Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 154

Chapter 154: Chapter 154: You were what?
With his car parked in a secluded spot along the cliff, the headlights blinking dimly, Sean slammed the door shut and walked over with two beer cans in hand.

“Here,” he said, passing one to her before leaning against the bonnet beside her.

Silence settled between them, broken only by the soft click of the can as Gina opened it and took a slow sip.

Ever since she’d told him she was looking for someone, Sean hadn’t said a word. Instead, he had quietly wrapped up his work and driven her to this isolated place — away from the world, away from curious eyes — giving her the space to gather her thoughts and talk when she was ready.

Gina found the gesture thoughtful, as if he instinctively understood that even four walls could make her feel trapped, and he wanted to offer her the freedom to speak without them.

“I never talk about my past. But now that you’ve left me with no choice, I need to come clean, Sean.”

Gina lowered her can, the bitter taste lingering on her tongue, but the courage it gave her was already fading. She darted her eyes toward Sean, only to find him already watching her — quietly, patiently — as if he’d known all along she was gathering the strength to speak.

A wave of uneasiness washed over her. She had never spoken about her past to anyone, not even to Lily or Winter, the two people she trusted most. But with Sean, everything felt different — terrifyingly different.

Was it the fear of losing him? Or the weight of his silence, steady and unpressuring, that pushed her to this point? Either way, she knew if she kept this part of herself hidden any longer, she’d lose him regardless.

“My mother was an addict,” she began quietly, her voice steady despite the storm inside her. “She died due to drug overdose.”

Sean’s eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by the calmness in her voice. But no matter how composed she sounded, the emptiness in her eyes told another story — one that hit him deep, tightening his chest with a heavy knot of uncertainty.

“And I, her daughter, was the product of her life as a prostitute,” she confessed, letting out a dry chuckle that sent a chill through Sean, the sound haunting him more than the words themselves.

There was a quiet, aching pain buried in her voice — the kind that made him look at her without turning away, the kind that stirred something deep inside him, urging him to tell her she wasn’t alone, not anymore.

“And the request I made to Niko,” she continued, her fingers tightening around the can, “was because of the person I saw that day at the restaurant — when we were together. I recognized him. I know him because I once saw my mother talking to that man.”

Gina had once believed that the man she saw might be her father — but she had been wrong. Her mother used to talk about him often, usually when she was high, spinning stories and painting blurry images of a man who never quite matched the face Gina had seen.

Still, there was something about the man from the restaurant that unsettled her. She was certain his presence hadn’t been a coincidence. He had been there for a reason. And deep down, she couldn’t ignore the cruel timing — because just days after that encounter, her mother had taken her own life.

“Does that mean—”

“No, he isn’t my father. I’m sure of that,” she cut him off before he could finish, her voice steady with certainty.

“But…” She paused, her gaze locking onto his, searching for something beyond words. “I am confident he’s someone who can lead me to the truth.”

Sean stayed silent, trying to piece together her words, though the weight of them wasn’t entirely new to him. The truth was, he had already learned everything from Niko about her search — about the man — but he’d kept it to himself, letting jealousy cloud his judgment and building a wall of silence between them. Now, hearing it from her own lips, the guilt hit harder than he expected.

“There’s something I need to confess too,” he said abruptly, pushing off the car and standing squarely in front of her.

Sean had always believed that the past was something people left behind — especially when it wasn’t as clean, as simple, as his had been. But now, standing there with her, he realized not everyone had that choice. And for the first time, he understood just how much she’d carried alone.

He stepped closer. His fingers flexed at his sides, restless, unsure of what to do with the truth he’d kept hidden.

“I knew,” he admitted, meeting her gaze without flinching. “I knew about the man. I knew you were trying to track him down.”

Gina stiffened, her breath catching slightly, but she didn’t look away — not yet.

“I heard it from Niko before you ever told me. I should’ve said something, should’ve asked you about it, but… I didn’t. I let it get to me. I let jealousy and pride make me act like an idiot.” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head at himself. “I thought you were hiding something from me — when all along, you were just trying to hold yourself together.”

For a moment, the only sound was the wind brushing past them, cool and steady. Sean looked down, swallowing the guilt pressing hard against his chest.

“I should’ve waited. And I swear, I wanted to,” Sean admitted, his voice heavy with regret. “But when I saw you with Niko that day — even after you’d told me there was nothing between you two — I still…”

“Let your insecure thoughts overpower you,” Gina finished for him, pushing herself off the car to stand face-to-face with him.

Sean instinctively took a step back, the weight of her steady, dark-eyed stare cutting deeper than any words could. His confidence faltered, and for the first time, his expression wasn’t laced with his usual calm but shadowed with something much closer to fear — fear of losing her.

“A-As I said, I was jealous and I—”

“You were what?” Gina cut in, folding her arms across her chest. Her tone was firm, but there was a flicker of amusement dancing in her eyes.

Sean blinked, thrown off when her lips tugged upward into the faintest hint of a smile. For a second, he thought he must have imagined it — but he was too rattled to trust his instincts.

When he just stood there, dumbfounded and silent, Gina let out a soft laugh and slipped back into her usual playful self, stepping closer and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Then why is it you’ve never come to terms with the fact that you actually like me, Sean?” She teased, her voice warm against the cool night air.

Her words caught him off guard. Hadn’t he been clear? He thought he had, back when he told her he wanted to give them a real chance. Why would she still think he was unsure?

“I made it pretty clear,” Sean mumbled, pouting slightly as his gaze drifted away from her teasing one. “I told you… I wanted to give us a shot.”

But before he could say anything more, Gina cupped his face and pressed her lips to his, silencing whatever lingering doubts either of them had. The kiss melted away his shyness, and when they finally pulled apart, the flush spreading to the tips of his ears betrayed just how much her boldness had caught him off guard.

“So, does this mean you finally agree that I’m serious about you — and that Niko is just a friend?” she asked, pulling back slightly, though her arms remained comfortably looped around his neck.

Sean hummed in response, the barest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.

“And,” she added, her voice dipping lower, laced with playful warning, “you’ll stop giving me the silent treatment. Because if you don’t, I have my own ways of taming you.”

The seductive edge in her words made Sean swallow hard, his gaze sweeping over her face, lingering on the curve of her lips. The need to claim her all over again flared through him, hot and unrelenting. Without wasting another second, he leaned in and captured her mouth with his, pouring every unspoken promise into the kiss.

When he finally broke away, his voice was rough but clear. “And you don’t get to leave me — because I won’t let you go.”

The weight of his words made Gina pause, her heart stalling for the briefest moment. But as his lips found hers once more, all her doubts melted away, swallowed whole by the certainty of his kiss.

***

Meanwhile, back inside the room, Beatrix struggled to make sense of Dianna’s words and her stubborn refusal to open up. Despite her persistent attempts to uncover the truth, her daughter remained silent, offering not a single clue.

As her mind raced with uncertainty, the sound of a car engine rumbling past the gates snapped her from her thoughts.

Beatrix hurried to the window and caught sight of the departing vehicle. It was Dianna — leaving the house without a word. Without wasting a second, Beatrix grabbed her keys and decided to follow her, hoping to finally discover who her daughter was meeting.

But little did she know, another car was discreetly tailing her own — and behind the wheel was none other than Stanley.