My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 81

“David!” she cried, jumping to her feet. She ran to him quickly, grabbing his arm before he could hit the wall again. His knuckles were already red from the first blow.

“David, calm down!” she said firmly, standing right in front of him, forcing him to stop.

He froze. His fist stayed raised, but his eyes locked on hers. For a moment, the world seemed to stand still.

Lily’s tearful eyes stared up at him, her own face wet, trembling.

“It’s okay… she’s going to be fine,” she whispered, her voice soft but steady.

David’s chest rose and fell rapidly, his breaths uneven. His eyes glistened, but he didn’t let the tears fall. He clenched his jaw so tightly that a vein popped along his temple.

Lily slowly lifted her hand, hesitating for just a second before cupping his face. Her fingers were cool against his heated skin. “It’s okay,” she repeated quietly, “she’s strong… she’ll make it through.”

David’s whole body stiffened at her touch. His heart pounded hard, louder than he thought possible. He wanted to believe the pounding was just his fear for his mother, but deep inside, he knew it wasn’t only that. Lily’s touch was doing something to him. Her hands, her voice, her tears—everything about her in that moment was softening the storm inside him.

You stubborn idiot, Lily thought, staring at the tears that shimmered in his eyes but refused to fall. Why can’t you show how worried you are? Why do you always have to hide it?

She wanted to shout at him for being like this, for never speaking his true feelings, but she kept quiet. This wasn’t the time. Right now, he was just a son terrified of losing his mother.

Suddenly, David’s arms moved. In one swift motion, he pulled Lily tightly into his chest. She gasped, frozen in shock, her eyes wide. She immediately lifted her hands, ready to push him away, but her palms hovered in the air for a long second before she dropped them slowly. She didn’t push him. Instead, her arms circled his waist, holding him back.

“I’m sure Mum’s going to be fine,” she murmured softly against his chest. She could feel how tense he was, how hard his heart was racing.

David didn’t answer. His throat was too tight to let any words out. He just held her tighter, almost crushing her, as if he wanted to bury her into his body and never let go.

The nurse nodded. “Only one at a time. She needs rest, please don’t make her emotional or stressed.”

David didn’t even wait, he was about to walk in immediately, but he stopped, turning his head slightly toward Lily. For a moment, his jaw tightened as if he wanted to argue, but then he stepped aside. “You go first,” he muttered, his voice hoarse.

Lily blinked, surprised. She hadn’t expected him to give her the chance before himself. She looked at him for a second, but without saying anything, she nodded and went inside.

The room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor. Olivia lay there, pale but breathing evenly, an oxygen mask covering her nose and mouth. Lily’s chest tightened at the sight. She walked closer and carefully held Olivia’s hand, her tears slipping down again.

“I’m so sorry, Mum,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “It’s all my fault. Please… just get better. I’ll be more careful from now on. I promise.”

Outside the room, David leaned against the wall, pressing the back of his head on it. His eyes were shut, but his mind was restless. He had planned to use Lily as a shield to show his mother who was at fault in their marriage, but instead, he almost lost her. His throat burned with regret, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.