Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 203

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: It’s not your fault
At the hospital, a heavy silence hung over the waiting room like a storm cloud. The tension was palpable, each second feeling like an eternity. Then, at last, the doctor emerged, pulling off his mask with a sigh.

“The injury wasn’t fatal,” the doctor announced, his voice calm and steady. “Roger is out of danger. We managed to stabilize him.”

A collective breath of relief washed over those waiting. Lily’s knees nearly buckled, tears spilling from her eyes as a grateful sob escaped her lips. “Thank you… thank you so much.”

But while relief washed over Lily, a heavy, crushing weight settled over Sylvester. His eyes darkened, his jaw clenched tightly. Yet instead of rushing to Roger’s side, he turned away. His steps were slow and deliberate, his shoulders heavy with shame.

“Grandfather?” Lilac’s voice called after him, worry lacing her tone.

“Come, Lilac,” Sylvester muttered, his voice rough, refusing to look back. “Let’s go.”

“But Roger—”

“He doesn’t need to see me right now,” Sylvester interrupted, his voice thick with guilt. “Not after what I’ve done.”

Lilac hesitated, her gaze flicking between her grandfather’s rigid back and the door leading to Roger’s room. But the anguish in Sylvester’s voice left no room for argument. With a final glance at Lily, who had disappeared into Roger’s room, she followed Sylvester down the sterile hallway.

Each step Sylvester took felt like a march of shame. His mind was a storm of regret—regret for forcing Roger into that marriage, for turning a blind eye to the truth, and for trusting the wrong people.

He had believed he was protecting Roger, giving him a sense of responsibility. Instead, he had chained him to a life of deceit and misery.

“Grandfather…” Lilac whispered as they reached the elevator, her voice tentative. “You can still make things right. Roger… he won’t blame you.”

“But I blame myself, Lilac,” Sylvester replied, his voice breaking. “I pushed him into this. I gave power to those deceitful women. I let them destroy his life while I thought I was protecting him.”

The elevator doors slid open, and they stepped inside. Silence wrapped around them, but Sylvester’s resolve only hardened.

“Those who lied to us, who manipulated and betrayed us—they will face the consequences,” he whispered, his eyes cold, but his heart heavy. “And I will make sure Roger is freed from the chains I forced upon him.”

As the doors closed, Lilac reached out, squeezing his arm gently.

Lilac recalled she wouldn’t have managed to expose Rita after Lily confided in her after her relation with Roger came to her knowledge.

She remembered Lily telling her about Rita being in a relationship with a boy back in college and how it took her a while to believe that she and Roger betrayed her.

She even showed her the photos Rita sent her back then and that somehow led Lilac to further dig into Rita’s lies.

She had been secretly combing through proof against Rita and came across the report that confirmed the child in Rita’s womb wasn’t Roger’s.

That truth was shocking, but it didn’t stop Lilac and she further went on to confront the guy Rita was involved with.

Rita wasn’t someone Lilac ever liked, but when she came across how she and her mother had been fooling Grandpa, she realized it was time for her to discard the players once and for all.

And gladly Slyvester happened to believe it while secretly monitoring Beatrix’s scheme.

***

“Don’t worry, he’s out of danger,” Lilac’s voice came through the other end of the call, steady but laced with tension.

Kalix listened intently, his jaw tightening as she filled him in. Beatrix and Rita’s reckless chaos had spiraled beyond anyone’s expectations. But thankfully, Lilac had already gathered enough evidence to expose their schemes. Yet Rita’s desperate outburst had left everyone stunned.

“I’ll go and see him tomorrow,” Kalix replied before ending the call.

As he stepped into the room, Winter looked up, her anxious gaze meeting his. “Is Roger okay?”

“Yes. The cut wasn’t deep,” Kalix reassured her, his voice calm.

A sigh of relief escaped Winter, the weight visibly lifting from her tense shoulders.

