The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 213

Chapter 213

Chapter 213

“Rose said she works as a personal nurse,” the doctor answered. “For a couple living on a secluded island in the South. She plans to take Maddy there… keep her hidden.”

Lila listened without interrupting.

Her fingers rested lightly on the desk, still.

But her mind was moving.

Fast.

“What is her relationship to Maddy?” Lila asked after a moment. “From what you’ve told me… she’s willing to risk her life for her.”

The doctor hesitated-just briefly.

“There are… circumstances,” he said carefully. “Personal ones. Whatever they are… it’s enough for her to help Maddy.”

Lila studied him.

As if weighing whether to push further.

But she didn’t.

She simply nodded once.

That was enough-for now.

Silence settled again, stretching for a few minutes as Lila’s gaze drifted back to the photo.

Maddy.

Broken.

Alive.

A piece still in play.

Then Lila looked up.

“You may go now,” she said calmly. “And check on my husband.”

The doctor nodded.

“Alright.”

He turned and excused himself without another word.

The door closed softly behind him.

Bryan remained where he stood.

Watching her.

Waiting.

Lila didn’t look at him immediately.

Her eyes were still on the file.

On the woman who had somehow survived something she wasn’t meant to.

Finally, she spoke.

“Prepare a team,” she said quietly.

Bryan straightened.

“For the South?”

Lila nodded faintly.

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“Not to retrieve her,” she added. “Not yet.”

Her gaze hardened slightly.

“To watch.”

A pause.

“And to make sure Daven doesn’t get there first.”

Bryan gave a short nod. “Understood.”

He turned to leave-

“Bryan.”

He stopped.

Lila’s voice was softer now.

But colder.

“If Maddy dies…” she said slowly, “we lose more than just a witness.”

Bryan didn’t ask.

He already understood.

“Make sure she doesn’t.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He left the room.

Lila remained alone.

The study felt quieter now.

Heavier.

Her eyes drifted once more to Maddy’s photo.

Then to the window beyond.

Somewhere far from here-

A fragile life was hanging by a thread.

And Daven was already moving.

Lila’s lips pressed into a thin line.

“Let’s see who gets there first,” she murmured.

Rose and Maddy arrived at the island just as the sun was beginning to soften.

Maddy was still unconscious.

Weak.

Unmoving.

The man from the boat helped Rose carefully carry her off the dock and into a waiting taxi. No questions were asked-just a quiet understanding that this was not something to get involved in.

The drive was long.

Silent.

The kind of silence that pressed against the chest.

Rose kept glancing at Maddy, making sure she was still breathing, still holding on.

When they finally reached the address, the driver stepped out and helped her carry Maddy inside the small house Rose had prepared in advance.

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Once the door closed-

The world outside disappeared.

Rose moved quickly.

Efficient.

Focused.

She fixed the bed, adjusted the curtains, and immediately prepared the medicine and IV fluids she had brought with her.

Her hands were steady.

Practiced.

She inserted the line carefully, adjusting the flow before stepping back.

Then she checked the temperature of the room-cool enough to keep Maddy stable, but not cold.

Only then did she allow herself to pause.

Her eyes softened as she looked at Maddy’s pale face.

“You’re safe now, Miss Maddy,” Rose said quietly.

But even as she said it-

She knew safety here was only temporary.

After making sure everything was in place, Rose stepped out.

She walked toward a nearby house-Jenny’s.

Before entering, she peeked inside.

MarLou was asleep on the porch, stretched out under the afternoon heat.

Rose frowned slightly.

She reached up and adjusted the curtain just enough to shield him from the direct sunlight.

A small, quiet gesture.

Then she stepped inside.

Jenny looked up and smiled warmly when she saw her.

“You should rest first,” Jenny said. “You’ve been traveling.”

Rose lowered her head slightly. “Miss Jenny, I’m sorry I didn’t announce my return.”

“It’s okay,” Jenny replied gently. “How was your trip?”

Rose hesitated.

For just a second.

Then she smiled faintly.

