The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Chapter 67

“Do you love me?”

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Damon’s voice was low-dangerously calm-but his eyes burned with a storm he could no longer hide.

He stepped closer.

Lila’s breath caught as he closed the distance between them. Instinctively, she stepped back. Once. Twice.

Until her spine met the cold wall behind her.

Trapped.

Damon braced his arm beside her head, caging her in. The warmth of his body contrasted cruelly with the chill crawling through her veins.

“Answer me, Lila.”

She swallowed. Her heart pounded so violently she feared he could hear it.

“Yes, Damon… I did love you.”

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

His eyes darkened.

“But that was before,” she continued quickly, forcing herself to hold his gaze. If this was the moment her heart shattered completely, she would at least face it standing.

She despised herself for letting the truth escape-for unearthing the secret she had buried so deep within her heart that even she had pretended it no longer existed.

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

“Before what?” Damon’s voice was rough now.

“Before I realized I was the only one holding on.”

Her hands trembled, but she clasped them tightly at her sides.

“So please…” Her voice cracked, and she hated that it did. “Please sign the divorce papers.”

The words tasted like ash.

“Maddy is already pregnant.” She forced herself to say it steadily. “And I will be truly happy for both of you.”

A lie.

A beautiful, devastating lie.

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Chapter 67

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Because happiness was the last thing blooming inside her chest.

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Damon didn’t move. Didn’t blink. His arm remained beside her head, but his expression shifted-pain flickering through the cracks of his anger.

“Happy?” he repeated softly.

Lila nodded, even though it felt like her world was collapsing piece by piece.

“Yes.”

The space between them felt too small, too charged, too dangerous. If he moved even an inch closer, she was afraid her resolve would shatter completely.

And she couldn’t afford that.

Not anymore.

“What if I don’t want to be happy with Maddy?”

Damon’s voice was steady-but his eyes were anything but.

Lila froze.

He stepped closer, not touching her yet, but close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body.

“What if,” he continued, his gaze locking onto hers with fierce determination, “I want to be tangled with you instead?”

The intensity in his eyes made her pulse race. It was the same look he used to give her-the one that made her believe she was the only woman in the world.

Her throat tightened.

“Then you must be crazy,” Lila whispered.

Damon didn’t hesitate.

“If being tangled with you means being crazy,” he said with finality, “then let me be crazy.”

Something inside her erupted.

“You crazy, filthy dog!” she snapped.

Her palm struck his face. The sound echoed sharply in the room.

She hit him again. And again.

Her fists rained down on his chest, his shoulders. She shoved him with all her strength, but he didn’t budge. He didn’t block her. Didn’t restrain her.

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Chapter 67

He simply stood there-taking it.

Every slap.

Every punch.

Every insult.

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An hour seemed to pass in a blur of rage and heartbreak.

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Finally, her hands began to sting. Her strength drained away, leaving her trembling and breathless.

Damon looked down at her swollen knuckles, then back into her tear-filled eyes.

“Are you done?” he asked quietly.

Before she could answer, he pulled her into his embrace.

She struggled at first-but exhaustion weakened her resistance. In desperation, she leaned forward and bit his

chest.

Damon inhaled sharply but didn’t release her.

She tasted blood.

The metallic tang shocked her, and she pulled back, staring at the bite mark she had left behind. The skin was broken. Red.

Her breath trembled as she slowly looked up.

Damon’s eyes had changed.

Dark.

Hungry.

Before she could step away, his hand slid to the back of her neck, and he captured her lips with his.

The kiss wasn’t gentle.

It was consuming.

He devoured her mouth, nibbling, claiming, as if trying to erase every doubt she had spoken. Lila pushed against his chest, trying to resist-but her body betrayed her. The familiar warmth, the remembered touch, the way he knew exactly how to make her knees weaken-

It was useless.

Her anger clashed with desire. Her mind screamed no.

But her heart…

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Chapter 67

Her heart had never learned how to stop loving him.

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The room seemed to shrink around them as the air thickened with everything they had tried to deny.

That night, emotions ruled over reason.

And Damon held her as if he intended to prove that madness-if it meant her-was a fate he would willingly choose.

Lila woke with a soft groan.

Every inch of her body ached.

Her shoulders. Her waist. Her thighs.

Memories of the night before rushed back in heated fragments, and her cheeks flushed despite herself.

She pushed herself upright slowly, wincing as the soreness intensified. Determined, she swung her legs over the side of the bed-

Only for her knees to buckle instantly.

Before she could hit the floor, strong arms caught her.

