The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 246

Chapter 246

Chapter 246

That man.

The words echoed in Lila’s mind long after Damian said them.

Not Dad.

Not Father.

Not even him.

Just… that man.

It settled heavily in her chest, like something fragile had cracked-not loudly, not dramatically, but in a way that could not be undone.

She looked at her son, really looked at him, searching for something she hoped wasn’t there.

Distance.

And she found it.

“Dad,” Lila said softly, as if correcting something small.

Damian turned his head slightly toward her. His eyes were open, alert, and far too aware for a child his age.

“He is still your father.”

There was a pause.

Not hesitation.

Not confusion.

But resistance.

“But he’s not here,” Damian replied, his voice steady. “And it seems like he abandoned us.”

The word hit harder than Lila expected.

Abandoned.

Her breath caught, just for a second.

Abandonment wasn’t just absence.

It was choice.

It meant leaving without intention to return. It meant giving up. It meant deciding that what you left behind was no longer worth staying for.

And Damon-

No.

Lila refused to accept that.

“Abandon?” she repeated quietly, as if the word itself might change if she said it differently.

Her chest tightened.

Did he really?

The question crept in before she could stop it.

Did Damon abandon them?

Or was he doing exactly what he always did-handling something alone, believing that silence was protection?

“He’s just taking care of something,” Lila said, her voice softer now, less certain than before.

Damian didn’t look convinced.

“Uncle Mark and Uncle Simon take care of things too,” he said. “They leave. Sometimes for days.”

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Chapter 246

Chapter 246

That man.

The words echoed in Lila’s mind long after Damian said them.

Not Dad.

Not Father.

Not even him.

Just… that man.

It settled heavily in her chest, like something fragile had cracked-not loudly, not dramatically, but in a way that could not be undone.

She looked at her son, really looked at him, searching for something she hoped wasn’t there.

Distance.

And she found it.

“Dad,” Lila said softly, as if correcting something small.

Damian turned his head slightly toward her. His eyes were open, alert, and far too aware for a child his age.

“He is still your father.”

There was a pause.

Not hesitation.

Not confusion.

But resistance.

“But he’s not here,” Damian replied, his voice steady. “And it seems like he abandoned us.”

The word hit harder than Lila expected.

Abandoned.

Her breath caught, just for a second.

Abandonment wasn’t just absence.

It was choice.

It meant leaving without intention to return. It meant giving up. It meant deciding that what you left behind was no longer worth staying for.

And Damon-

No.

Lila refused to accept that.

“Abandon?” she repeated quietly, as if the word itself might change if she said it differently.

Her chest tightened.

Did he really?

The question crept in before she could stop it.

Did Damon abandon them?

Or was he doing exactly what he always did-handling something alone, believing that silence was protection?

“He’s just taking care of something,” Lila said, her voice softer now, less certain than before.

Damian didn’t look convinced.

“Uncle Mark and Uncle Simon take care of things too,” he said. “They leave. Sometimes for days.”

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Lila swallowed.

“They still check on us.”

The room felt smaller.

Quieter.

The truth in his words was impossible to ignore.

Mark checked in.

Simon checked in.

Even in the middle of whatever they were dealing with, they found ways to reach back-to remind the family they left behind that they hadn’t been forgotten.

But Damon-

Nothing.

Not a message.

Not a call.

Not even a single word.

Lila’s breath hitched again, sharper this time.

She glanced instinctively at Ethan, still sleeping peacefully beside her, unaware of the conversation unfolding just inches away. His small hand rested loosely against the blanket, his face calm, untouched by doubt or

worry.

For now.

Lila took a slow, steady breath.

She couldn’t let this moment spiral.

Not tonight.

“Come here,” she said gently, her voice regaining a sense of calm she didn’t fully feel. “Let’s go back to sleep. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

Damian held her gaze for a moment longer.

Then, without argument, he nodded.

He moved closer as she lifted the blanket, and she guided him back into place beside her. Her hands were gentle, practiced, as she tucked him in-pulling the covers up just enough, smoothing them down as if the simple act could restore something that had shifted between them.

She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his head.

For a moment, everything felt normal again.

Familiar.

Safe.

But it didn’t last.

“Mom?”

His voice was quiet.

Careful.

Lila stilled slightly. “Yes?”

“Are you mad at me?”

The question caught her off guard.

Not because of what it asked-

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Chapter 246

But because of what it revealed.

She turned her head to look at him fully.

Damian wasn’t afraid of punishment.

He wasn’t even afraid of being caught.

He was afraid of losing something else.

Their understanding.

Their agreement.

The one thing they had both promised never to break.

They would never sleep while angry at each other.

No matter what.

No matter how small.

