My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 255

Lily slowly opened her weak eyelashes. The light above her felt too bright, and it took her a few seconds to adjust. Her vision kept blurring in and out. She had no idea how long she had been out, but her body felt heavy, like she had been asleep for days. For one awful moment she thought she was dead. Everything was white, too quiet, too clean.

The first thing she truly heard was her own shaky breathing. Then the soft, steady beep of the monitor beside her.

She wasn’t dead. She was in a hospital room.

The ceiling came into focus. Then the walls. Then the cold weight of something clipped to her finger. She felt a tight pull on her arm and saw an IV line taped to her skin. Her chest rose and fell in slow, shallow breaths. Every inhale stung.

Her throat was dry like sand.

Her lips were cracked.

Her whole body ached.

She tried to move her fingers, and they trembled like they didn’t belong to her. She blinked again, trying to sit up a little, but a burning pain shot through her ribs. She sucked in air, whimpering.

What happened?

Where was she?

Was she safe?

Her mind chased every question at once, but nothing made sense.

She tried to turn her head to the side. The simple movement felt like dragging stone. A glass of water stood on the table, untouched. A small blanket covered her legs. Her shoes were gone. Someone had changed her clothes into a hospital gown.

Fear crawled up her spine.

The last thing she remembered was…

Hands grabbing her.

Darkness swallowing her.

"David...."

Her heart jumped in her chest. The monitor beeped faster.

Her breath came out shaky as she whispered, voice broken, “Where… where am I…”

Then the sound of someone shifting on a chair.

“Lily…?”

His voice came so fast, so close, it felt like it cut through a thick wall around her.

“Lily, you woke up? How are you feeling?”

Her heart jumped in her chest so hard she almost gasped. She turned her head slightly, and there he was. David. Sitting in the chair right next to her bed, his eyes red and tired, his hair messy like he had been running his hands through it a hundred times. His shirt was wrinkled. His beard looked rough, like he hadn’t shaved or slept. There were dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he had been sitting there for days.

He had.

He had just closed his eyes for a short nap, but the moment he heard her voice, he shot up from the chair like he had been waiting for this exact second. He leaned over her immediately, one hand sliding into her hair, brushing it carefully like she would break if he touched too hard.

Her eyes lifted to him slowly, and when she saw him, she froze.

“Slow… take small sips… don’t rush.”

She took a few small sips. Her throat burned at first, then loosened a bit. She pushed the glass away with a weak hand.

David set it back down and moved the chair closer, sitting right in front of her, his hand finding hers almost on instinct.

“You’re not in pain?” he asked softly. “Anywhere? Your head? Chest? Legs?”

She shook her head. “No.”

Her voice was still rough, but she managed to speak a little more clearly.

He lifted his hand and wiped her tears with his thumb. His touch was gentle, painfully gentle, like he was afraid she’d vanish if he held too tight.

“Everything is fine now,” he whispered. “You don’t have to cry anymore.”

But she couldn’t stop. Her chest kept tightening. Her shoulders shook. Seeing him right in front of her made everything inside her spill out. The fear of losing him. The fear of never seeing him again. The fear of the darkness she woke up in. The memory of men’s and Marina's voices, the pressure of rough hands on her arms, the cold smell of that desert building....

It all crushed her again.

“How long… was I asleep?” she asked in a trembling whisper.

David kept brushing her cheek with his thumb. “Two days.”

Her eyes widened slightly, but she was too weak to react any stronger.

“You must be hungry,” he said. “I’ll call Roy to bring you something.”