My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 10

Lily stared at him for a long moment. The man she once trusted. The man she once thought had some shred of decency.

A quiet, bitter laugh escaped her throat. Her eyes shimmered, not from tears—but from the sting of betrayal.

“No,” she said clearly.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd again.

Marina stepped in quickly, feigning innocence. “Lily, don’t be so stubborn. A simple sorry and we can be done.”

“I have nothing to apologize for,” Lily snapped, her voice rising now, ringing through the room.

Her hands trembled, her cheeks were flushed from shame and rage.

David didn’t flinch. His expression remained unreadable, lips pressed into a firm line. "It’s just a friendly suggestion. Just do it" he said, tone too casual for the gravity of the moment.

Lily’s throat tightened. Friendly suggestion? After being publicly accused and humiliated over something she didn’t do? Her hands curled into fists at her sides. A dozen words burned on her tongue, but she swallowed them, not wanting to create a scene. Not here, not now.

Taking a deep breath, she turned slightly away, trying to gather her composure. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on her. Some pitied her. Others watched with smug satisfaction.

Her pride battled with her self-control. She had done nothing wrong. Still, she was expected to bow her head and apologize just to keep the peace.

Before she could force herself to move, the door to the office burst open.

"Wait!" Noah’s voice rang out, urgent and clear. She walked in briskly, holding her phone. "I have the security footage."

A hushed murmur spread through the room. All attention shifted to her as she connected her phone to the screen mounted on the wall.

The footage played. The group watched in silence as Marina was shown entering the lounge, looking around before subtly slipping her own necklace into her friend’s handbag. She then walked away, glancing over her shoulder.

Gasps echoed through the room.

Lily felt her heart pounding. Even though the footage confirmed her innocence, the whole situation still felt surreal. Her eyes flitted to David, whose gaze remained fixed on the screen, jaw clenched.

He turned slowly to Marina, voice cold. "Why did you do that?"

Marina stood frozen, her face pale. Her lips parted, but no words came out. A beat passed before her friend, Emma, jumped in hastily.

"It’s not what you think!" Emma cried. "Marina… she had brain surgery. It affected her memory. She’s not the same anymore."

The room went still again.

Emma continued, eyes darting between everyone, her voice louder and shakier now. "She’s been struggling a lot after the breakup, David. You have no idea what she’s gone through. The surgery... it’s changed her. She doesn’t always know what she’s doing."

David blinked, taken aback. The revelation clearly caught him off guard.

But Marina turned sharply to Emma, her eyes flashing with anger.

Her voice cracked with disbelief. “You think money can fix what happened here tonight?”

David’s silence was her answer.

Lily forced a bitter smile. "You asked me to apologize earlier, but now that the truth is out, you want to sweep it under the rug?"

David’s gaze dropped. "I just don’t want things to escalate."

"Of course you don’t," she said quietly, her voice laced with disappointment. "Because it’s easier to buy silence than to hold someone accountable."

The crowd was silent now, watching them with intense interest. But Lily didn’t care anymore. She looked up at David, her chin raised, pride rising in her chest despite the tears burning in her eyes.

“I never expected you to defend me,” she said, her voice trembling but strong. “But I thought... maybe I still had some basic respect from you. Clearly, I was wrong.”

Lily turned to David one last time. "Thank you so much Mr. Hardison"

David said nothing. His hands clenched slightly, but he didn’t look away.

Noah walked over to Lily’s side. “Come on,” she said gently. “You don’t need to stay here anymore.”

As Lily turned to walk away, the crowd parted for her in silence. The humiliation, the pain, the betrayal—it all burned within her. But she didn’t let it show. Her back was straight. Her steps steady.

Behind her, David stood motionless.