My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 387

By afternoon, the apartment felt restless. Riyana checked the time again and again. Each minute felt longer than the last.

Finally, she picked up her phone and called Jabco.

He answered after a few rings.

“When will you come?” she asked, trying to keep her voice normal.

There was noise on his side. Voices, movements.

“The meeting is still going,” he said.

“Something urgent came up. I’ll try to come as soon as possible.”

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

“If you’re this busy,” she said, the irritation slipping into her voice, “we can go another time.”

There was a pause.

“No,” Jabco replied quickly. “I’ll come. We’ll go today.”

That was it.

The call ended.

Riyana stared at her phone for a long second after the screen went dark. Her chest felt tight now. The irritation had turned into anger, sharp and uncomfortable.

She hung up without saying anything else.

She stood there, not knowing what to do with herself. The packed luggage sat near the door, silently reminding her of the plan. Of the promise.

Her mind felt crowded.

To distract herself, she decided to paint.

Painting was the only thing that could pull her out of her thoughts. Once she started, the world usually faded away.

She set up her things, mixed colors, sat down in front of the canvas. At first, her strokes were rough. Her thoughts kept slipping in. But slowly, as always, she got lost in it.

Time disappeared.

When she finally lifted her eyes from the canvas, her heart dropped.

It was dark outside.

The sunlight was gone. The room was filled with dim shadows. Evening had already arrived.

She quickly checked her phone.

No missed calls. No messages.

Her stomach twisted.

For a moment, fear took over. She thought something had happened. Without thinking twice, she called Jabco.

The call rang.

Then it stopped. He cut the call.

Her confusion turned into panic, then into anger.

She immediately called Nick.

When Nick answered, Riyana didn’t bother with greetings.

“Where is Jabco?” she asked.

Nick was quiet for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully.

“He’s in meetings,” Nick said slowly. “Something serious came up in the company. It’s a crisis.”

Riyana’s grip on the phone tightened.

“Tell him,” she said sharply, “that if he had no plan to go with me, he should have told me earlier.”

She didn’t wait for a reply.

She cut the call.

Her chest rose and fell heavily as she stood there. She didn’t know what exactly was happening at the company, but one thing was clear to her. If he had told her honestly, she wouldn’t have waited all day like a fool.

Anger and worry mixed together inside her.

She looked at the packed luggage near the door.

The sight of it made her even more frustrated.

She turned away.

Her stomach suddenly growled.

Only then did she realize she hadn’t eaten anything since morning. She had been waiting. Waiting for him. Waiting for the trip. Waiting for a moment that never came.

She went to the kitchen and made food for herself.

Even while angry, she cooked enough for two.

She hated herself a little for that.

She ate quietly, without taste, without enjoyment. The apartment felt empty. Too empty.

By the time she finished, it was clear they weren’t going anywhere today.

She changed her clothes and went to bed.

Before sleeping, she called Jabco again.

Riyana frowned. She pulled the phone a little closer to her ear.

“Mum?” she said, confusion creeping into her voice. “What happened?”

There was silence on the other end. Too long.

“Mum,” Riyana said again more sharply this time.

Her fingers tightened around the phone. A bad feeling settled in her stomach, heavy and cold.

Finally, her mother spoke again, slowly.

“Robert…”

Just that name. Nothing else.

Riyana’s heart slammed against her ribs.

She stood up so fast the blanket slipped off her lap.

“What about him?” she asked, her voice rising despite herself. Panic rushed in sudden and uncontrollable. “Did he come to you? Did he do something? Are you okay?”

Her mind went back years. To threats. To fear. To nights spent worrying if he would show up again.

Her breathing became shallow.

“Riyana, no,” her mother said quickly, as if afraid Riyana might break. “No, he didn’t come.”

Riyana didn’t relax.

Then her mother said the words that froze her completely.

“He is dead.”

Dead?

The room went silent.

Riyana stopped breathing for a moment.

“What…?” The word barely left her mouth.

“I received a call from the police just now,” her mother continued, her voice trembling now. “They said he was in an accident yesterday. He didn’t survive.”

Riyana felt like the floor beneath her feet had disappeared.

Her knees weakened, and she slowly sat back down on the edge of the bed. Her phone was still pressed to her ear, but the rest of the world felt far away, blurred, unreal.

Dead?

The word echoed in her head.