My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 56

56 /79

She laughed out loud, the sound echoing strangely in the quiet hallway. David froze. He had never seen her laugh like this—sharp, bitter, almost cruel. It wasn’t the laughter of joy or relief. It was a sound that made his stomach twist, because it carried all the pain and anger she had been holding back for years.

“I really underestimated you, do I?” she said, her laughter dying down suddenly. Her face hardened in an instant, sharp as a blade cutting through the air. She looked straight at him, her eyes unblinking. “When you were married to me, you had a relationship with your ex-girlfriend and made her pregnant. But still, you wanted me to stand beside you like nothing was wrong. You forced me. You chained me to you.” Her voice trembled, but it wasn’t weakness—it was fury disguised in control.

“I know it was my choice when we first started our relationship,” she continued, her words spilling out like poison she had kept locked inside. “But now… now I’m also the one who is leaving this marriage.”

She leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping to a whisper, but the words cut sharper than any scream. “I was never yours. You just caged me and called it marriage.”

The silence that followed was heavy. David’s chest rose and fell in uneven breaths. His eyes searched her face as though he could find some trace of the old Lily—the one who used to smile softly, who once waited for him late at night, who used to forgive without question. But there was nothing left of her. All he saw was fire and steel.

Lily didn’t flinch. Her grip on her handbag tightened, her knuckles pale, but her gaze never left him. She tilted her head slightly, almost mocking, daring him.

“You don’t scare me anymore,” she said, softly but firmly. “Not after everything you’ve done. So you can knock on doors, shout in hallways, threaten me all you want. It won’t work this time.”

Her words sliced through him deeper than any slap. For the first time in years, David felt something unfamiliar—powerless. His anger collided with something heavier, something he didn’t dare name. Was it guilt? Was it fear? He didn’t know. All he knew was that the woman in front of him was no longer the woman he thought he owned.

Before he could react, she brushed past him, her perfume brushing faintly against his senses, but she didn’t stop. She unlocked her hotel room with the key card and pushed the door open. The click of the lock sliding shut behind her felt final.

David stood in the hallway, fists trembling, jaw clenched so tightly his teeth ached. His chest burned with rage, humiliation, and something he couldn’t swallow down.

“Damn it, Lily! Open the fucking door!” he roared, slamming his fist against the wood. The door rattled, but it held firm.

He kicked it hard, the sound echoing down the hallway. His pride was bleeding. She was hurting him in a way no one else ever had. She knew exactly what it meant for him—for his image, his power—if she walked away. His company, his family’s name, everything would be touched by scandal if she left him for good. Yet she dared to do it anyway.

“Fine!” His voice thundered through the hallway, raw and sharp. “Let’s see how long you can survive without me!”

His face twisted with fury as he backed away from the door. He knew exactly what to do to bring her back, and the thought gave him a cruel sense of control again. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, his thumb already scrolling to the number he needed. His lips curled into a cold smile as he pressed dial.

Inside, Lily pressed her back against the door, listening to his voice, listening to his footsteps slowly fading away. She closed her eyes, releasing a deep, shaky sigh. Her chest rose and fell, and for a moment her fingers trembled against the wood.

She didn’t cry. She didn’t scream. She just breathed.

She knew this was the end. There was nothing in the world David could do to make her go back this time. He had broken her too many times, and she had rebuilt herself in silence, piece by piece, until she realized she was strong enough to leave.