The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Chapter 45

After dinner, Damon excused himself without a word.

As usual.

:

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The moment they stepped into the villa, he disappeared into the study and locked the door behind him. Lila stood in the hallway for a few seconds, staring at the dark wood panel as if it might suddenly open again.

It didn’t.

Suppressing a sigh, she retreated to the master bedroom. She took a long shower, letting the warm water soothe the quiet frustration coiling in her chest. By the time she changed into her silk nightdress, the villa was silent.

She waited for him.

Minutes turned into an hour. The bedside lamp cast a soft golden glow across the empty space beside her. Her eyes grew heavy, but she forced herself to stay awake.

He would come.

He always came… eventually.

But exhaustion won.

When Lila opened her eyes again, sunlight streamed through the curtains. The other side of the bed was cold and untouched.

Damon had already left the villa.

By lunchtime, her phone buzzed.

Ina.

Lila answered lazily, still seated by the vanity. “What is it?”

“You won’t believe the gossip flying around Blackthorne Industries,” Ina said, barely containing her excitement. “People are saying you and Damon were seen being intimate. The whole company is buzzing. Care to explain what’s going on?”

Lila paused.

A slow, calculating smile curved her lips.

“Well,” she replied casually, examining her reflection in the mirror, “just tell them Damon and I are trying to

have a child.”

Ina gasped. “Are you serious?”

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Chapter 45

“Very,” Lila said smoothly. “And make sure it reaches Maddy’s ears.”

There was a brief silence-then a delighted laugh from the other end.

“Oh, it’ll reach her.” Ina promised.

After a quick exchange of exaggerated whispers and strategic speculation, they ended the call.

The rumor spread like wildfire.

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By mid-afternoon, nearly everyone at Blackthorne Industries knew that Damon and Lila were trying for a baby. The news traveled through departments, slipped between office cubicles, and echoed in hushed conversations near the elevators.

And Damon knew exactly where it came from.

He didn’t need confirmation.

He also didn’t bother correcting it.

Because it was true.

Just not the whole truth.

And the details?

Those were his to keep.

The gossip reached Maddy before the day was over.

It arrived disguised as sympathy.

“Have you heard?” one of the executives whispered near the lounge. “Mrs. Blackthorne is trying for a baby.”

Trying for a baby.

The words echoed in Maddy’s ears long after the speaker walked away.

Her fingers tightened around the glass of sparkling water in her hand. A baby?

No.

That wasn’t possible.

It shouldn’t be possible.

If anyone was going to give Damon an heir, it should have been her.

She had stood beside him long before Lila entered the picture. She understood him. Supported him. Loved

him.

12:00 Mon, May 4

Chapter 45

Lila was nothing but a temporary ornament.

Yet now-

A child?

:

Maddy’s jaw tightened. Her chest rose and fell unevenly.

She would not allow it.

She would not let Lila tie Damon down with something so permanent.

If Lila carried his child, everything would change.

And Maddy would lose.

Her gaze darkened.

They wouldn’t get the chance.

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That evening, Maddy stood alone in the penthouse staircase, the city lights glittering beyond the glass walls. Her heels clicked softly against the marble steps as her mind raced.

She inhaled sharply.

Then slowly closed her eyes.

One breath.

Two.

And she let herself fall.

Her body tumbled down the staircase with a sickening thud, the sound echoing through the silent penthouse.

Pain shot through her, but she bit back the scream.

With trembling fingers, she pulled out her phone and dialed the only number that mattered.

Damon.

It rang once.

Twice.

He answered.

“Maddy?”

Her voice came out weak, fragile. “Damon… I….. I fell…..”

12:00 Mon, May 4

Chapter 45

:

The phone slipped from her hand as she allowed darkness to swallow her.

When Maddy opened her eyes again, the sterile scent of antiseptic filled her senses.

White ceiling.

Soft beeping.

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A hospital room.

She blinked slowly.

Damon stood beside the bed, tall and composed, speaking in low tones to the doctor. His expression was unreadable, but his presence alone sent warmth through her veins.

“…mild concussion,” the doctor was saying. “Some bruising, but fortunately no fractures. She’s lucky.”

Damon nodded once. “Make sure she receives the best care.”

“Of course.”

When the doctor left, Damon turned toward her.

Their eyes met.

Concern flickered briefly in his dark gaze…

“Maddy,” he said calmly. “You should be more careful.”

