My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 187

David’s eyes, however, softened. He leaned slightly forward in his chair, watching her carefully.

There was a subtle nostalgia in his gaze, almost imperceptible, but the corner of his lips curved into a small, private smile. He wasn’t just seeing a design, he was seeing her.

Back on stage, Lily’s hands shook slightly as she made the final adjustments to the necklace, but she straightened, taking a step back. Her gaze swept the audience, and finally, she looked at David again. Their eyes met across the room, and she froze for a heartbeat. A rush of emotions coursed through her, anger, frustration, fear, and something she refused to name.

But she couldn’t let it break her now. Not here. Not in front of everyone.

She took a deep breath, raised her chin, and smiled faintly. “I hope you can feel the story behind this piece,” she said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. Then she stepped back, letting the judges examine the piece in silence.

A hush fell over the room. The other designers shifted impatiently, muttering complaints under their breath. “How can something so simple compete with ours?” one whispered.

But the judges remained silent for a moment longer than expected, examining the necklace with careful attention. One judge, an older woman with kind eyes, reached out gently, holding the piece as though it were fragile. She nodded slowly, her expression softening.

“This… is beautiful,” she said quietly. “Not for its extravagance, but for its heart.”

Another judge, a middle-aged man with a stern face, frowned slightly, then shook his head with a faint smile. “It’s simple. Almost naïve, yes. But it tells a story. The emotion is clear.”

David’s gaze lingered on her, sharp and discerning. He could see the subtle craftsmanship, the thoughtfulness in each choice, the layers of meaning she had embedded in the design.

Lily’s hands were trembling now, not from fear, but from the intensity of the moment. Her heartbeat raced as she watched the judges. Every glance toward the table made her stomach twist. And yet, she couldn’t look away from David. His expression was unreadable, but there was a glimmer a flicker of something warm, something unfamiliar.

The host cleared her throat. “Thank you, Miss Aurora. Please step aside.”

Her hands, which had been trembling from nerves and excitement, slowly lowered to her sides. She felt a strange mixture of relief and tension, relief that she had finished her presentation, tension from the storm of emotions David’s presence always brought her.

As she stepped off the stage, one of the assistants came rushing over. “Miss Aurora, you were amazing!”

Lily forced a smile, her mind still caught between pride and the ghost of fear. She nodded politely. “Thank you,” she murmured, though her thoughts were elsewhere, lingering on the judge’s table, on the man who had been silently watching her the entire time.

David, meanwhile, leaned back slightly in his chair. He didn’t speak to anyone, didn’t applaud like the others. But inside, a smile tugged at his lips, small and private. He felt a pull in his chest he hadn’t expected.

The first round had ended, but for both of them, the real test, the emotional reckoning, had just begun.