The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

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Damon finally answered the phone, his deep voice calm but clipped.

“Maddy?”

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Her voice was urgent, shaky-but not panicked. Something had happened at the emergency department.

Without another word, Damon ended the call, his eyes narrowing slightly as he processed the information. He didn’t say anything to Lila-just walked toward the walk-in closet. Minutes later, he emerged already changed-dark tailored suit, polished shoes, every detail precise.

Before he could leave the room entirely, he bent down and pressed a firm, lingering kiss to Lila’s lips.

“Maddy’s at the emergency,” he said quietly, his tone steady but edged with concern.

Lila’s chest tightened. She grabbed his arm, holding him back with unexpected force.

“If I asked you to stay here… would you stay?” she asked, voice low, almost pleading.

Damon didn’t answer.

Her hands lingered for a moment, feeling the warmth and strength of him, and then slowly-reluctantly-she let him go.

“You go check Maddy,” she said softly, stepping back. “She needs you.”

Damon paused, his eyes flicking to hers for the briefest moment. There was a silent exchange there- unspoken words, tension, frustration, something more-but in the end, he nodded just once.

Without another word, he turned and left the villa, the night swallowing him as he moved toward whatever awaited at the emergency.

Lila stood alone for a moment, her fingers still tingling from where she had touched him, the faint echo of his presence lingering in the room long after he had gone.

Damon’s car cut through the night with a single-minded urgency. Every red light, every slow turn in traffic, was a minor frustration he refused to acknowledge. His mind raced ahead to the hospital.

When he arrived, he didn’t wait for the valet. He practically sprinted through the hospital doors, moving with the authority that seemed to bend the space around him. Nurses and staff stepped aside automatically, recognizing the name-or the presence-of Damon Blackthorne.

He found Maddy in a private room, already attended by medical staff.

She was lying in the hospital bed, pale against the crisp white sheets, an IV in her arm. Her leg was encased in a brace and elevated slightly, and a soft bandage hugged her forehead.

Damon’s gaze swept over her quickly-assessment already running through his mind.

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Chapter 30

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“Car accident,” a nurse explained quietly as Damon arrived at her side. “Concussion, broken leg. She’s stable now, but she’ll need monitoring overnight.”

Damon nodded once, his eyes never leaving Maddy’s face. Relief mixed with irritation-irritation at the accident, at the situation, at the fact that she had hurt herself when she should have been safe.

He pulled the chair close to her bed, sitting down, his presence immediate and imposing, yet careful. One hand rested on the edge of the bed near her, ready to steady her if needed.

“Hey,” he said softly, a tone rare for him, almost unguarded. “You’re awake. That’s good.”

Maddy’s eyes fluttered open, groggy, but a faint smile tried to form despite the pain.

“You… came,” she murmured.

“Of course I did,” Damon replied, voice calm but firm. “I need to know you’re okay.”

Her hand twitched toward him, but the brace on her leg and the IV line reminded her she couldn’t move easily. Damon noticed immediately, lifting her hand gently and resting it against his own.

“Don’t move too much,” he instructed quietly, though there was an edge in his tone, protective and commanding.

Maddy’s gaze softened, catching his intensity, and she realized in that instant just how far he would go-and how little he would tolerate anything that threatened someone under his care.

For the next few weeks, Damon was a constant presence in Maddy’s life.

From the office to the hospital, from meetings to briefings, he rarely returned to the villa. Even when he did, it was only to grab a change of clothes or brief messages-his focus entirely on ensuring Maddy recovered safely.

Lila watched it happen, day after day. She saw the way he hovered at her bedside, the way his eyes softened when Maddy winced, the subtle, impatient gestures when doctors updated him. She couldn’t deny it: Damon cared deeply for Maddy. More than she could have imagined.

And Lila refused to linger on her feelings.

After all… she was just a contract wife. Temporary. A placeholder. The arrangement had an end, and she reminded herself of that constantly.

While Damon was busy taking care of Maddy, Lila began reclaiming a part of her own life. She slowly cleared her closet, taking what she wanted-her favorite dresses, shoes, and accessories-and transporting them back to her own villa. A small act of independence, but one that grounded her.

She buried herself in her master’s degree, throwing herself into research, late-night readings, and writing papers. The work was rigorous, demanding, and exacting-but it gave her control, a sense of achievement that no contract could take away.

She refused to be hurt.

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Chapter 30

Refused to be the woman who waited, who wondered, who yearned.

If Damon wanted to throw himself into Maddy’s world, let him.

Lila would build her own.

One paper at a time. One step at a time.

She didn’t need anyone to define her worth.

Not even Damon Blackthorne.

Lila had just heard that Damon was away on a business trip.

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Without hesitation, she returned to the forest villa. She moved quietly through the rooms, gathering the remaining pieces of her life there-personal items she had left behind in the rush of the past weeks. Each drawer emptied, each shelf cleared, until the villa felt less like hers and more like the memory of a life she had borrowed.

Once she was done, she picked up her phone and called Simon.

“I need to see you,” she said, her tone firm.

Simon agreed without hesitation.

She arrived at the restaurant first, selecting a quiet table, but when Simon arrived, he waved her toward a private room.

The door closed behind them, and Lila didn’t waste a moment. “I want the divorce papers drafted,” she said immediately, cutting straight to the point.

Simon raised an eyebrow. “You need to speak to Damon first. I can’t draft the papers without his knowledge.”

Lila’s frustration flared. “Why would Damon need to know? It’s very clear our contract will end soon. We both

know that!”

Simon’s expression remained calm, almost sympathetic. “It’s best you communicate directly with him first. Legal procedures require his acknowledgment. Otherwise, nothing is official.”

Lila clenched her jaw, her fingers tapping the table. She wanted to argue, to push past the caution, but she knew Simon was right.

Dinner passed in silence after that. Lila left the restaurant frustrated, each step heavier than the last.

By the time she reached her own villa, a message from her brother Mark awaited her. He was graduating soon, and he wanted her there.

A small, warm smile touched her lips, softening the frustration and tension that had built over the last weeks.

She packed her things swiftly, every item placed with intention. Clothes, documents, essentials-she was leaving the city.

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Chapter 30

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For now, her focus would be on family, on her brother’s graduation, and reclaiming a part of herself that had been on pause.

She paused by the door, phone in hand, and typed a note to Damon silently in her mind. She would call him when she returned.

But for now… she had other responsibilities, and she would not let herself be distracted. Not by the contract, not by Damon, not by anything that could derail her from her own path.