Her lips trembled slightly as she forced a weak smile.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to worry you.”

But inside, beneath the act, her thoughts were razor sharp.

This was only the beginning.

If Lila thought she could quietly secure her position with a child…

She was gravely mistaken.

When Damon told her about Maddy’s fall, Lila felt her heart sink.

“A fall?” she repeated softly.

“She slipped on the staircase,” Damon said, his tone neutral. Controlled. “She has a mild concussion. Nothing serious.”

Nothing serious.

But Lila still worried.

Mon, May

Chapter 45

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That was who she was soft-hearted to a fault.

–

If only Damon had waited for Maddy… none of this would have happened.

If only she had never stepped into his life, never signed that contract, never agreed to play the role of Mrs. Blackthorne.

She would not be standing between them now.

“That damn stupid dog…” Lila muttered under her breath, blaming fate, blaming circumstances – herself.

The hospital corridor felt suffocating as she approached Maddy’s room.

When she pushed the door open, her steps faltered.

blaming

Damon was standing close to the bed, adjusting Maddy’s pillow with careful hands. His movements were gentle. Familiar.

Too familiar.

The sight pierced deeper than she expected.

For a moment, it was hard to breathe.

Lila forced a polite smile onto her face, though it felt brittle on her lips.

Maddy noticed.

And she smirked.

Damon’s phone rang before anyone spoke. He glanced at the screen, his expression sharpening slightly.

“I need to take this,” he said.

Without hesitation, he stepped out of the room.

The door clicked shut.

And the atmosphere changed instantly.

The softness drained from Maddy’s face like a mask being removed.

Her eyes turned cold.

Sharp.

Calculating.

“Lila,” she said quietly, “can you move aside already?”

12:01 Mon, May 4

Chapter 45

That was who she was soft-hearted to a fault.

If only Damon had waited for Maddy… none of this would have happened.

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If only she had never stepped into his life, never signed that contract, never agreed to play the role of Mrs. Blackthorne.

She would not be standing between them now.

“That damn stupid dog…” Lila muttered under her breath, blaming fate, blaming circumstances — blaming

herself.

The hospital corridor felt suffocating as she approached Maddy’s room.

When she pushed the door open, her steps faltered.

Damon was standing close to the bed, adjusting Maddy’s pillow with careful hands. His movements were gentle. Familiar.

Too familiar.

The sight pierced deeper than she expected.

For a moment, it was hard to breathe.

Lila forced a polite smile onto her face, though it felt brittle on her lips.

Maddy noticed.

And she smirked.

Damon’s phone rang before anyone spoke. He glanced at the screen, his expression sharpening slightly.

“I need to take this,” he said.

Without hesitation, he stepped out of the room.

The door clicked shut.

And the atmosphere changed instantly.

The softness drained from Maddy’s face like a mask being removed.

Her eyes turned cold.

Sharp.

Calculating.

“Lila,” she said quietly, “can you move aside already?”

Mon, May

Chapter 45

The bitterness in her tone was unmistakable.

“It’s clear Damon would have married me by now if you didn’t exist.”

The words struck, but Lila stood still.

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Yes, of course, Lila thought silently. Damon would have married Maddy the moment she returned.

Everyone knew that.

Wasn’t that why this marriage had been arranged in the first place? Convenience. Strategy. Timing.

Nothing more.

Maddy leaned slightly forward, despite the weakness she had displayed moments ago.

“Have you already lost your sense of dignity?” she continued, eyes narrowing. “People know Damon married you for convenience purposes, right?”

Her lips curved into something venomous.

“Or did you seduce him?”

The accusation hung in the air like poison.

For a split second, Lila felt the familiar urge to retreat – to apologize, to step aside, to surrender.

That was the old Lila.

But something inside her had shifted.

Slowly, she met Maddy’s gaze.

Her voice, when she spoke, was calm.

“If Damon wanted to marry you,” Lila said gently, “he would have.”

The words were not loud.

But they were steady.

And steady was more dangerous than anger.

Maddy’s expression flickered.

Because no matter how sharp her words were…

Damon had still married Lila.

And that fact could not be erased.

12:02 Mon, May 4

Chapter 45

Outside the room, Damon stood in the hallway, phone pressed to his ear.

His expression unreadable.

But his mind?

Very clear.

He knew exactly what kind of war had just begun.

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