“Careful,” Damon’s voice murmured above her.

He had just stepped out of the bathroom, hair still damp, shirt loosely hanging over his frame. Effortlessly, he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the bed as if she weighed nothing.

He laid her down gently.

A smirk tugged at his lips.

Lila narrowed her eyes. “What’s so funny?”

“I like that attitude,” Damon replied smoothly.

He leaned down and kissed her.

It was meant to be brief.

But Lila bit his lower lip.

Hard.

Damon flinched slightly, pulling back with a low chuckle as he touched the faint sting. “Mrs. Blackthorne is a wild one,” he said, amusement flickering in his dark eyes. “Seems she has a habit of biting.”

“Serves you right,” she muttered, though her voice lacked its usual sharpness.

He brushed a strand of hair from her face, gaze softening-just for a second.

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Chapter 67

“Stay in bed and rest,” Damon ordered gently.

He turned toward the door.

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The moment he took two steps, Lila stubbornly pushed herself upright again.

Damon stopped.

Slowly, he looked over his shoulder.

The warning in his eyes was unmistakable.

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“If you still have the strength to walk,” he said calmly, turning back toward her, “then maybe we should

continue.”

He took one slow step closer.

“Because I’m still hungry.”

Lila’s eyes widened.

“No-no! I’m going to rest!” she blurted quickly.

She dropped back onto the bed and clutched the blanket tightly around her body like a shield.

Damon paused, studying her.

The corner of his mouth lifted.

“Good,” he said simply.

Satisfied, he turned and finally left the room.

The door clicked shut.

Lila exhaled deeply, her heart racing-not from fear, but from something far more dangerous.

Because despite everything…

Despite the divorce papers.

Despite Maddy.

Despite the chaos.

Her heart still reacted to him as if it had never learned its lesson.

And that terrified her more than anything else.

The room felt too quiet after Damon left.

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Chapter 67

Too still.

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Lila remained under the covers, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts a tangled mess of anger, desire, guilt, and fear.

Before she could gather herself—

The bedroom door burst open.

“Ina-” Lila gasped.

Ina froze mid-step.

Her eyes swept over Lila… then widened.

The blanket had slipped slightly from Lila’s shoulder, exposing the marks scattered across her skin-dark, unmistakable love bites blooming against pale flesh.

Very visible.

Ina’s expression darkened instantly.

“That filthy dog!” she hissed, fury igniting in her eyes. “Did he force himself on you, Lila?”

Lila’s heart skipped.

Ina’s hands curled into fists. “I’ll make him pay.”

She turned sharply toward the door.

But before she could storm out, Lila lunged forward despite the soreness and grabbed Ina’s wrist.

“No, Ina. No!” Lila said quickly, her voice trembling.

Ina stopped.

Slowly, she turned back.

Her eyes scanned Lila’s face-searching.

“Seriously, Lila?” Ina asked, disbelief written all over her expression.

There was anger in her voice-but beneath it, something softer.

Hurt.

“You’re defending him?” Ina continued. “After everything?”

Lila lowered her gaze.

She could still feel Damon’s touch. Still feel the warmth of his arms around her. And that only made the guilt

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Chapter 67

worse.

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“He didn’t force me,” she admitted quietly.

Ina’s jaw tightened.

“He didn’t?” she repeated.

Lila shook her head, fingers loosening around the blanket. “I… I let it happen.”

The confession felt heavier than anything else she had said that morning.

Ina stared at her best friend as if she didn’t recognize her.

“You cried for months, Lila,” Ina said softly now. “You begged the universe to give you strength to leave him. And now you’re back in his bed?”

Each word struck deeper than any slap.

“I know,” Lila whispered.

Ina’s anger wavered, replaced by concern. She walked closer to the bed and crouched beside her.

“Do you love him that much?” Ina asked gently.

Lila’s eyes shimmered.

“That’s the problem,” she replied. “I never stopped.”

Silence settled between them.

Ina sighed, brushing a hand over her face. “You’re going to get hurt again.”

“I’m already hurt,” Lila said with a weak smile.

Ina looked at the marks on Lila’s skin again-then back at her eyes.

“Just promise me one thing,” Ina said firmly.

“What?”

“If he makes you cry again… I won’t ask for permission next time.”

Despite everything, Lila let out a small, shaky laugh.

“That sounds like you.”

Ina leaned forward and pulled her into a careful hug.

And for the first time that morning, Lila felt something steady.

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Chapter 67

Not passion.

Not chaos.

But the fierce, unwavering love of a best friend who would burn the world down for her.

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12:49 Mon, May 4