My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 331

Riyana felt a dull ache spread behind her ribs.

She kept her gaze on the painting.

“He once got into a fight with a professor,” Elara continued, “because the man implied I wasn’t good enough for a research grant. Jabco nearly got expelled. He didn’t care. He said the world could take everything from him, but not me.”

Elara laughed softly, as if embarrassed by the memory.

“Crazy, right?”

Riyana did not answer.

Elara leaned closer, lowering her voice. “That’s why I find it hard to believe,” she said gently, “that someone like him could move on so easily.”

Riyana finally turned to face her fully.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Elara met her eyes, her expression carefully composed. Innocent. Almost apologetic.

“I mean,” she said, “Jabco isn’t the kind of man who forgets. When he loves, he loves deeply. Completely. Even destructively.”

Riyana’s hands trembled slightly. She clasped them together to steady herself.

“You’re very close to him,” Riyana said.

“I was,” Elara corrected softly. “For years.”

There was a pause between them. Heavy. Uncomfortable.

Elara looked back at the painting again. “This woman,” she said, pointing at the canvas, “she looks lonely. Even though she’s standing strong. Even though she hasn’t stepped into the water yet.”

Riyana’s throat tightened.

“Sometimes,” Elara added, “loneliness isn’t about being alone. It’s about standing in a place that was never meant for you.”

Riyana’s heart skipped painfully.

“Are you saying this painting doesn’t belong here?” Riyana asked.

Elara smiled faintly. “No. I’m saying some positions are temporary. Some people are… replacements.”

The word landed like a slap.

Riyana inhaled slowly.

“Ms. White,” she said calmly, “I don’t know what you’re trying to say.”

Elara turned to her, her eyes sharp now. The pretense was thinning.

“I’m saying,” she replied, “that I know Jabco better than anyone. And I know he still hasn’t let go of me.”

Riyana felt heat rise to her face. Not embarrassment but Anger.

“He chose to bring you here tonight,” Elara continued. “Did you notice how many people he spoke to before you arrived? How distracted he was until he saw me?”

Riyana remembered the hug. The way Jabco had let go of her hand.

Her jaw tightened.

“He doesn’t show it openly,” Elara said softly. “But I can tell. The way he stiffens. The way his eyes linger. Men like him don’t erase the past. They bury it. And buried things always resurface.”

Riyana stared at her, stunned.

“And you think,” she asked slowly, “that means something now?”

Elara tilted her head. “Don’t you?”

“I already know him,” she said.

Elara smiled. “Do you?”

Before Riyana could answer, Elara glanced toward the crowd, where Jabco stood speaking with Rogan.

“He looks happy,” Elara murmured. “But then again, he always did. Even when he was hurting.”

Riyana followed her gaze.

Jabco laughed at something Rogan said. His posture relaxed. Unaware.

Elara turned back to Riyana. “Be careful,” she said softly. “Men like him don’t belong to anyone forever.”

Riyana met her gaze, her eyes steady despite the storm inside her.

“Neither do women,” she replied.

Elara’s smile froze.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Elara lifted her glass slightly. “Enjoy the gala,” she said, her voice sweet again. “And congratulations.”

She turned and walked away.

Riyana remained where she was, staring at the painting.

The woman by the water no longer looked hesitant.

She looked trapped.

And for the first time that night, Riyana felt it too.