My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 392

Meanwhile, at Grey Corporation,

Jabco hadn’t been able to focus since morning.

The office was filled with movement. Assistants walked in and out, Phones rang. Papers were placed on his desk, then quietly taken away when no response came.

Meetings were scheduled, postponed, rescheduled again. But none of it registered properly in his mind.

Jabco sat at his desk, his back leaning against the chair, his fingers tapping restlessly on the armrest. His eyes were fixed on the glass wall in front of him but he wasn’t really seeing anything.

Riyana’s face kept appearing in his mind.

The way she had looked at him that morning. Calm on the surface. The kind of calm that scared him more than anger ever could.

He knew she was angry. Of course she was. He had missed their trip. He had disappeared without explanation. Any woman would be angry.

But this time felt different.

This time, there was something heavy hanging in the air between them. Something unsaid.

Jabco exhaled slowly and rubbed his face with both hands.

He knew he should have told her.

He knew lying to her would only make things worse. But still, he hadn’t been able to open his mouth and speak the truth.

Yesterday morning, when he received that call, his entire world had tilted.

One of his men had called him, his voice tense, rushed. Robert had been in an accident. It was serious. Very serious.

No matter how much he hated that man. No matter how many times he had warned him to stay away from Riyana. No matter how much damage Robert had caused in her life.

He was still her father.

And if Robert died, it would break her.

That thought alone had been enough to make Jabco’s chest tighten.

He didn’t dare tell her.

Not then, not like that.

Riyana was already stressed. She was already struggling. Adding something like this would destroy her completely.

So he lied.

He told her he had work. He told her he had meetings. He avoided her eyes when he left the house.

And he went straight to the hospital.

Robert didn’t last long.

By the time Jabco arrived, the situation was already out of control.

Robert died not long after.

His family arrived later to claim the body. Faces full of grief, guilt, and regret.

Before everything ended, Jabco had already made sure one thing was settled.

Robert had cleared things with Riyana.

Not out of love. Not out of sudden realization, out of fear.

Jabco had threatened him leaving No room for negotiation.

If Robert ever contacted Riyana again, his life would not be his own anymore.

That was why Robert had apologized to her. Why he had stopped calling. Why he had disappeared from her life so suddenly.

Jabco never planned to tell Riyana about this.

He knew she would hate him if she found out. She had already warned him to stay away from her father and her past. If she ever discovered he had interfered, that he had used threats, she would never forgive him.

And then Robert died.

Jabco hadn’t expected that.

Not so soon, not like this.

He had planned to come back home right after. To explain something, to say something, anything.

But fate didn’t let him.

At the hospital, he met Riyana’s mother. Sje had come to see her ex husband for the last time.

She told Jabco not to say anything to Riyana.

“She’s not ready,” her mother had said quietly. “I’ll tell her myself.”

Jabco didn’t argue.

Truthfully, part of him was relieved. He didn’t want to be the one to break her again. And he also knew, deep down, that Riyana would be furious if she found out he had lied to her about this.

So he stayed silent.

This morning, when he saw Riyana, she had acted normal.

He couldn’t tell if she already knew about her father’s death or not. That uncertainty gnawed at him the entire day.

Yes, she was angry about the trip. Yes, she was cold. But was there something else hiding beneath that calm surface?

Jabco couldn’t tell.

He glanced at the clock on the wall.

Work hours were almost over.

He couldn’t sit still anymore.

He pushed his chair back and stood up abruptly.

On his way out, he stopped by a florist. He didn’t think too much. He just pointed at a bouquet he knew she liked. Soft red colors. Nothing too loud. Nothing dramatic.

He held the flowers tightly as he walked into the gallery later that afternoon.

The familiar smell of paint and canvas greeted him. Normally, the place calmed him. Today, it only made his chest feel heavier.

He walked up to the reception desk.

“Can I see Riyana Rivan?” he asked.

The receptionist looked up, surprised.

“Riyana?” She paused. “Oh… I’m really sorry. She just left.”

Jabco frowned.

“Left?” he repeated. “Where did she go?”

The receptionist shook her head quickly.

“I’m not sure, sir. But I heard she took a few days off.”

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