The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 268

Chapter 268

Henry didn’t say anything at first.

He simply stepped forward and gently guided Evelyn toward the car.

She didn’t resist.

It was as if all the strength had drained from her body the moment she stepped out of that hospital room. Her steps were unsteady, her breathing uneven, her composure shattered beyond repair.

Henry opened the door for her.

“Sit,” he said quietly.

That single word carried more care than anything else he had said all day.

Evelyn lowered herself into the seat.

The moment the door closed, the fragile control she had been clinging to collapsed entirely.

Her sobs filled the confined space of the car raw, unrestrained, and painfully human. Henry stood there for a second.

Listening.

Not intruding.

Not comforting.

Just… allowing her to break.

Because sometimes, grief demanded solitude more than sympathy.

Without another word, he gently shut the door.

He stepped back.

And left her alone inside.

Outside, the air felt heavy.

The sky above was a dull gray, clouds gathering thick and low as if th bracing for something inevitable.

Henry walked around the car and stopped beside Damon.

The driver stood nearby, positioned with calculated precis

far.

Watching

Always watching.

Damon noticed.

aint sigh. “Not even

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Chapter 268

Of course he did.

The driver’s glances weren’t random. They came in intervals-brief, subtle, but deliberate. Each look carried quiet scrutiny, measuring reactions, weighing silences.

Damon didn’t need to ask why.

He already understood.

Evelyn suspected Henry.

And if Evelyn suspected, then others would too.

The driver wasn’t just standing there.

He was observing.

Reporting.

Testing.

For a while, none of them spoke.

The only sound was Evelyn’s muffled crying from inside the car and the distant hum of hospital activity behind them.

Then Henry broke the silence.

“Rainy season is coming.”

His voice was casual, almost idle.

But it cut through the stillness like a stone dropped into water.

Damon tilted his head slightly, his gaze lifting toward the sky.

Dark clouds loomed above them, heavy with unfallen rain.

He didn’t respond.

The driver shifted his weight subtly.

Another glance.

Another silent observation.

Henry noticed.

But he didn’t acknowledge it directly.

Instead, he stretched his arms lightly, as if shaking off tension.

“Ah… I never got the chance to swim this summer,” he said with a faint sigh. “Not even

once. No sand, no waves… nothing.”

His tone was light.

Too light.

Chapter 268

“How about you?” he added, turning toward the driver. “What did you do this summer?”

The driver answered without hesitation.

“Beaches.”

Simple.

Direct.

No elaboration.

Henry smiled faintly.

“Of course.”

He turned his head slightly, shifting his attention.

“And you?”

His eyes landed on Damon.

Damon didn’t answer immediately.

His gaze remained fixed on the sky.

As if searching for something beyond the thick clouds.

Then-

“I miss fishing.”

His voice was low.

Flat.

But there was something buried beneath it.

Something quiet.

Something real.

Henry nodded slowly.

“Yeah…”

A brief pause followed.

Then Henry slipped a han lazily across the screep

But Damon knew better.

Henry never did anything wit

“Oh?” Henry murmured suddenly.

Damon didn’t look at him.

But he listened.

ne

everything belongs to her…

Ontinued. “Everything!

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Chapter 268

“The Blackthorne matriarch was sent to the hospital.”

Henry said it casually.

Too casually.

Like it was just another piece of passing news.

But the air shifted.

Subtly

Sharply.

“Guess the Madam will strike first,” Henry added, his tone almost amused.

Damon remained still.

Unmoving.

Unreactive.

Henry turned his head toward the driver.

“You know,” he continued conversationally, “the Madam has hated the Blackthorne matriarch for a long time.”

His lips curved slightly.

“I’m sure you’ve heard about it.”

The driver met his gaze briefly.

Then shifted it back toward Damon.

“I have,” he replied.

His voice carried a faint edge now.

“She hates Margaret’s guts. That old hag walks around like everything belongs to her…. sticking her nose into things that aren’t her business.”

Another glance at Damon.

Still nothing.

“Looks like this is the Madam’s chance,” the driver continued Ev

now.”

Damon didn’t move.

Didn’t speak

Didn’t react.

His silence was absolute.

Chapter 268

But it wasn’t empty.

It was controlled.

Deliberate.

Henry tilted his head slightly, as if considering something.

“But the other woman is still there,” he said.

The driver let out a short breath.

“Yeah… that one.”

There was a hint of grudging respect in his tone.

“She’s strong.”

He crossed his arms loosely.

“The Blackthornes… they always marry women like that. Strong, resilient. Even if she didn’t come from a known family, she holds her ground.”

His lips curled into a faint smirk.

“She just appeared out of nowhere… and suddenly she’s at the center of everything.”

Another pause.

Another glance at Damon.

“I’d bet the heir will get bored eventually,” the driver added. “And go back to the Madam’ s daughter. Play the victim. Say it was all fate.”

Henry didn’t interrupt.

He simply listened.

Watching both men carefully.

“That woman…” the driver continued, shaking his head slightly. “She’s something else.”

His voice lowered just a fraction.

“I thought we’d erase her. Clear the path. Make things easier for the d

A brief silence.

“Too bad she survived.”

His eyes darkened.

“And now the heir is the one chasing after her.”

Damon’s gaze shifted

Chapter 268

Slowly.

Deliberately.

He turned his head.

And looked directly at the driver.

For the first time since the conversation began.

The driver stilled.

Just for a second.

But it was enough.

“That woman,” Damon said.

His voice was calm.

Measured.

“That matriarch…”

A pause.

“They must be tough as hell.”

No emotion.

No hesitation.

“The heir should be proud.”

His eyes didn’t leave the driver.

“A man needs a woman who can endure.”

Each word was deliberate.

“Someone who can protect the empire…”

A slight pause.

“And still be gentle when needed.”

Silence followed.

Heavy.

Charged.

“Women like that are rare,” Damon continued

His voice softened slightly.

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Chapter 268

Almost imperceptibly.

“I hope my Maddy learns from them.”

The driver didn’t respond.

But his expression shifted.

Just a little.

Because that wasn’t the reaction he expected.

Not at all.

He had been watching Damon closely from the beginning.

Waiting.

Testing.

Probing for cracks.

For hesitation.

For emotion.

For anything that might reveal where Damon truly stood.

But there was nothing.

No anger.

No denial.

No defensiveness.

Just… calm.

And something deeper.

Something unreadable.

Henry smiled faintly.

Not wide.

Not obvious.

Just enough to show that he had noticed everything.

Every word

Every glance.

Every shift in tone.

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Chapter 268

Inside the car, Evelyn’s sobs had quieted.

Not because the pain had lessened.

But because she had exhausted herself.

Grief had a way of doing that.

Draining everything until only emptiness remained.

Outside, the wind began to pick up.

The first drop of rain fell.

Then another.

Soft at first.

Then steady.

Damon lifted his gaze once more toward the sky.

Raindrops touched his face.

Cold.

Sharp.

Real.

Something was changing.

Not just in the weather.

But in everything.

The storm had finally arrived.

And this time-

There would be no postponing what came next.

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