No matter how big.

It was their rule.

Their safety.

Their way of making sure that silence never turned into distance.

Lila felt something tighten in her chest again-but this time, it was different.

Softer.

More fragile.

“No, sweetheart,” she said gently. “I’m not mad.”

Damian studied her face, as if searching for any sign that she wasn’t telling the truth.

“And you didn’t deny anything,” she added, brushing a strand of hair away from his forehead. “So I’m not mad.”

That was true.

And it mattered.

Because he could have lied.

He could have pretended.

He could have tried to hide what he had been doing all those nights..

But he didn’t.

And for that, Lila was grateful.

Deeply.

Still-

That didn’t mean she was at ease.

As Damian’s eyes slowly began to close, Lila remained awake.

Her hand rested lightly against his arm, a silent reassurance that she was still there,

Still present.

Still his mother.

But her thoughts-

They refused to settle.

They circled back to the same place.

Again.

And again.

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Chapter 246

Damon..

His absence.

His silence.

And what it was doing to their children.

She had tried to be patient.

Tried to trust that there was a reason.

A good reason.

Something important enough to justify the distance.

But now-

Now she wasn’t just dealing with her own questions.

She was dealing with Damian’s.

And those were far more dangerous.

Because children didn’t just ask questions.

They built answers.

And if those answers were built on silence-

They rarely turned out right.

Lila turned her head slightly, staring into the darkness beyond the room. –

What scared her wasn’t the possibility that Damon had left.

It was the possibility that, in trying to protect them, he had already begun to lose them.

Damian’s words echoed again.

He abandoned us.

No.

She didn’t believe that.

She couldn’t.

But belief wasn’t enough.

Not when there was no proof to support it.

Not when even she-

Even she-

Had started to wonder.

Her throat tightened.

She closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself.

You cannot let this fall apart, she told herself.

Not like this.

Beside her, Damian shifted slightly, settling deeper into the pillow.

He looked peaceful now.

Like a child again.

But Lila knew better.

Something had changed.

Not completely.

Not irreversibly.

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Chapter 246 But enough.

Enough to matter.

And if she didn’t act-

If she didn’t guide him, correct him, anchor him-

Then that small shift could grow into something much harder to fix.

She opened her eyes again.

Her gaze softened as she looked down at him.

“You shouldn’t have to figure this out on your own,” she whispered, though she knew he was already drifting into sleep.

“And you won’t.”

Lila leaned back against the headboard, careful not to disturb either of her children.

Her mind was clearer now.

Not calmer.

But more focused.

She couldn’t control Damon’s choices.

She couldn’t force him to explain.

She couldn’t close the distance he had created.

But she could control what happened here.

In this room.

In this family.

She would not let silence take root.

Not between her and her children.

Not the way it had between her and Damon.

Her eyes lingered on Damian for a moment longer.

“You were honest,” she murmured softly. “And that matters.”

But honesty came with responsibility.

And tomorrow-

Tomorrow, she would have to start drawing lines.

Not harsh ones.

Not ones that would break trust.

But ones that would protect it.

Because letting Damian continue down this path-

Sneaking.

Investigating.

Carrying burdens that didn’t belong to him-

That wasn’t protection.

That was neglect.

Even if it came from good intentions.

Lila closed her eyes again, but sleep didn’t come.

Because the question remained.

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Chapter 246

What do you do when the person you’re supposed to trust…

Creates the very thing you’re trying to protect your children from?

Do you defend him?

Even when you don’t understand him?

Do you correct your child?

Even when their feelings are justified?

Do you wait?

Or do you act?

Lila didn’t have the answers.

Not yet.

But she knew one thing.

She couldn’t let Damian believe that silence meant abandonment.

And she couldn’t let Damon’s absence define who he was in his children’s eyes.

Not without a fight.

Morning would come.

And with it-

Questions.

Conversations.

Decisions.

Lila opened her eyes one last time, looking at both her sons.

Ethan, still untouched by everything.

Damian, already standing too close to understanding it.

She reached out, resting a hand lightly on each of them.

“I’ll fix this,” she whispered.

Not because she was certain.

But because she had to try.

Because that was what being a mother meant.

Standing in the middle of uncertainty.

Holding together what others were unknowingly pulling apart.

And choosing-

Every single time-

Not to let it break.

Even when she wasn’t sure how to stop it.

Outside, the night remained quiet.

Unaware.

Unchanged.

But inside that room-

Everything had already begun to shift.

And Lila knew-

The hardest part wasn’t what Damon was facing out there.

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Chapter 246

It was what she would have to face here.

Between truth and protection.

Between honesty and fear.

Between holding on-

And letting go.

And she wasn’t sure which one would hurt more.

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