My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 236

After nearly an hour of restless silence, Lily kicked the blanket off and sat up again.

“David,” she said, her voice softer from exhaustion, “you’re going to ruin your knees.”

“That’s fine.”

“And you’ll get sick on the floor.”

“That’s fine too.”

Lily stared at him. “Why are you like this?”

David lifted his head a little, and his voice came barely above a whisper. “Because I can’t lose you again. I love you. I love you more than enough I could ever thought I can. Even if you don’t want me… even if you hate me… let me stay close. Please.”

His “please” wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t manipulative. It was quiet. Honest. A man stripped of every inch of pride he once had.

Lily’s heart twisted painfully, but she didn’t show it.

She took a slow breath. “Fine. Do what you want. But don’t talk. Don’t come close. And don’t expect anything.”

David nodded once. “I won’t.”

Lily lay back down again, turning her back to him. She closed her eyes. But sleep still didn’t come. Her heartbeat was too loud. His presence was too heavy.

A long moment passed. Then, in the dark, she whispered almost to herself:

“You’re still crazy, David.”

He heard it. She knew he did. But he stayed quiet, kneeling just like he said he would.

And for the first time in seven years, both of them were awake in the same room, drowning in the ghosts of a past neither of them could run from.

Lily kept turning left and right through the night. At some point her body just gave up, and she fell asleep without knowing when.

Morning light slipped through the curtains. She stretched her arms, still half asleep, feeling strangely calm, like she had slept better than she expected. Her hand reached blindly toward her phone on the bedside table.

She opened her eyes slowly, checking the time.

Everything felt normal for a second.

Then her mind clicked.

Something she had forgotten came back hard.

Her eyes snapped wide open. She jerked up and looked toward the floor.

Her breath stopped in her throat.

David was still there.

Still kneeling.

Still bowed slightly forward.

His eyes closed, his head resting a little to the side like he had fallen asleep in that same position.

Lily’s heart thudded painfully. A wave of guilt hit her out of nowhere. Her eyes stung a little, seeing him like that. Weak. Helpless. A man who once stood so tall now sleeping on the floor like a child who had nowhere else to go.

She had thought he would leave after ten minutes. Maybe an hour. But he stayed the whole night.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Lily burst out, louder than she meant.

David jumped awake, eyes opening fast. He looked around, confused, then straight at her.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” he asked in a worried tone, already trying to stand up but stopping at her glare.

That look of concern only made her angrier.

“I told you to leave,” she snapped. “Did you not hear me last night? Kneeling the whole night won’t change anything.”

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