The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Lis dir: reach our to Damon Why would she she thought. He would never clean up this mess for her.

her mind ornet rack

Iowa

fur day-reporters swarming around her, cameras flashing, microphones shoved ter as I demanding answers for a scandal she hadn’t caused. Comments flooded in online, slurring her as a guid disper who mamed imo the Blackthorne fortune for money and status.

Even at Backthome Industries, where she had once worked the judgment was palpable. The accounting armen. the other divisions-colleagues who had once treated her cordially-now looked at her with fhmy veiled disgust whispers following her wherever she went.

The un people who has stood by her were the ones she could truly trust.

inter best inend had soothed her offered support when the world seemed determined to tear her down. She had reminded Lia of berworth when the whispers out too deep.

Simon Lamon’s closest confidant had unexpectedly done the same-offering quiet reassurance, a steady presence amidst the chaos a reminder that not everyone judged blindly.

Bir ZamuTE

He can moved. Not a word Not a gesture. He had never warned the reporters, never stopped the Comme Dever sienced the whispers. He had watched it all unfold and done nothing.

The remembered to the sharp words he had said to her only weeks before, words that still burned in her

“This the courant you signed. You should have expected this. Don’t give me the image of a petty wife.”

The sing of ta nacion ta indifference still lingered-sharper than any insult thrown her way.

hard to as she stared at her phone. the understood why she hadn’t reached out.

Because se condo’s cout on bas-not when she needed him most.

She would face this alone. She always had

Bur dory down a small subbor part of her wondered-did Damon even notice what his silence had cost

too expect her to prove her strength entirely on her own?

La tard wie served would pas

She was the very tough of relying on him made her feel both vulnerable and frustrated.

So she fared for headlines alone, the weight of their judgment pressing against her like a storm that refused

tre taps, the reasoned, and the headlines would fade. People would grow bored. The scandal would die

11:39 Mon, May 4

Chapter 25

But it didn’t.

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Instead, the fire spread. The media, relentless as ever, had shifted focus. Now Ethan was under direct attack, dragged into every article, every rumor, every comment thread. Innocent in all of it, yet suddenly cast as guilty by association.

And Damon?

He hadn’t returned to the villa. Not once.

Even if he had returned, she knew exactly what would happen. He would retreat to the study, shut the doors, and bury himself in work. Completely ignoring her. The silence would be deafening-his absence not just physical but intentional, a message in itself.

Lila felt the weight of it pressing down on her. The headlines, the whispers, the empty house-it all combined into a reminder that she was alone in this storm.

The villa felt colder now, not just because of his absence, but because every familiar corner seemed to echo with the knowledge that Damon, the one person who could have shielded her, had chosen to watch from afar.

She clenched her hands, resisting the urge to reach for her phone. To call. To beg for him to intervene.

But she couldn’t.

Because if she did, it would betray the truth she had long accepted: that Damon would not step in unless she explicitly asked.

And she couldn’t ask.

Lila stared at her phone, fingers trembling slightly. There was no other choice left. Ethan’s name was being dragged through the mud, and she had promised him she would clear it. She had to act.

Taking a deep breath, she dialed Simon.

The line clicked, then Simon answered.

“Lila?” His voice carried calm, but as he glanced at Damon across the room, the momentary tension shifted. Damon sat in the study, swirling his whiskey slowly, dark eyes trained on Simon. The silence between them was heavy, magnetic.

Simon’s expression shifted immediately. He understood. With a subtle nod, he pressed the speaker button so Damon could hear her.

Lila’s voice was steady, though there was an edge of urgency. “Simon… I need your help. Ethan… the media isn’t listening. They’re ignoring my explanations, and his name is being dragged through the mud. Can you…. help me clear him?”

A slow, deliberate silence filled the room. Then Damon’s voice cut through, low and sharp.

“Simon… is he your husband now?” His tone was almost casual, but the cold edge beneath it was unmistakable. “Is Simon the one who signed the marriage certificate with you? Is he the one in our contract?”

11:40 Mon, May 4 ☐

Chapter 25

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Lila froze. Her fingers tightened around the phone. She had expected resistance, maybe reluctance-but not

this.

Simon’s eyes flicked toward Damon, steady and calm. “Damon. Lila isn’t asking for that. She’s asking for help -nothing more.”

Damon’s gaze didn’t waver. His eyes were dark, unreadable, but there was a dangerous undertone in his voice. “Then why are you asking him, Lila? Why aren’t you asking me?”

Lila’s chest tightened. She swallowed, forcing her voice to remain firm. “Because… because you haven’t. You’ve done nothing while his name—and mine-are being torn apart. I promised Ethan I would protect him. That’s why I’m asking for help.”

Damon said nothing at first. He leaned back in his chair, swirling the whiskey again, silent but watching, every muscle coiled, every breath controlled. The air seemed to thicken around him.

Simon shifted slightly but kept the phone on loudspeaker, allowing the tension to settle between them, letting Damon’s presence—his dark, unrelenting presence-loom over the conversation.

And in that moment, Lila realized: she was not just facing the media. She was facing Damon. And he had noticed everything.

Simon took the phone from Lila and stepped quietly outside the office, his expression a mix of caution and amusement. “Lila… it’s best if you ask Damon directly,” he said, his voice low. “He’ll be waiting for you in the office. He needs to hear it from you.”

Lila’s grip on the phone tightened, a mix of dread and resolve twisting in her chest.

Simon glanced back toward the office, catching a glimpse of Damon sitting there, swirling his whiskey, dark eyes sharp and unyielding. Seeing Damon jealous-so focused on her and Ethan’s situation–was a new sight for Simon, and he couldn’t hide the faint smirk tugging at his lips.

But underneath the amusement, there was no denying it: it was also a headache.

A very, very serious headache.

Simon shook his head slightly and whispered into the phone, “Good luck. And… don’t make him wait too long.”

With that, he ended the call, leaving Lila alone with her thoughts-and with the knowledge that Damon was waiting, stormy and relentless, just inside the office.