The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 243

Chapter 243

Chapter 243

Ethan tried.

He tried harder than anyone could see.

Not in loud, obvious ways that earned praise or attention-but in the quiet, constant effort that lived in

everything he did. Every step he took, every word he chose, every reaction he forced himself to control-it was all part of something bigger.

He wanted to be better.

Not just good.

Not just acceptable.

Better.

Enough.

Enough to stand beside Damian-not behind him.

Enough to support Lila-not depend on her.

Enough to protect them both-one day.

Because in his mind, the future was already forming.

Clear in its intention, even if not in its details.

Right now, Damian was the one leading.

The one shielding.

The one who stood in front when things became difficult.

And Ethan-

Ethan followed.

Learned.

Adapted.

But he didn’t want it to stay that way forever.

One day-

he wanted to be the one who stepped forward.

The one who protected.

The one who carried.

Not instead of Damian-

but with him.

Beside him.

Equal,

That thought drove him.

Pushed him through lessons that felt too complicated.

Through expectations that felt too heavy.

Through moments when his body wanted to give up, when his mind felt too full, when the world around him felt like it was asking too much.

He didn’t stop.

Because stopping meant falling behind.

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And falling behind meant becoming a burden.

And that-

that was the one thing Ethan refused to be.

He had been called worse.

He remembered it.

The word.

“Parasite.”

It still lingered somewhere inside him, even though Lila had held him, even though Damian had defended him.

Even though they had both made it clear-

he belonged.

The word didn’t define him anymore.

But it stayed.

As a reminder.

As something he would prove wrong.

Again and again.

So he learned.

How to sit properly.

How to speak clearly.

How to respond without showing too much.

How to observe before acting.

A proper young gentleman.

That was what they called it.

But for Ethan-

it wasn’t about appearances.

It was about becoming someone strong enough to stay.

Someone no one could question.

Someone no one could push aside.

And beneath all of that-

there was something deeper.

Something softer.

Something he didn’t show often.

Love.

Not the kind he had known before.

Not distant.

Not conditional.

But something steady.

Warm.

Real.

He loved Lila.

Not because he had to.

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Not because she took him in.

But because she saw him.

Chose him.

Again and again.

She let him cry.

That alone-

had changed everything.

Because for so long, he believed crying meant weakness.

Meant failure.

Meant something to be ashamed of.

But with her-

it was allowed.

Accepted.

Even… understood.

And that changed how he saw himself.

How he saw the world.

How he understood what it meant to be cared for.

Sometimes, late at night, when everything was quiet and his thoughts refused to settle, Ethan would wonder-

what if his biological mother came back?

The thought would appear suddenly.

Unexpected.

Uninvited.

And he would sit there-

thinking.

Trying to remember her clearly.

Her voice.

Her face.

The way she looked at him.

But the memories felt distant.

Faded.

Not gone-

but not strong enough to hold onto.

And then-

he would think of Lila.

Her voice.

Her touch.

The way she called him.

The way she looked at him as if he mattered,

And the answer would come easily.

Without hesitation.

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Without doubt.

He would choose Lila.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Not because he forgot where he came from.

But because he knew where he belonged now.

His heart had already made that decision.

Quietly.

Firmly.

Completely.

And with that decision came something else.

A dream.

Not something he spoke about.

Not something he shared.

But something that lived inside him-

steady and constant.

He wanted to see Lila happy.

Truly happy.

Not just the small smiles she gave them.

Not just the moments of peace between responsibilities.

But something deeper.

Something lasting.

He didn’t fully understand what that happiness looked like.

Didn’t know what it would take to bring it back.

But he knew-

it had something to do with the emptiness he sometimes saw in her eyes.

The loneliness that never fully left.

And that brought him to Damon.

The man he had never truly met.

The man everyone said was his father.

The man whose absence shaped everything around them.

Ethan didn’t know him.

Not personally.

Not in the way that mattered.

But he knew enough.

He knew what Damon had done.

Or rather-

what he hadn’t done.

He had left.

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Whether it was by choice or circumstance-

Ethan didn’t care.

Because the result was the same.

Lila was hurt.

And that-

was enough.

Ethan didn’t forgive easily.

He had learned that from his past.

From the way the world had treated him.

From the way people came and went without explanation.

So even without meeting Damon-

even without hearing his side-

Ethan made a decision.

He wouldn’t forgive him.

Not for this.

Not for the pain he caused Lila.

Not for the emptiness he left behind.

Not for the way he wasn’t there when he should have been.

Maybe it wasn’t fair.

Maybe it wasn’t complete.

But it was honest.

And Ethan trusted his instincts.

He always had to.

Sometimes, he would look at Damian.

Really look at him.

The way he carried himself.

The way he spoke.

The way he thought.

And he would wonder-

Is that what Damon is like?

Because if Damian had inherited even a part of that-

then Damon must have been…

intense.

Sharp.

Difficult to approach.

There was something about Damian’s gaze-

when it turned serious-

that made people pause.

That made people reconsider what they were about to say.

And if that came from Damon-

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then maybe-

just maybe-

Damon was someone people feared.

Respected.

But not necessarily… loved.

And then another thought would follow.

Quieter.

More uncertain.

What if I’m not like that?

What if I didn’t get anything from him?

What if…

I’m not really his child?

The thought wasn’t painful.

Not in the way it might have been before.

It was… neutral.

Curious.

Because Ethan didn’t feel connected to Damon.

Not in a way that mattered.

He didn’t see himself in him.

Didn’t feel any pull.

No attachment.

If anything-

he felt closer to Lila.

To Damian.

To the life he was living now.

So maybe-

it didn’t matter.

Who his father was.

Where he came from.

What blood ran through him.

Because what mattered-

was what he chose.

And he had already chosen.

This family.

This life.

This future.

Where he stood beside Damian.

Where he protected Lila.

Where he proved, again and again-

that he was not a burden.

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Not an outsider.

Not someone temporary.

But someone who belonged.

Completely.

And so-

he kept trying.

Kept pushing.

Kept becoming someone stronger, steadier, more capable.

Not because anyone demanded it.

But because he wanted it.

-Because he needed it.

Because love-

real love-

was something he had finally found.

And he would do anything-

everything-

to keep it.

Even if it meant growing up faster than he should.

Even if it meant carrying thoughts heavier than most children ever had to.

Even if it meant facing a future filled with questions he didn’t yet have answers to.

He would face it.

Head on.

Without hesitation.

Because for the first time in his life-

he wasn’t alone.

And that-

made all the difference.

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