The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Chapter 84

“Child… are you sure you’re staying here with Jasper?”

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Richard asked the question one last time as their car slowed down near a quiet checkpoint at the edge of Wago City.

Lila stared out the window.

For a moment, she said nothing.

Her mind was filled with too many thoughts-Damon, the divorce, everything that had already happened. She had already come this far. Turning back now would only drag her right back between Damon and Maddy.

And she refused to be that person again.

“Yes.” Lila finally said softly but firmly.

Richard studied her face for a long moment.

Then he gave a small nod.

The SUV stopped.

Without another word, Richard signaled the driver to unlock the door.

Lila stepped out of the vehicle.

The cold wind brushed against her skin as she stood by the roadside.

The SUV slowly drove away, its red tail lights fading into the darkness.

Lila remained there for a moment, watching until the car disappeared.

A loud gunshot suddenly echoed in the distance.

BANG.

Lila flinched, pulled out of her thoughts.

Before she could react, a strong arm suddenly grabbed her wrist.

She gasped and turned quickly.

“Jasper!”

Relief immediately washed over her.

“Are you okay?” she asked quickly, her eyes scanning his bruised face and the wounds on his arm.

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“I’m sorry,” Lila said, guilt filling her voice. “I shouldn’t have brought you into this mess.”

Jasper gave her a faint smile.

“It’s okay, Lila,” he said gently.

He opened the passenger door of a car parked nearby.

“Get in.”

She hesitated for a second before climbing inside.

Jasper walked around and slid into the driver’s seat before starting the engine.

“The Blackthornes are dangerous, Lila,” he said as the car pulled onto the main road.

His voice sounded calm, but there was something serious beneath it.

“It’s good that you decided to walk away from Damon.”

The city lights passed by outside the window as they drove deeper into the night.

Lila glanced at him.

“Where are we going?” she asked quietly.

Jasper kept his eyes on the road.

“The apartment is no longer safe,” he said simply.

The car continued driving forward into the dark streets of Wago City.

And for some reason…

Lila couldn’t shake the strange feeling that things were only just beginning.

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Jasper stopped the car at the front of a mansion sitting high on the mountain hill. The place looked abandoned, swallowed by the thick forest surrounding it. No lights. No sound. Just the cold wind whispering through the trees.

It was the kind of place people didn’t stumble upon by accident.

Lila stepped out of the car, her heart beating faster than she wanted to admit. Before moving, she checked the things Richard had given her. The gun was still tucked securely beneath her jacket, and the spare phone rested in her pocket.

Good.

She pulled out her own phone and started dialing.

But before the call could go through, Jasper’s hand shot forward and snatched the phone from her grasp.

Chapter 84

“What are you doing?” I ila snapped, startled.

“I’m just trying to inform Ina and my brother,” she added, reaching for it

Jasper didn’t give it back.

“No, Lila.” he said calmly, though there was a sharp edge in his voice. “Damon might trace you.

For a moment, the silence between them thickened.

Then Jasper slowly pulled out his own phone and handed it to her.

“Use this.”

Lila hesitated before taking it.

When the call connected, Jasper remained standing beside her. Too close.

Close enough that she could feel his presence like a shadow pressed against her back.

It made her uneasy.

He wasn’t just standing there.

He was watching.

Guarding.

“Don’t let them know your whereabouts,” Jasper said quietly.

Lila looked up at him.

And that was when she saw it.

The way he was staring at her-cold, focused, almost calculating.

Like a predator studying something fragile… deciding whether to protect it or break it.

A chill crawled down her spine.

But just as quickly as it appeared, the look disappeared.

His eyes softened, returning to that familiar gentle expression.

As if the darkness she had seen in them had never been there at all.

The mansion was silent at night.

Too silent.

Shadows clung to every corner of the house, stretching across the walls like silent watchers. Outside, the

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Chapter 84

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mountain wind brushed against the tall trees, their branches scraping softly against the windows The sound was famt… but in the stillness of the mansion, it felt louder than it should.

Inside, the dim lights of the dining room cast long, wavering shadows.

Jasper moved quietly in the kitchen, preparing dinner as if this secluded place were the most normal home in the world. The clink of utensils and the low hiss of the stove were the only sounds breaking the heavy silence

Lila sat at the dining table, watching him without meaning to. There was something unsettling about how calm he looked.

As if none of this bothered him.

As if the danger chasing them wasn’t real.

Soon. Jasper placed the food on the table. Simple. Warm. Carefully prepared.

They ate in silence.

The quiet between them stretched longer and longer until it began to feel suffocating.

Finally, Lila spoke.

“Did my brother contact you?” she asked, breaking the silence.

Jasper didn’t look up from his plate.

“No reply,” he said simply.

The answer made Lila’s chest tighten.

Maybe I should go to my brother’s place,” she said after a moment. “That way Damon won’t hurt you.”

Jasper suddenly chuckled.

It was soft… but something about the sound made Lila look up.

“Don’t worry,” he said, leaning back slightly in his chair. “Damon can’t touch me here.”

The confidence in his voice was unsettling.

“I don’t think I need to hide,” Lila added quietly. “I didn’t do anything.”

Jasper didn’t answer.

He just sat there, staring down at the table.

For a moment, the room grew even colder.

The shadows on the walls seemed to shift as the light flickered slightly above them.

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Then Jasper slowly lifted his eyes.

But this time, he didn’t say a word.

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After dinner. Jasper guided Lila down the quiet hallway to the guest room. The mansion was dim, the lights casting long shadows along the walls. The way he walked beside her felt less like simple courtesy and more like he was making sure she wouldn’t wander anywhere else.

As if she might try to escape.

He opened the door and stepped aside for her to enter.

Inside, the room was neat and quiet, the heavy curtains drawn against the dark mountain night. As Lila stepped in. Jasper reached toward her jacket.

“I’ll take that-”

But Lila immediately grabbed it, pulling it closer to herself.

“I take care of my belongings,” she said firmly.

Jasper’s hand paused in the air.

His eyes dropped to the jacket for a moment, studying it. Then he slowly lowered his hand.

“Alright,” he said.

Without another word, he turned and left the room.

The door closed behind him.

Lila didn’t move until she heard his footsteps fade down the hallway. Then she quickly locked the door. The soft click echoed in the quiet room.

From inside the jacket, she pulled out the gun and the phone Richard had given her. She placed them close beside the bed, within easy reach.

Only then did she allow herself to lie down.

Exhaustion took over quickly, and despite the strange house and the tension that lingered in the air, Lila eventually fell into a deep sleep.

Sometime later, she woke up.

Not fully-just enough to notice something was wrong.

The mattress shifted slightly.

Slow.

Careful.

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Chapter 84

Someone was climbing onto the bed beside her.

Lila kept her eyes closed, steadying her breathing, pretending she was still asleep.

She felt the weight settle next to her.

Then an arm slipped around her waist.

Jasper.

He pulled her a little closer.

Lila didn’t move.

His body was warm beside her, his arm firm around her like he had every right to hold her there.

But the warmth didn’t comfort her.

It didn’t feel safe.

Not like the warmth she used to feel when Damon wrapped his arms around her.

Jasper’s touch was different.

Warm… yet unsettling.

And in the darkness, Lila lay still in his arms, wide awake behind her closed eyes.

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Chapter 83