My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 11

Lily slept well that night. Normally, after something as humiliating and infuriating as what happened yesterday, she would’ve tossed and turned all night. But not today. Not after seeing David for who he truly was. Not after realizing that no matter how much she once cared, he never respected her. He had taken Marina’s side without a second thought. Let her be humiliated in front of everyone. As if she were nothing.

So no, Lily didn’t give a damn anymore. She had cried enough over him. Now she was done.

She slept peacefully, curled up in the guest room at Noah’s apartment, her mind finally a little lighter.

Early in the morning, her phone vibrated on the nightstand. Lily groaned, turning to the other side and trying to ignore it. But then the vibration happened again. And again.

With a sigh, she reached out lazily and picked up the phone.

There it was—an email notification. Blinking through her sleep, she tapped it open. Her eyes widened.

It was from a design company she had sent her portfolio to a long time ago—back when she still had hopes for her career, before David had crushed them slowly, controlling every job opportunity that came her way.

She sat up, suddenly wide awake.

“Dear Miss Lily,

Thank you for your submission. We’ve reviewed your design concepts and would love to invite you for a preliminary meeting…”

Her heart started racing. Was this real?

She squealed and threw off the blanket. Without bothering to change out of her pajama shorts and oversized tee, she bolted out of the room and rushed straight to Noah’s.

“Noah!” she shouted, pushing the door open.

Noah was buried under a pile of blankets. “Mmngh… What?”

Lily didn’t stop. She jumped onto the bed and shook her best friend. “Noah! Wake up! You have to wake up! Something amazing just happened!”

“Ugh, Lily! What time is it?” Noah mumbled, squinting at the clock beside her bed.

“Who cares? Listen!” Lily was beaming now. She shoved her phone in Noah’s face. “Read this!”

Still half-asleep, Noah pushed her messy hair out of her eyes and stared at the screen. She blinked a few times, then sat up slowly. “Wait… wait—is this from that design company in Manhattan?”

“Yes!”

“Oh my god!” Noah suddenly squealed, completely awake now. She hugged Lily tightly. “You got a response?!”

“They want to meet me! They said they liked my designs!”

Noah laughed, hugging her again. “I told you! I always said you were talented! You’ve been wasting your brilliance stuck in that stupid one-sided marriage with that scumbag. Now you’re free!”

Lily’s eyes welled up, but this time, not from pain. “Thank you, Noah.”

“No need for thank yous,” Noah said, tossing her blanket aside and jumping out of bed. “We are celebrating today!”

“Celebrating?”

“Yes!” Noah turned toward her closet. “You’re finally getting your life back! You’re doing what you love! This calls for a shopping spree!”

Lily laughed. “You’re insane.”

“You love it,” Noah replied with a wink.

By noon, they were out on the streets, the sun shining warmly above them. They walked arm in arm down the sidewalk, chatting about everything from design trends to café recommendations. For once, Lily didn’t have to worry about being followed, judged, or silenced. It felt like freedom.

At the mall, they were like two teenage girls on vacation. They entered every boutique, tried on everything they liked—dresses, shoes, scarves, even silly sunglasses. Noah insisted Lily try a bright red jumpsuit, and Lily made Noah wear a ridiculous pink hat with feathers. They took mirror selfies and laughed like they hadn’t in years.

“This feels so good,” Lily said, looking at herself in the mirror.

“It suits you,” Noah said. “You’ve got your spark back.”

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