“We arrived safely,” she said.

Jenny studied her-but didn’t press.

“And Miss Maddy?” Jenny asked. “Is she with you?”

Rose nodded.

“Yes. She’s at my place.”

A small pause.

“You can visit her if you’d like,” Rose added.

Jenny smiled again, softer this time.

“Alright,” she said.

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Outside, the island looked peaceful.

Quiet.

Almost untouched by the chaos of the mainland.

But inside that small house-

Maddy lay between life and death.

And far away-

Forces were already moving toward them.

Bryan barged into the study room where Lila stayed, working nonstop like a machine. Papers were scattered across the desk, and the faint scratching of her pen filled the silence.

“What’s with the fuss?” Lila said without lifting her head.

“Miss Lila, I found something about Maddy,” Bryan said, slightly out of breath.

That caught her attention.

Lila capped her pen and finally looked up at him. “Go on.”

Her full attention was now on Bryan and whatever revelation he had brought with him.

“Have you noticed?” Bryan began, stepping closer. “Maddy changed her family name. It used to be Madeline Cross… but when she returned to Belair, it became Laurent.”

Lila’s expression barely shifted. “I remember Damon mentioning that. He said she changed it for personal

reasons.”

“Yeah, right,” Bryan scoffed, his excitement building. “But she never explained why.”

Lila leaned back slightly, her eyes narrowing. “Then stop dragging it out and tell me.”

Bryan took a breath, lowering his voice as if the walls themselves might be listening.

“The reason she changed her last name from Cross to Laurent… is because Cross isn’t her real surname. It’s her mother’s maiden name-Emily Cross. She was the former wife of Mike Foster.”

Lila’s fingers stilled on the desk.

“And Maddy,” Bryan continued, “didn’t even know that Mike Foster was her father.”

A heavy silence fell between them.

“The one who pushed her to change her last name?” Bryan added. “Jasper. Mike Foster’s other son.”

Lila’s gaze sharpened.

“Can you imagine it?” Bryan said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Maddy got tangled up with both of them… her father and her stepbrother.”

For a moment, Lila said nothing.

Then she exhaled slowly, her expression turning unreadable.

“What a mess,” she murmured.

“And I’m sure you know… Maddy got pregnant-before all this mess,” Bryan said again, his voice quieter now as he spoke to Lila.

Lila didn’t respond, but she remembered it clearly.

Back then, she had believed the child was Damon’s. He had always been by Maddy’s side-attentive, unwavering-enough to make anyone think there was something more between them.

But the truth was far more complicated.

“It was Jasper’s child,” Bryan continued. “And he’s the one who ended it.”

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Lila remained silent, her expression composed but distant.

“And now we’ve learned from the doctor,” Bryan went on, “that Maddy miscarried when she was found in his cabin… after running away from Daven.” He paused, studying Lila. “Do you think it could’ve been Daven’s child?”

Lila said nothing.

From the outside, Maddy was elegance and allure-someone flawless, someone untouchable. But beneath that perfect image was a life tangled in chaos.

Maybe… Lila had seen it before.

Or maybe she had chosen not to.

A quiet thought surfaced, one she had long buried.

Maybe she had been jealous.

Back then, when Damon gave Maddy his attention, Lila had convinced herself it was love. But now, it seemed `more likely that it had been something else entirely.

Pity.

And she had simply refused to admit it.

“Maybe that’s also why Mr. Blackthorne helped her every chance he got,” Bryan said, breaking the silence.” Because he saw how messy her life was… and wanted her to stand on her own, without depending on any man’

s wealth.”

Lila didn’t argue.

After everything he had uncovered, Bryan couldn’t deny the pity he felt for Maddy. Digging into her past had revealed truths that stripped away her carefully built image.

And yet…

*Why does she keep scheming?* Bryan wondered, glancing at Lila.

He had seen it himself-every calculated move, every line Maddy crossed just to gain Damon’s attention. He

had been a silent witness to it all.

Whatever sympathy her past deserved… it didn’t erase the choices she continued to make.

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