All Chapters of My Husband's Affair, My Anniversary Gift : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The ride back to the hotel was quiet, but not in a peaceful sense. It was the kind of silence that hummed with unspoken words.Lily sat with her arms folded, her lips curved into the faintest of smiles. She didn't even try to hide it. Watching David fume all evening—his face set in that stone-like mask, shoulders just a little too rigid—had been oddly satisfying.He wasn't angry at her, not exactly. She knew his irritation tonight had been entirely because of Marina. Marina, with her endless parade of men, her strategic laughter, and that final stunt of kissing a stranger right in the middle of the gala.David hated public embarrassment more than anything else. And Marina had handed him exactly that on a silver platter.By the time they stepped out of the car and crossed the glossy marble lobby toward the elevators, Lily's mood had only lifted further. She had played her part perfectly tonight.It wasn't her fault if the other woman couldn't control herself.They reached their floor,

The next day, Lily dressed with deliberate care. She wore a fitted black blazer over a silk blouse the color of deep wine, paired with tailored trousers. Her makeup was subtle, but her lipstick was bold—enough to say she was serious, not desperate. She carried only a slim portfolio and her phone. The chauffeur dropped Lily at the entrance of the grand venue, a glass-walled private club that seemed to hover above the city lights. She had expected a quiet meeting in a corporate office or perhaps an upscale restaurant—not this. As she stepped out, the sound of music and the hum of mingled laughter reached her before the doors even opened.The valet greeted her with a polite bow and opened the heavy glass door. Inside, the space glowed with warm amber lights and polished marble floors. Crystal chandeliers swayed gently overhead, scattering light across the champagne glasses clinking in guests' hands.Her first impression was confusion. This didn't look like a place for business negotiatio

The bottle spun lazily on the glass table, the warm lighting from the chandelier above glinting off its surface as if mocking the people gathered around it. The air was charged with the faint tension of unspoken rivalries, thinly disguised beneath polite smiles and teasing laughter.Lily sat with one leg crossed neatly over the other, her fingers loosely cradling the stem of her wine glass. She had played the game cautiously at first, asking simple, harmless questions whenever the bottle landed on her. She had no interest in being the evening's main spectacle.Especially not for Marina's satisfaction.Marina's eyes had sparkled with that smug light people get when they think they've drawn blood. The little digs, the arch of her brow, the condescending tone—Lily had endured them all without flinching.She had let Marina believe she was winning.Now, as the bottle came to a slow stop before Lily again, the circle's attention shifted. Marina leaned forward slightly, her manicured nails t

Jacob's gaze lingered on Lily long after David's declaration. He could still feel the electric pull of her presence—the way she had leaned forward with that fearless, teasing smile, pointing directly at him for the dare.The boldness, the confidence, the way she hadn't even hesitated—it was intoxicating. From the first phone call, he had been intrigued, but seeing her in person, up close, was something entirely different. Her energy had a gravity, a subtle force that made him notice every detail: her eyes, the way her fingers curled slightly when she laughed, the tilt of her head when she considered him.His heart was still hammering from the tension, from the kiss she almost gave him. The thought of her lips near his lingered, unsettling him in a way that was both thrilling and unnerving.And now, to hear David claim her as his wife—bold, arrogant, possessive David—Jacob felt a twinge of defiance rise within him. That man might have the legal claim, the name, and the title, but Jacob

Lily returned home alone. The silence of the house greeted her the moment she stepped inside—the kind of heavy silence that seemed to stretch through the wide living room and echo faintly up the staircase. David hadn't come back yet. Of course, she hadn't expected him to.She had only moved back into his house yesterday, and since then, she hadn't even caught a proper glimpse of him here. The only time she saw him was at the party earlier. She knew exactly where he was—probably with Marina. The thought made something twist uncomfortably in her chest, but she shook it off, pretending not to care.Setting her bag on the couch, Lily headed upstairs. She took a hot shower, letting the steam curl around her like a shield, washing away the smell of perfume and champagne from the evening. Standing in front of the mirror afterward, she wiped away the fog and looked at herself. Her eyes looked tired, her lips still held the faintest trace of red lipstick. She forced herself to look away.By th