The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Chapter 70

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By the time Damon arrived at the hospital in Bellair City, the entrance was chaos.

Cameras flashed relentlessly.

“Mr. Blackthorne! Is Mrs. Blackthorne critical?”

“Were you in South City with Maddy when the accident happened?”

“Is this the end of your marriage?”

He didn’t answer.

Didn’t even look at them.

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Security forced a path forward as Damon walked through the doors, his expression carved from stone.

Inside, the noise disappeared, replaced by the sterile scent of antiseptic and the low hum of hospital machinery.

A doctor approached him immediately.

“Mr. Blackthorne.”

“How is she?” Damon asked. No greeting. No pretense.

“She’s stable,” the doctor said carefully. “But she hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”

For a fraction of a second, Damon stopped breathing.

“Injuries?”

“Concussion. Minor internal bleeding that we’ve controlled. Several bruised ribs. She lost a significant amount of blood at the scene, but she’s responding.”

“When will she wake up?”

“We don’t know.”

Those three words echoed louder than the reporters outside.

Ina was seated outside the ICU room, arms folded tightly, eyes swollen from crying. When she saw Damon, she stood abruptly.

“You should’ve been here,” she said, voice shaking with fury.

Damon didn’t defend himself.

Didn’t argue.

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Chapter 70

He simply looked through the glass panel.

Lila lay motionless on the hospital bed.

Pale.

Too pale.

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A bandage wrapped around her head. An IV line ran into her arm. Machines beeped steadily beside her.

She looked impossibly small beneath the white sheets.

Damon pushed the door open slowly and stepped inside.

The room felt colder than the hallway.

He approached the bed with measured steps, as if sudden movement might shatter something fragile.

For a moment, he just stood there.

Looking at her.

The woman who had slapped him.

Bit him.

Laughed at him.

Loved him.

The woman he had left behind more times than he could count.

Now she lay silent.

Still.

He reached out, hesitating only briefly before taking her hand.

It was warm.

But limp.

“Lila,” he said quietly.

No response.

The heart monitor continued its steady rhythm.

His jaw tightened.

“You don’t get to do this,” he muttered under his breath. “You don’t get to leave the argument unfinished.”

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Chapter 70

Nothing.

He leaned slightly closer.

“If you’re angry,” he whispered, voice rougher now, “wake up and hit me again.”

The machines answered for her.

Outside, the headlines continued to circulate.

Inside, Damon Blackthorne stood beside his unconscious wife-

And for the first time in years-

He was powerless.

He tightened his grip around her hand just slightly.

“Wake up,” he said again, softer this time.

And for the first time since the accident-

Fear truly settled in his chest.

Not fear of scandal.

Not fear of loss.

But fear that she might never open her eyes again.

The room had fallen into a heavy silence.

Damon hadn’t moved from his position beside the bed.

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His fingers were still wrapped around Lila’s hand, thumb brushing faintly against her skin as if willing her back through sheer persistence.

Hours passed.

Evening light faded into a dim blue glow through the hospital window.

And then-

A shift.

Small.

Barely noticeable.

Her fingers twitched.

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Chapter 70

Damon straightened instantly. “Doctor.”

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But before he could call for anyone, Lila’s brows furrowed slightly.

A faint sound escaped her lips.

Her eyelids fluttered.

Slowly.

Weakly.

Then opened.

Her gaze was unfocused at first, drifting across the ceiling, adjusting to the light.

Damon leaned closer, relief crashing through him so violently it almost made him dizzy.

“Lila.”

Her eyes moved toward the sound of his voice.

They met his.

For a second-

Nothing.

Then confusion.

Her brows drew together faintly.

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She tried to speak, but her throat was dry. Damon immediately reached for water, carefully helping her sip.

She swallowed with effort.

The doctor and nurses rushed in, checking monitors, asking routine questions.

“Can you tell me your name?”

“… Lila,” she whispered.

“Do you know where you are?”

“…Hospital.”

“Do you remember what happened?”

A pause.

Her gaze drifted.

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Chapter 70

“…Car.”

The doctor nodded, satisfied with the initial responses.

Damon stepped forward once the staff eased back.

“Lila,” he said again, softer this time.

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Lila stared at Damon for a long, silent moment. Her eyes searched his face as if she were trying to pull a memory from somewhere deep and distant. Slowly, she closed her eyes, her breathing shallow.

“Do you not know this man?” the doctor asked carefully, watching her reaction.

For a moment, the room felt unbearably still.

Lila opened her eyes again. They landed on Damon’s face once more, studying him—his tired eyes, the tension in his jaw, the fear he tried so hard to hide.

“Filthy dog,” she murmured weakly.

Damon’s breath caught in his throat.

Before he even realized what he was doing, he leaned forward and pulled her gently into his arms. His hands trembled as he held her, as if he were afraid she might disappear if he loosened his grip.

For weeks he had lived with a quiet terror in his chest. Every night the same thought haunted him—what if she wakes up and doesn’t remember me? What if all the moments they shared simply vanished from her mind?

The fear had kept him awake more nights than he cared to admit.

But now…

Now she remembered.

Relief rushed through him so suddenly it almost hurt. He buried his face against her shoulder, letting out a shaky breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

“You scared me to death,” Damon whispered, his voice rough with emotion.

His fingers tightened slightly around her, careful not to hurt her but unable to let go.

Lila weakly lifted a hand and rested it against his back. Even in her fragile state, she could feel the way his body trembled.

“I thought…” Damon continued quietly, his voice breaking, “I thought I lost you.”

Behind them, near the doorway, Maddy stood in silence.

Her face slowly darkened as she watched Damon holding Lila so carefully, as if she were something precious that might break.

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Chapter 70

Her nails dug into her palms.

She should have done it.

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She should have slipped into Lila’s room while she was still unconscious… when the machines were quiet and the nurses distracted. One small moment, one small push, and everything would have been over.

Lila should have remained asleep.

Or better yet… dead.

Instead, she was awake.

And Damon was smiling again.

A sharp bitterness rose in Maddy’s chest. She turned away before anyone could notice the hatred burning in her eyes and slipped quietly out of the room.

The hallway was cold and empty. Maddy began biting her nails as she walked, her mind racing.

Think… think… there must be another way.

She had come too far to lose everything now.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm from behind.

Maddy stiffened.

“Hello, darling.”

A low voice brushed against her ear.

“You’ve been avoiding me. What’s the matter?” the man continued softly. “Do you not need my help anymore?”

A chill crawled down Maddy’s spine.

She slowly turned her head.

When she saw his face, her stomach tightened.

“No,” she said quickly, forcing her voice to stay calm. “I’m just… busy.”

But inside, tension coiled tightly in her chest.

What if someone sees us?

If anyone informed Damon, everything would collapse. She could not allow that to happen. Not now.

Maddy glanced around the hallway, her heartbeat quickening.

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Chapter 70

“Let’s go somewhere private,” she muttered.

Without waiting for his response, she started walking toward the exit.

The man followed her with a faint, knowing smile.

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A few minutes later, the hospital doors slid open, and the two of them disappeared into the night.