My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 77

After dinner, Lily carefully helped Olivia to her bedroom, tucking her in with gentle hands. Olivia was already tired, her body weakened from her time in the hospital, so Lily stayed by her side for a few minutes, softly stroking her hand until she drifted off to sleep. She turned off the lights in Olivia’s room, making sure she was comfortable, and quietly stepped out. The house felt calm now, the soft hum of the night settling over everything.

Lily was exhausted herself. She decided to head to bed, wanting nothing more than a few hours of peace.

In her own room, she moved around quietly, pulling out her pajamas and heading to the bathroom.

After drying off, she slipped into a simple nightdress and climbed into bed. She switched off the main light, leaving the room dim. The soft glow from the hallway slipped under the door, but she didn’t mind. She was too tired to care.

Lying down, she pulled the blanket up to her chin and closed her eyes, finally allowing herself to relax. She thought of David — or rather, she tried not to. She doubted he’d come back tonight. He’d left earlier in anger, his pride stung from Olivia’s slap, and if Lily knew him well enough, he’d stay away. The thought of not seeing him tonight gave her a strange sense of relief.

Her breathing slowed, and sleep started to creep in. Her body felt heavy, her mind drifting, when suddenly, a faint sound pulled her back — the soft click of a door handle turning.

Her heart sank into her stomach.

She jolted awake, her body stiff as she pushed herself up onto her elbows, eyes wide as they darted toward the sound. The door swung open slowly, and there he was.

A tall, familiar figure stood in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling the frame. The hallway light spilled in behind him, casting his face in partial shadow.

Lily’s breath caught in her throat. She scrambled to switch on the bedside lamp, her fingers fumbling for the switch. The warm yellow light filled the room, pushing back the shadows, but it didn’t make her feel safer.

“What are you doing here?” Her voice came out sharper than she intended, a mix of surprise and dread. She sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing at him.

David stepped inside casually, as if he owned every inch of the room — which, technically, he did. His dark eyes flicked to her but didn’t linger long. He didn’t answer her right away. Instead, he closed the door behind him with a soft click and started walking in.

“Why?” His voice was calm, deep, almost mocking. “This is my house, isn’t it? And this....” He gestured around lazily with one hand. “....is my room too. Why shouldn’t I be here?”

He spoke as if her question was absurd, his tone dripping with indifference.

Lily’s fingers clutched the edge of the blanket tightly. She watched as he shrugged out of his coat, throwing it carelessly over the arm of the sofa in the corner. The expensive fabric landed in a heap, but he didn’t even glance at it.

He loosened his necktie next, tugging it off with one swift motion and tossing it onto the sofa as well. His movements were slow, deliberate the kind that made her nervous because she couldn’t predict what was going through his head.

“Are you drunk?” Lily narrowed her eyes at his unsteady steps as he started unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt.

“Just a little,” he replied with a crooked smile on his face.

She flinched at his words, her back pressing against the headboard instinctively. He is drunk. But He wasn’t loud, and he wasn’t angry, not yet but that calmness of his was worse. She hated when he was like this, detached but in control, as if she were nothing more than a piece of furniture in his home. He was like this always.

David turned his head slowly to look at her, his dark eyes studying her face in silence for a moment. “Because I missed my wife,” he said finally, though his voice was flat, as if he were mocking the word ‘wife.’

Her chest tightened. She didn’t believe him.

“You expect me to believe that?” she asked, her voice trembling despite her effort to sound firm.

He smirked. “Believe whatever you want.”

Lily didn’t want to fight with him here. Not in this house. Not when Olivia was just a few doors away, sleeping peacefully after such a long and exhausting day. The last thing she wanted was to wake Olivia up with shouting or fighting.

But being this close to David… it felt suffocating. Every time she let him do whatever he wanted, it was like swallowing a little bit of herself, burying her own feelings deeper and deeper. She couldn’t take it for too long. Not anymore.

If she had known he would come back tonight instead of going to Marina like he usually did, she wouldn’t have stayed here. She would’ve left right after dinner. Maybe gone back to her apartment. Anywhere but here.

“Alright then,” she muttered, her voice tight but calm as she tried to steady her emotions. “Stay here. I’ll sleep in another room.”

Her hands moved quickly, lifting the edge of the blanket. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, her bare feet touching the soft carpet. Olivia already knew things weren’t right between them, so she wouldn’t say anything if Lily slept in another room. She might get sad, but she wouldn’t complain.