My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 321

Riyana stood inside the elevator, her back resting lightly against the cold metal wall. The soft hum of the machine moving downward filled the quiet space. She had just finished her session with Lennox, her body tired but her mind even heavier.

The elevator slowed, then stopped.

The doors slid open.

She stepped out, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. Her thoughts were scattered. For a brief moment, she told herself to breathe, to calm down, to get through it like she always did.

Her phone vibrated in her hand.

She didn’t even look at the screen at first. Her instinct told her it was Jabco. Lately, he had been checking on her more often, asking when she finished, where she was. She pulled the phone out as she walked, her steps unhurried.

Then she saw the message.

Her steps stopped.

Her heart dropped so suddenly it felt like someone had punched her chest.

When are you going to send me the money? I don’t have time.

Her fingers went cold.

For a second, she couldn’t even breathe properly. The hallway around her blurred, the voices and footsteps of others fading into the background. That voice. Those words. Even written on a screen, they carried the same pressure, the same threat.

Her father.

Her hands trembled as she typed, her thumbs moving faster than her thoughts.

Give me two days. I’ll send the money.

She pressed send almost immediately, like delaying even a second would bring consequences.

The phone felt heavy in her palm.

She knew what this meant.

She had no real choice.

He was her father. That word alone tied her hands. If she went to the police, they would see it as a family matter. If she caused trouble, it would come back to her mother.

And that was the last thing she wanted. Her mother had finally built a peaceful life. A new family. A quiet happiness.

Riyana refused to be the reason that peace was destroyed.

She slipped the phone back into her bag and walked out of the building.

The evening air hit her face, cool and sharp. The sky was slowly darkening, the city lights beginning to glow. Normally, this was the part of the day she liked. The end of work. The promise of rest.

But today, her chest felt tight.

Her eyes moved instinctively toward the familiar black car parked near the entrance.

Jabco.

She slowed slightly.

That morning, when she woke up, he hadn’t been there. The bed had been empty, the room quiet. He had left a short note on the table. A meeting. Don’t wait for me.

She hadn’t expected him to come.

So seeing his car made her pause.

She took a step toward it.

Then something else caught her eye.

Another car, parked not too far behind Jabco’s.

Her breath caught.

The window rolled down.

A man leaned slightly out, his face unfamiliar, his smile wrong. Too deliberate. Too bold. His eyes moved over her slowly, openly, like he wasn’t even trying to hide it.

Riyana’s heart slammed against her ribs.

Then she saw another face inside the car. And another.

Her stomach dropped.

She knew immediately.

They were not random men.

They were there for her.

Sent by him.

Her fingers curled tightly around her bag strap. Her palms were damp. She felt exposed, standing there in the open, in front of Lennox’s apartment, with Jabco’s car right there and those men watching her like they owned the ground beneath her feet.

Slowly, her shoulders relaxed just a little. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

But the knot in her chest didn’t go away.

She leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes for a moment. Her mind was already racing ahead.

Two days.

Where would she get that kind of money?

She didn’t know yet.

And that scared her more than anything.

They stepped inside the apartment. She didn’t wait for him, didn’t look back. Her hand was already on the door handle when Jabco caught up and grabbed her wrist gently but firmly.

“Are you still angry with me?” he asked.

His voice was low. Careful. Like he was afraid one wrong word would make things worse.

Riyana stopped walking.

She slowly turned around to face him. Her face was calm, too calm, and that made his chest tighten more than if she had shouted.

“I’m not,” she said flatly. “It’s your life. Do whatever you want.”

She pulled her hand away from his grip without force, without drama, and walked straight toward the bedroom.

That hurt more than any argument.

Jabco stood there for a second, his jaw tightening. He followed her, his steps heavy. He knew she was worried. He knew her silence was not peace, it was restraint. And he also knew exactly why.

She was carrying something alone again.

“That woman is just my friend,” he said, following her into the room. “She came back after years. We only met to see her. Rogan and Shina were there too. I wasn’t alone. If you don’t believe me, ask them.”

He wasn’t explaining because he owed her an explanation. He was explaining because he didn’t want that distance between them to grow any wider.

Riyana walked to the table and placed her bag down slowly. Her movements were controlled, almost mechanical. She didn’t look at him.

Then she walked to the wardrobe.

She pulled out a change of clothes, folded neatly like this was just another normal evening.