The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 263

Chapter 263

Damian stood quietly at the edge of the surgical table, his sharp eyes fixed on Ethan’s every movement

The room smelled faintly of antiseptic, tinged with something raw beneath it-the unmistakable scent of exposed flesh. Bright white lights illuminated the table where a slab of pig skin had been carefully prepared for practice. It was a controlled environment, clinical and precise, yet the tension in the air made it feel far more significant than a simple lesson

Ethan exhaled slowly as he held the surgical tools.

His hands trembled-just slightly-but enough to betray his nerves.

“Steady,” the doctor said, his voice calm but firm. “Control your breathing. Let your hands follow your mind.”

Ethan nodded, swallowing hard as he adjusted his grip. He began stitching the pig skin, carefully threading the needle through the layers. His movements were cautious, deliberate, as though afraid the material might react like living flesh.

Damian didn’t blink.

He watched everything.

The angle of Ethan’s wrist.

The tension in the thread.

The spacing between each stitch.

Every detail was captured, processed, and stored.

Not just observed-engraved.

The doctor leaned closer, inspecting Ethan’s progress. His stern expression gradually softened, satisfaction creeping into his features.

“Good… very good,” the doctor said, tracing the stitched skin with a gloved finger. “You tied it well”

Ethan released a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. A faint smile flickered across his face-relief mixed with pride.

The doctor straightened, then turned his attention elsewhere.

“To you,” he said.

Damian looked up.

“Do you want to try?”

There was no hesitation

Damian nodded once.

Chapter 263

Silently

Politely

He stepped forward with measured calm, as if he had done this countless times before-even though he hadn’t

Or at least… not here

He slipped on the surgical gloves, smoothing them over his fingers with careful precision. Then came the mask, covering the lower half of his face, leaving only his eyes visible

Cold. Focused. Unreadable.

He stepped up to the table.

“You need to remove the object embedded beneath the skin,” the doctor instructed, his tone shifting with anticipation. “Then stitch it back cleanly”

There was excitement in his eyes now.

Curiosity

Expectation.

Damian didn’t respond verbally.

He simply began.

His hands moved with unsettling certainty.

The scalpel glided across the surface, slicing cleanly through the outer layer. No hesitation. No wasted motion.

“Scalpel,” Damian said calmly.

The doctor blinked, then quickly handed him another instrument.

“Splinter forceps,” Damian added.

Each request was precise, perfectly timed.

It felt less like a student learning… and more like a professional performing

The doctor’s brows lifted slightly.

There was something off about this.

Something unnatural.

Damian worked quickly but never rushed. He exposed the embedde barrel-like piece lodged beneath the skin-and removed it with delicate

No tearing.

No unnecessary damage.

Just clean execution.

The doctor found himself leaning closer un

It’s like he’s done this before…

But that wasn’t possible.

Damian had arrived late to the lesson. He had missed the earlier instructions, the demonstrations, the foundational steps.

And yet-

Here he was.

Matching and surpassing-Ethan’s performance on his first attempt.

After only minutes of observation.

A minute passed.

Then another.

And just like that-

He was done.

The stitches were flawless.

Even.

Tight

Cleaner than Ethan’s.

Faster, too.

Damian stepped back, his breathing steady. He removed the tools from his hands and

began cleaning them one by one, placing each back in its proper position.

Order.

Method.

Discipline.

Everything exactly as instructed.

The doctor let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Impressive” he murmured.

Ethan, standing nearby, stared at the finished work.

A strange mix of admiration and envy twisted in his chest.

He had struggled.

Focused

Pushed himself

And yet Damian had done it effortlessly

in one try

Ethan glanced at Damian’s face.

xiety rising in his chest.

Chapter 203

And froze.

There was no pride.

No relief

No excitement

Only

Coldness.

His eyes were distant, as if his mind had already moved far beyond the room.

Ethan felt a chill run down his spine.

What is he thinking…?

The thought lingered, heavy and unsettling.

But he didn’t dare ask

Because something told him-

He didn’t want to know.

Miles away, within the sprawling estate, a different kind of tension unfolded

Lila zipped her bag with quiet finality.

She moved with calm precision, selecting only what she needed. No hesitation. No wasted motion.

It wasn’t panic.

It was intent.

Downstairs, Bryan paced restlessly, his phone pressed tightly against his ear.

“Come on… pick up…” he muttered under his breath.

He dialed again.

And again.

Still nothing

“Damn it,” he whispered, lowering the phone as frustration crept into b

This was bad.

Very bad.

He tried Mark once more

No answer

His grip tightened around the phone.

“Why aren’t you answering “he musna

water Technology Noth

Z

From the top of the staircase, Lila watched him.

Her expression was calm.

But the faint curl at the corner of her lips suggested something else.

Amusement

Slowly, she began descending the stairs, her footsteps soft against the polished wood.

Bryan was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice.

Too focused

Too distracted

Too late.

“Bryan.”

Her voice cut through the silence.

Bryan flinched violently, nearly dropping his phone as he spun around.

“Miss Lila!” he exclaimed, his heart pounding. “You startled me!”

Lila tilted her head slightly, her amusement barely concealed.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her tone light.

Bryan forced a laugh, though it came out strained. “Y-Yes, of course.”

“How long have you been standing there?” he asked quickly, trying to regain composure.

“I called your name several times,” Lila replied. “But you seemed… busy.”

Her eyes flicked briefly to his phone.

“Is there a problem?”

Bryan hesitated.

For a split second, the truth hovered on the

But then-

“No,” he said quickly. “Of course not

The lie felt thin.

Even to him.

He stepped forwards

Lila let him.

“Miss Lila.” Bryan bega

“Yes,” she replied without hesk

more”

Her tone was flat.

htened slightly on her bag.

Chapter 263

Final.

Bryan swallowed

“Are you… sure?” he asked again, unable to hide the unease in his voice.

Lila stopped walking.

Slowly, she turned to face him.

“Am I not allowed to visit Foster Technology?” she asked.

The question was simple.

But the weight behind it was not.

“No-no, of course you are,” Bryan said quickly. “As part of Blackthorne Industries, you have every right. The company was acquired years ago…”

His voice trailed off.

Because that wasn’t the point.

Not really.

The problem wasn’t permission.

It was timing.

Context.

Risk.

Inside, Bryan felt something close to panic clawing at his chest.

Please don’t go…

But he couldn’t say it.

Not without Damon’s approval.

And Damon-

Wasn’t answering.

Neither was Mark.

Bryan forced a smile, though it looked more like a grimace.

“Then… we should get going,” he said weakly

Lila studied him for a moment.

Then nodded.

As they stepped toward the door, Bryan’s grid tightened slight

Inside, his thoughts spiraled

This is bad

If she goes there without knowing

==

Charter

He stopped himself.

His chest tightened.

For a brief, humiliating moment-

He felt like crying.

The car engine roared to life moments later.

And as they drove toward South City-

None of them realized just how much was about to change.

B

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