The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 264

Chapter 264

Chapter 264

After the practice session ended, Damian slipped quietly out of the operating room and into the garden.

The air outside was calm, a stark contrast to the sharp, clinical tension of the surgical space he had just left behind. The faint rustling of leaves and the distant hum of insects created a fragile sense of peace-one that didn’t quite reach him.

He sat on a stone bench beneath a tree, his posture straight, his expression distant.

In his hands was a tablet.

On the screen-

A map.

And on that map, a single red dot.

Moving.

Damian’s eyes locked onto it.

Unblinking.

Calculating.

The dot shifted steadily across the digital grid, its movement precise, deliberate-like someone who knew exactly where they were going.

For a split second-

Damian’s calm façade cracked.

A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.

Then, without hesitation, he tapped the screen and dialed a number.

The line rang once.

Twice.

Then-

“Yes, sweetie?” Lila’s voice came through, warm and gentle.

Damian’s tone changed instantly.

Soft

Childlike

“Mom,” he said, “I want to go home. I miss your carrot cake.”

There was a pause on the other end

A small one.

But enough.

Chapter 264

Lila smiled, though Damian couldn’t see it.

At least…

He still remembers.

“Okay, sweetie,” she said. “I’ll pick you up tonight.”

“Okay,” Damian replied. “See you.”

The call ended.

The garden fell silent again.

Damian stared at the tablet for one last second before turning it off. Whatever calculation he had made-whatever conclusion he had reached-it remained locked behind his expressionless gaze.

He stood.

And walked back inside.

The hallway was quiet as Damian moved through it, his footsteps soft against the polished floor.

He stopped in front of the operating room door.

Then pushed it open.

Inside, Ethan was still there.

Still practicing.

Still stitching.

His brows were furrowed in concentration, his hands moving with growing confidence as he worked through the exercise again and again.

“Good stitch,” Damian said.

Ethan flinched slightly, startled. He hadn’t heard the door open.

Damian stepped further inside, stopping just behind him.

“Mom is moving,” he added.

Ethan’s hands froze.

The needle hovered mid-air.

Slowly-very slowly-he turned his head to look at Damian.

There was something in Damian’s tone.

Something that made the words feel heavier than they sounded.

“You stay here,” Damian said calmly. “Finish that.”

Then he turned to leave

Ethan stared at his back for a second

Then, without a word, he removed his gloves.

And followed.

Damian stopped in the hallway.

He didn’t turn immediately.

But he knew

Won’t you stay here?” Damian said at last, glancing back. “Focus on perfecting the technique.”

Ethan shook his head

Firm.

Certain

“Damian,” he said, his voice steady despite the emotion behind it, “I told you before… I will drop everything and follow you and Mom”

He stepped closer.

“I will not be left behind.”

The words carried weight far beyond his years.

Damian studied him.

Silent.

“Don’t worry,” Damian said after a moment. “We will come back.”

But Ethan shook his head again.

“No,” he said. “I can’t concentrate here… while you and Mom are away.”

His voice wavered-just slightly.

“I don’t want to be left alone.”

There it was.

Not fear of failure.

Not fear of the unknown.

But something deeper.

Something rooted in the past

“I will cling to Mom… and to you… until I die.”

The words sounded like a vow

Like an oath sworn not in logic-but in survival

Damian’s gaze softened… just a fraction.

“Ethan,” he said quietly, “you might see your mother there

Silence

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Chapter 264

Heavy.

Ethan didn’t respond immediately.

But he didn’t need to.

Damian saw it.

The hesitation.

The shadow that crossed his face.

The memory of violence that still lingered in his mind.

Damian understood.

“Stay here,” he said finally. “It’s best for you.”

And this time-

He didn’t wait.

He walked away.

Damian grabbed his bag and headed outside

The evening air had cooled, the sky dimming into shades of twilight.

He stood near the entrance, waiting.

Still.

Composed.

But only for a moment.

Behind him-

Footsteps.

Fast.

Uneven.

Ethan.

He stopped beside Damian, slightly out of breath.

“I said.” Ethan began, inhaling sharply. “I will not be left behind.”

Damian glanced at him.

Then looked away again.

“Suit yourself,” he said flatly

In the distance, headlights appeared

A car approached.

Slow

Controlled

Chapter 264

It stopped in front of them.

And in an instant-

Damian changed.

The cold, calculating presence vanished

Replaced by something entirely different.

He smiled.

Bright.

Innocent.

He raised his hand and waved enthusiastically.

“Mom!”

Inside the car, Lila sat in the back seat.

The moment she saw them, her expression softened.

She stepped out, her heels clicking lightly against the pavement as she approached.

Without hesitation, she bent down and kissed both boys.

“How are my kids?” she asked warmly.

“We’re okay, Mom,” Damian answered.

He glanced at Ethan briefly.

“Ethan learned how to stitch,” he added. “And gained Uncle Doctor’s approval.”

Ethan smiled, stepping forward slightly.

“Yes, Mom,” he said. “And… I want to go home with you tonight. I miss your cooking.”

Behind them, the doctor let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Ethan, my boy,” he said, clutching his chest dramatically, “does that mean my cooking isn’t tasty?”

The boys laughed.

A real laugh.

Light

Unrestrained.

And for a moment

The weight of everything disappeared.

Lila felt it

That sound.

That warmth.

Chapter 264

It filled something inside her that she hadn’t realized was empty.

For the first time in what felt like forever-

She felt at ease.

“Don’t worry, Doctor,” Damian said, glancing quickly at Ethan. “We’ll be back.”

It was brief.

Subtle.

But the doctor noticed it.

That look.

The silent exchange between the two boys.

His lips curled slightly.

Ah…

So they’re not as simple as they seem.

“I’ll miss these two,” the doctor thought.

Aloud, he said, “Come back whenever you can. And be safe… always.”

He placed a large hand on each of their heads, ruffling their hair gently.

The boys smiled.

Then turned and climbed into the back seat, with Lila guiding them inside.

The door shut.

The engine started.

The doctor stepped back, now standing beside Bryan.

His expression had changed.

More serious.

More knowing.

“Keep them safe,” he whispered.

Bryan nodded, his jaw tightening.

“No one can stop them,” the doctor added quietly.

Bryan didn’t respond.

But he understood.

As the car began to move, its taillights glowing red in the e

The doctor stood still.

Watching.

Until the vehicle disappeared completely fo

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Chapter 264

And even then-

He didn’t move.

Because deep down-

He knew

Whatever path those children were walking.

It wasn’t one that led back to innocence.

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