My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 368

Her eyes met his.

“Alright, don’t get angry now.”

Before Riyana could step back, Jabco pulled her into his arms.

It wasn’t sudden or rough. It was slow, careful, like he was afraid she might disappear if he moved too fast. His arms wrapped around her tightly, holding her close against his chest.

“You make me worry,” he said in a heavy voice. “Please don’t close the door again.”

His grip tightened slightly.

“Shout if you want. Get angry. If it makes you feel better, you can even hit me,” he said quietly. “But don’t shut me out like that. It scares me.”

Those words hit her harder than anything else.

Her hands clenched around his clothes without her even realizing it. Her fingers dug into the fabric, as if she needed something solid to hold on to. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest.

Scares him?

Jabco Grey… scared?

She didn’t know what to say.

So she stayed quiet.

She stayed in his arms, her cheek resting against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat, steady but fast. She could feel the warmth of him, the familiar scent that always calmed her without her permission.

They stayed like that for a full minute.

No words.

Just breathing.

Then slowly, Jabco loosened his arms and pulled back, keeping his hands on her shoulders as if he still didn’t fully trust that she wouldn’t leave.

“I made dinner,” he said softly, looking at her face. “But you didn’t come out, so… let’s eat now"

She looked at him.

“Have you eaten?” she asked.

He smiled that easy smile she still wasn’t used to.

“No,” he said lightly. “How could I eat if you haven’t?”

Her chest felt tight again.

She watched his face carefully.

What was this?

Why was he acting like this?

Since when did Jabco Grey smile at her like this?

Even when she was his secretary, he never smiled at her like this. She tried to remember even one moment in the past ten years when he had looked at her this softly, this openly.

She couldn’t.

She had seen him with women before.

Beautiful women and confident women. Women who laughed loudly and leaned into him like they owned him.

But she had never seen him pull a chair out for anyone.

Not even for Lily.

He did it now, he had done it for her before too.

He pulled the chair back gently and looked at her, waiting.

Riyana hesitated for a second, then sat down.

Her heart felt heavy.

What was this version of him?

If this was his normal side, then what was the man she had known for ten years?

Which one was real?

The cold, distant boss who never smiled and never softened?

Or this man, who waited outside doors, slept on sofas, cooked dinner, and looked at her like she was the center of his world?

Jabco went into the kitchen and started reheating the food.

“Give me a moment,” he said from inside. “The food got a little cold.”

Riyana sat there, watching his back as he moved around the kitchen.

Her chest ached.

Sometimes, she wished moments like this could stay forever. Just this. No outside world. No pressure. No past. No future.

But the moment she let herself hope, fear followed right behind.

She was scared of wanting more.

She had loved him for almost ten years, but she had always kept her love quiet, controlled, hidden. Loving him was one thing. Dreaming of a life with him was something she had never allowed herself to do.

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