself, letting the rhythm of cutting and chewing anchor her restless mind. She didn’t linger on the flavors, didn’t allow herself to imagine Damon walking in. Silence wrapped around her like a protective cocoon.

When she finished, Lila didn’t linger. She left the dining room, leaving the second course untouched, and made her way to the other guest room. Smaller, quieter, less luxurious than the master bedroom, it felt like hers in a way the rest of the villa did not.

Once inside, she closed the door and buried herself in a stack of books she needed for her masteral— textbooks, research journals, and notes piled haphazardly on the desk and floor. She sprawled across the bed with one of the thicker textbooks in hand, letting the material consume her thoughts.

From time to time, her mind drifted to that night-Damon and her tangled together, the intensity of it, the way she had surrendered despite herself. Her fingers paused on the page, her breath catching ever so slightly at the memory. She shook her head lightly, trying to push it back, but the recollection refused to fade completely.

The words and concepts became her refuge, each page a small anchor in the storm of frustration and lingering tension. Damon’s absence-or perhaps the memory of him-felt distant here. For tonight, the world was nothing but theories, arguments, and the quiet sanctuary of her own focused mind.

Lila studied until her eyelids grew heavy, letting herself sink into the comfort of purpose. Even when the memory flickered back, she welcomed the distraction-it reminded her that she could endure, that she could reclaim control. For the first time in hours, she allowed herself a sense of peace.

Lila woke slowly, the sensation of weightlessness pulling at her senses, like she was floating between sleep and wakefulness. Her eyes fluttered open, heavy and reluctant, and the first thing she saw made her heart skip.

Damon’s face. So close, impossibly close. Sharp, familiar, and impossibly intimate in the soft morning light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, she froze, certain she was still dreaming.

Her hand moved almost instinctively, fingers brushing over his jawline, tracing the ridges and planes she knew so well. Her thumb lingered near the corner of his mouth, hesitant, almost reverent.

She let her fingers drift downward, along the curve of his neck, until they brushed against his Adam’s apple. The small, involuntary movement made her pulse quicken. Her breath hitched softly.

Damon stirred, his eyes half-lidded, a slow smile playing at the edge of his lips as if he had been waiting for her to wake. Lila blinked rapidly, unsure whether to pull away or lean closer. Everything inside her screamed caution, yet every nerve in her body urged her forward.

Her fingers lingered for a heartbeat longer, tracing the line of his throat, feeling the subtle warmth of him beneath her touch. The villa was quiet around them, the world reduced to this suspended moment, fragile

and electric.

11:29 Mon, May 4

Chapter 20

She whispered, more to herself than him, “Am I… dreaming?”

91

10 vouchers

Damon’s smile widened just slightly, eyes darkening with something unreadable. And in that instant, Lila realized she wasn’t dreaming at all.

Her heart pounded, and a mix of awe, fear, and something far deeper settled in her chest. She had been here before-intimately-but seeing him like this, awake, so close, made everything feel sharper, more urgent.

Her hand froze mid-motion, hovering over him, caught between the pull of desire and the weight of self-

restraint.

Damon stirred, eyes opening slowly. Lila froze when she saw the hunger in them-dark, intense, impossible to resist. Every gentle motion of her fingers seemed to pull at something primal inside him, unraveling the careful restraint he had maintained.

He didn’t resist. Not when she looked at him like that, not when her touch was both tentative and daring, exploring the lines of him as if memorizing every curve. The villa around them seemed to vanish, the night air thick with tension, their breathing the only sound.

And then, like a spark setting fire to dry tinder, all restraint broke. Their hands, their bodies, moved instinctively, driven by the desperate pull they had tried to deny. Lila’s fingers tangled in his hair; his hands traced the curve of her back, pulling her impossibly closer. There were no words, only the raw urgency that had been simmering between them since that first night.

Under the cloak of night, they surrendered to it-every careful thought, every restraint, every plan discarded. The world outside ceased to exist. There was only them, entwined, desperate for each other, and impossible to resist.