The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 206

Chapter 206

Chapter 206

The Night of Escape

Maddy had been planning this night for weeks.

Every evening, when the mansion sank into silence and Daven disappeared into the city, she trained-quietly, carefully. She forced strength into her legs, step by step, breath by breath, until the weakness faded into something sharper, steadier. She had learned the house like a map etched into her bones: where the floors creaked, which doors stuck, when the staff rotated.

They were always watching.

Even when they weren’t in the room, she felt their presence-lingering, invisible, suffocating.

That was why Rose had to be careful. Their conversation had been brief, urgent, whispered through a fragile connection.

“I’ll be there,” Rose had said. “Just be ready.”

Tonight, Maddy was ready.

She lay still on her bed, staring into the darkness, listening. The house was quiet-too quiet. One by one, the .faint sounds of the staff faded: a closing door, distant footsteps, the soft hum of lights being switched off.

Silence followed.

Maddy inhaled slowly, her chest tightening as she counted the seconds.

Now.

She pushed herself up, her movements deliberate despite the tremor in her hands. Her small bag was already prepared. Inside: identification, a few folded bills, and nothing more. Nothing that would slow her down. The phone Rose had given her rested securely against her thigh, hidden beneath her clothes.

Every detail had been rehearsed.

But nothing could prepare her for the fear.

She stepped into the hallway.

The air felt colder outside her room, heavier somehow. Shadows stretched along the walls, shifting with every flicker of distant light. She moved carefully, placing each step where she knew the floor wouldn’t betray her.

Halfway down the corridor-

A sound.

Low. Distant.

An engine.

Maddy froze.

The faint hum of a car rolled through the night outside the mansion. Then-light. Bright, sudden beams cut through the curtains, sweeping across the walls like searching eyes.

Her breath caught in her throat.

No. Not now.

Panic hit her like a wave.

She turned and ran.

Her bare feet slipped against the polished floor. She lost balance-

-and crashed hard onto the ground.

The impact knocked the air from her lungs. Pain shot through her palms and knees, but she didn’t dare cry out.

Outside, something shifted.

Successfully unlocked!

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A door. Voices.

Footsteps.

Closer.

Louder.

Maddy scrambled to her feet, heart pounding so violently it felt like it might burst from her chest. Her mind spiraled-They’re back. They know. They heard something.

“No… no, no..” she whispered under her breath.

She grabbed her bag and forced herself to move again-this time toward the back.

Faster. Quieter.

The hallway seemed endless now, stretching longer with every step. The shadows felt alive, closing in, watching her.

Behind her-

A sound that made her blood run cold.

A bark.

Sharp. Loud.

Then another.

The dogs.

“They’re awake…” she breathed.

The barking grew louder, frantic, echoing through the grounds.

Maddy didn’t think anymore. She bolted.

Her control shattered as fear took over, driving her forward. She reached the back door, hands shaking so badly she nearly missed the handle.

Click.

Unlocked.

She threw the door open and ran.

The night air hit her like a shock-cold, sharp, alive. The garden stretched before her, shadows tangled between trees and hedges.

Behind her, the barking exploded into chaos.

The dogs were fully awake now.

And they were coming.

Maddy sprinted across the grass, her breath tearing in and out of her lungs. Branches clawed at her arms as she plunged into the trees, the darkness swallowing her whole.

“Hey! Hey!” a voice shouted from the house.

Footsteps followed.

Heavy. Fast.

“They’re chasing me…”

Her legs burned, every muscle screaming, but she forced herself forward. Weeks of secret training carried her now-this was what she had prepared for.

The barking was closer. Too close.

She risked a glance behind her-

Glowing eyes.

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Low shapes darting between the trees.

The dogs were gaining.

A sob caught in her throat, but she pushed harder, ducking between branches, stumbling over roots, nearly falling again.

Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.

The world blurred around her-dark trunks, whipping leaves, the sound of her own heartbeat roaring in her

ears.

Then-

A whisper.

“Maddy!”

She turned sharply.

Rose emerged from the shadows, half-hidden behind a tree, waving frantically.

“Over here!”

Relief crashed into her so suddenly it almost broke her stride. Maddy veered toward her, legs trembling, lungs burning.

“They’re coming!” Maddy gasped.

“I know-hurry!”

They ran together now, crashing through the last line of trees toward the narrow dirt road beyond.

The barking erupted behind them-closer than ever.

“Get in!” Rose shouted, yanking open the car door.

Maddy threw herself inside, barely catching her balance before slamming the door shut.

Rose jumped into the driver’s seat, hands shaking as she jammed the key into the ignition.

Behind them-

Shouts.

Running feet.

The dogs bursting from the trees.

“GO!” Maddy cried.

The engine roared to life.

For one terrible second, nothing happened-

Then the tires spun, gripping the dirt, and the car lurched forward.

A dog lunged from the darkness-

Claws scraping against the side of the car.

Maddy screamed.

But they were already moving.

Faster.

Faster..

The mansion lights flared behind them, voices echoing into the night, but the distance grew with every second.

The barking faded.

The shouting disappeared.

And finally-

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Only silence remained.

Maddy collapsed back into the seat, her entire body shaking uncontrollably. Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe, tears slipping down her temples into her hair.

She didn’t look back.

She couldn’t.

“Are you okay?” Rose asked, her voice tight but steady, eyes fixed on the road ahead.

Maddy let out a broken laugh-half sob, half disbelief.

“I… I think so…”

The road stretched endlessly before them, swallowed by darkness.

Behind her, the mansion-and everything it held-was gone.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Maddy wasn’t being watched.

Wasn’t being controlled.

Wasn’t trapped.

Fear still clung to her, sharp and lingering, but beneath it-

Something new.

Something fragile.

Hope.

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