My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 380

Riyana watched him closely. He did not add anything of his own, no second gift. Just the painting. So he really had not bought anything himself. She was not sure why, but that realization made her feel a little better.

She told herself it did not matter, yet the relief was there.

“Oh, thank you,” Lily said, taking the gift eagerly. “What is it?”

“Ask her,” Jabco replied, nodding toward Riyana as he moved to sit beside her.

“Open it,” Riyana said quietly.

“All right,” Lily said, clearly excited as she sat down and carefully opened the package.

Jabco pulled a chair back and sat. “Hello, Mr. Hardison,” he said with a provocative smile.

David returned the greeting with a cold look before shifting his gaze back to Lily. Jabco noticed and shook his head slightly, almost to himself, unwilling to step away from it.

“Oh my goodness,” Lily gasped when she finally saw what was inside. Her eyes lit up.

“Riyana, thank you so much.”

It was the painting she had been admiring for weeks but never bought.

“I saw you liked it,” Riyana said. “So I got it for you.”

She felt a quiet sense of relief seeing Lily’s reaction. She really had worried, more than she wanted to admit, about whether this gift was too much or not enough.

“It must have been expensive,” Lily said, her happiness softening into concern. She looked at Riyana carefully. She knew Riyana was not in a comfortable place financially right now.

“No,” Riyana said quickly, almost cutting her off. “Don’t worry about that. It’s a gift from me. Please don’t talk about money.”

Lily smiled again, this time warmly, genuinely touched. “Thank you so much.”

She then turned to Jabco, narrowing her eyes playfully. “You better treat her well. Otherwise, you’ll have to deal with me.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Jabco said calmly.

Without hesitation, he reached out and took Riyana’s hand.

Riyana reacted immediately. She tried to pull away, her body stiffening at the sudden contact, but his grip tightened slightly, firm and unapologetic.

“I’m not stupid enough like someone,” Jabco added, his words sharp, his gaze flicking briefly toward David.

“Yeah,” Lily said, catching the meaning right away. “I can see that. You’re not stupid like someone.”

David’s expression darkened. His lips pressed into a thin line. He knew exactly who they were talking about. He wanted to respond, to defend himself, but there was nothing he could say. Not when his past mistakes were being laid bare in front of everyone.

Food began to be served.

Plates were placed carefully on the table, the soft clinking of cutlery sounding far too loud in the suddenly heavy room.

“Oh, I almost forgot to ask, Mr. Grey.”

David spoke politely, almost too politely. His tone was smooth, but no one missed the sharp edge underneath it.

Riyana, Jabco, and Lily all looked at him at the same time.

“What do you think about the daughter of the Hellion family?” David continued, smiling faintly. “I heard she’s very beautiful.”

The air in the room turned deadly still.

Lily sighed quietly, defeated. She chose peace over confrontation. “We should eat,” she said lightly. “Before the food gets cold and everyone starts fighting.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Jabco said calmly.

Riyana said nothing.

She picked up her glass and took a small sip of water. She wasn’t sure if she was thirsty or just trying to keep herself under control. Her mind was loud. Too loud. Thoughts tangled together, emotions pressing in from all sides.

She leaned slightly toward Jabco, lowering her voice so only he could hear. “Let go,” she said, controlled but sharp.

“Why?” he asked just as quietly, his face still turned toward the table, as if David hadn’t just implied his parents were arranging another marriage for him.

“This is not the place,” she said through clenched teeth.

“That didn’t stop you from standing here with me,” he replied calmly.

Her jaw tightened.

She hated how calm he sounded. How unbothered. As if none of this mattered. As if she was the only one feeling shaken, the only one struggling to breathe normally.

Slowly, carefully, she moved her hand again.

This time, he loosened his grip just enough.

She pulled free and placed her hand firmly on her lap, curling her fingers into her palm, grounding herself. Reminding herself where she was.

Dinner continued, but the tension never lifted. Lily tried her best to cheer everyone up, talking more than usual, laughing louder than she felt. If she had known David would act like this, she would never have brought him along.