The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The university gates stood tall and indifferent, as they always had.

Yet the moment Lila stepped onto campus, something felt… different.

Conversations softened.

Footsteps slowed.

Eyes lingered.

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At first, she told herself it was imagination. A trick of an overworked mind. But as she walked past a group of students near the courtyard fountain, their whispers followed her like a faint echo.

“That’s her…”

“She doesn’t even look ashamed.”

“Unbelievable.”

Lila kept her posture straight. Her expression calm. Each step measured.

Inside the lecture hall, the atmosphere grew heavier. When she took her usual seat, she felt it again-side glances. Phones tilted slightly. Screens dimmed quickly when she looked up.

Even one of the professors hesitated mid-sentence while their eyes flickered toward her before continuing the lecture.

It didn’t take long.

During the break, her phone vibrated relentlessly.

Messages.

Notifications.

Mentions.

With quiet composure, she opened one link.

Her photo.

The same photo from the party.

Only now it was framed with a narrative she didn’t recognize-headlines painting her as an unfaithful wife, captions twisting an innocent conversation into scandal. Carefully edited images placed her too close to Ethan. Suggestive angles. Misleading timestamps.

Trending.

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Thousands of comments.

Some mocking.

Some cruel.

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Some vicious.

“Gold digger.”

“Poor husband.”

“She was always like that.”

The slurs scrolled endlessly beneath her image.

Lila stared at the screen for a long moment.

Her expression barely changed.

If anything, her eyes grew colder.

They can say what they want about me.

But then her gaze shifted to another tag.

Ethan.

His name dragged into the mess. Accused of seducing a married woman. Labeled shameless. Opportunistic.

Her fingers tightened around her phone.

That bothered her.

More than anything written about herself.

Ethan hadn’t done anything wrong.

When she reached his usual classroom later that day, his seat was empty.

Her chest tightened slightly.

She stepped outside and dialed his number.

It rang twice before he answered.

“Lila…” His voice sounded strained.

“I’m sorry,” she said immediately. “This is because of me.”

“It’s not your fault,” Ethan replied quietly. “I didn’t think a simple conversation would turn into… this.”

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Chapter 23

There was forced lightness in his tone, but she could hear the weight beneath it.

“Why didn’t you come today?”

A pause.

“I thought it would be better to stay away. Let things cool down.”

Guilt pressed against her ribs.

“I promise you,” she said firmly, “I will clear your name.”

“Lila-”

“I mean it.”

Silence stretched between them.

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Finally, Ethan sighed softly. “You shouldn’t be worrying about me right now. They’re attacking you.”

“I can handle it.”

And she could.

What strangers thought of her had never defined her.

But dragging an innocent person into it?

That she wouldn’t tolerate.

After the call ended, Lila stood alone in the quiet corridor, sunlight filtering through tall windows.

For the first time that day, something inside her sharpened.

This wasn’t an accident.

It was deliberate.

And whoever started it—

Had just made a mistake.

Damon sat comfortably behind his expansive desk, a mountain of documents spread before him.

Page after page, he flipped through contracts with steady efficiency, signing where needed, marking notes in the margins. The usual sharp intensity in his posture remained-but today, there was something lighter about him.

A quiet satisfaction.

When he leaned back in his chair to loosen his tie slightly, the faint marks along his neck became visible

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beneath the collar of his shirt.

He didn’t bother hiding them.

If anything, he wore them like a silent trophy.

The office door opened after a brief knock.

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Simon stepped inside, tablet tucked under his arm. He began his routine update-then stopped mid-sentence when his eyes caught the unmistakable marks on Damon’s neck.

A slow grin spread across his face.

“Well,” Simon said, amusement clear in his tone. “That explains the good mood.”

Damon glanced up lazily. “Does it?”

Simon walked closer, studying him with poorly concealed curiosity. “Who was it?”

Damon capped his pen and leaned back, completely unbothered.

“My lovely wife.”

Simon blinked.

Lovely wife.

The words sounded foreign coming from Damon.

He couldn’t help but remember the conversation from years ago-when this marriage had been nothing more than compliance. A strategic arrangement. A calculated union.

“I chose her,” Damon had said back then, cool and certain, “because she’s simple. The kind of woman I’ll never fall in love with.”

Safe.

Predictable.

Harmless.

Simon folded his arms now, clearly amused by the contrast between that statement and the evidence displayed proudly on Damon’s neck.

“How… surprising,” Simon murmured.

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What is it?”

Simon’s expression shifted, professionalism returning as he placed the tablet on the desk and turned the

screen toward him.

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Chapter 23

“You might want to see this.”

Damon’s gaze moved over the headlines.

Images of Lila.

:

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Edited angles. Sensational captions. Accusations branding her as an unfaithful wife. Ethan’s name dragged into the mess.

The good mood didn’t vanish—but it cooled.

His jaw set subtly.

“It’s gaining traction,” Simon said. “Students, media pages, gossip accounts. They’re not being gentle.”

Damon remained silent, scrolling once.

“Are you not going to step in?” Simon asked carefully. “Clear your wife’s name?”

A pause.

Damon leaned back in his chair again, expression unreadable.

“If she wants me to step in,” he said calmly, “I will.”

Simon studied him. “And if she doesn’t ask?”

Damon’s lips curved faintly.

“Then I’ll wait.”

The room grew still.

Simon shook his head lightly, half amused, half intrigued. The man who claimed he would never fall in love now bore visible proof of a night that said otherwise—and yet he was choosing restraint.

Damon adjusted his cufflinks with deliberate precision.

“She’s not weak,” he added. “If she decides to handle it herself, I won’t interfere.”

There was confidence in his tone.

But beneath it-

Possession.

“Still,” Damon continued quietly, eyes sharpening just a fraction, “find out who started it.”

Simon nodded. “Already in progress.”

Damon’s gaze returned to the headlines one last time before the screen dimmed.

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Chapter 23

Simple, he had called her.

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Someone he would never fall for.

Yet the marks on his neck-and the calm fury simmering behind his composed exterior-told a very different story.