My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 168

David Hardison was not the kind of man to sleep in a hospital chair. Not for anyone, and definitely not for her. He hated discomfort, hated sleepless nights, hated hospitals. And yet here he was slumped forward in an awkward position, his arm still clutching her hand, his hair a little messy, the faint shadow of exhaustion under his eyes.

Why? she thought again. Why are you doing this, David? What changed?

She slowly tried to pull her hand away from his grasp, careful not to wake him, but the moment her fingers slipped from his, David’s eyes snapped open. He sat up abruptly, like a man waking from a nightmare.

Their eyes met.

For a second, neither of them said a word. His gaze softened as he looked at her, his tense shoulders easing almost instantly. “You should’ve woken me up,” he said quietly, his voice rough and tired.

Lily’s lips pressed together. She didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t even want to think about how tightly he’d been holding her hand. Instead, she ignored his words and said flatly, “Can you pass me my phone?”

David blinked, still trying to shake off his sleepiness, then nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He reached over to the bedside table and handed her the phone.

She unlocked it quickly, but before she could open the food delivery app, he leaned forward slightly. “Do you have something important?” he asked.

“I’m hungry,” she said simply. “I’m ordering something to eat.”

The words had barely left her mouth before David’s entire expression changed. “You can’t eat from outside!” he said sharply. Without thinking, he snatched the phone from her hand.

Lily’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What? Are you crazy? Give me my phone back!”

She reached out instinctively, but her movements were still weak and limited. David easily leaned back, holding the phone just out of her reach.

“David, I’m serious, give it back!” she snapped, her voice rising.

He didn’t even flinch.

“You need healthy food, not that oily junk,” he said firmly. “You’re injured, Lily. You need proper meals to recover faster.”

Lily glared at him, her nostrils flaring as she let out a sharp breath through her nose. She hated how he always acted like he knew what was best for her as if she was incapable of making her own decisions.

“David, I’m not a child,” she said coldly. “Give. Me. My. Phone.”

But he didn’t. Instead, he started typing something quickly on his phone.

“David!” she shouted again, but he ignored her completely.

Lily’s lashes trembled slightly. Her lips pressed together as she fought the urge to say something, something sharp, something cruel. But instead, she stayed quiet. Because deep down, she knew that arguing with him would only make her more exhausted.

Why does he have to make everything so difficult? she thought bitterly. Why can’t he just leave me alone?

The quiet morning light filtered through the curtains, casting soft shadows across the room. David leaned back in the chair, rubbing his tired eyes, while Lily stared at the window, lost in thoughts she didn’t want to have.

For him, this was a chance a small, fragile chance to stay by her side, to do something right for once. For her, it was just another reminder that even when he meant well, he always managed to suffocate her.

“Roy will be here soon,” David said after a while, breaking the silence. “He’ll bring breakfast. You’ll like it.”

Lily didn’t answer. She just turned her head to the side, facing the wall, pretending to fall back asleep.

David watched her for a few moments longer, his chest heavy. He wanted to reach out again, to touch her hand, to tell her he was sorry but he knew she wouldn’t want to hear it.

So he stayed quiet.

Roy arrived quietly, carrying a mealbox that still smelled faintly of home warm rice, vegetable soup, and something light on the side, just like Lily used to like.