She hadn’t known Roger for long, but in those few encounters, she had seen him as a dependable older brother to his siblings—a man of few words but unwavering principles. His decision to divorce Rita after she dared to harm Seren had left a lasting impression on her.

“I never imagined Rita would be so reckless,” Winter whispered, her fingers nervously twisting together. “If she had managed to hurt Lily… and if Roger hadn’t acted on instinct… Lily could’ve…”

Her voice broke, the unspoken horror sending a shiver down her spine.

Kalix stepped closer, gently placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “But she didn’t. Lily is safe, and Roger protected her. He won’t let anyone harm those he cares about.”

Winter leaned into his touch, finding a quiet comfort in his presence. “I just… I don’t understand how someone can become so blinded by bitterness.”

“Desperation reveals the truth of people, Angel,” Kalix murmured. “But it also exposes their weaknesses. And now, Rita’s true face is uncovered.”

“I’m glad Rita’s lies are finally out, and both Roger and Lily have a fair chance to start over,” Winter murmured, a gentle smile softening her features.

Kalix nodded, but his gaze drifted slightly, his expression shadowed with a mix of relief and lingering concern.

For years, he had watched his brother isolate himself, burying his emotions beneath a relentless work ethic. Roger had always been the strong, silent type—someone who carried the weight of responsibility without complaint. At first, Kalix thought his brother’s distance was just his way of coping with the loss of his child. The grief had been unbearable, a silent storm that seemed to consume Roger from within.

But as time passed, Kalix began to see it was more than that. It wasn’t just the grief—it was the constant web of lies and betrayal that had slowly poisoned Roger’s spirit. Rita’s deceit had trapped him in a life of quiet despair, where trust felt like a distant memory.

Kalix clenched his jaw slightly, a mix of anger and sadness twisting inside him. He had always wanted to help his brother, to pull him out of that darkness, but Roger’s pride made it nearly impossible. He was a man who hid his pain behind a stoic mask, refusing to show vulnerability even to his own family.

But now, with the truth exposed and Rita’s manipulation shattered, a spark of hope ignited within Kalix. Maybe this was the turning point Roger needed. Maybe, finally, his brother could breathe freely again.

“I just hope he lets himself heal,” Kalix muttered, his voice low but laced with quiet determination.

Winter’s warm hand found his, her touch gentle yet grounding. “With Lily by his side, I’m sure he will.”

Kalix’s gaze softened as he looked at her. “I am sure they will both heal each other.”

***

The entire night passed with Lily sitting silently by Roger’s side. His face was pale against the hospital pillow, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, but he remained unconscious. When the doctor came to check on him in the morning, they assured her he would wake up at any moment.

Lily’s weary eyes stayed fixed on the bandage wrapped around his chest, the stark white fabric a reminder of the chaos that had unfolded. The horrifying memory of Rita’s frenzied attack played vividly in her mind—the wild fury in Rita’s eyes, the flash of the weapon, and then… Roger stepping between her and the threat without a second thought.

Her vision blurred with tears. He had shielded her. Taken the blow meant for her.

And those words he whispered just before his eyes fluttered shut… they haunted her.

Regret gnawed at her. She had been so blinded by her anger—her hatred for his involvement with Rita—that she had never stopped to see the truth. Even when she suspected that Rita was manipulating him, she chose to lash out, to wound him with her words, instead of understanding.

But now, with the truth laid bare—Rita’s lies exposed—Lily saw just how deeply she had wronged him. Roger wasn’t a villain in her story. He was a victim, ensnared just like she had been.

“Ah…” Suddenly a faint groan broke through the silence.

Lily jolted, her heart pounding as Roger’s brow furrowed in pain. She leaned forward instantly, her fingers brushing against his cool, clammy hand.

“Roger?” she whispered, voice trembling. “Does it hurt? Should I call the doctor?” Panic clawed at her chest, and she made to rise, but his hand shot out, catching her wrist.

“Don’t… go,” he murmured, his voice hoarse and weak but unmistakably pleading.

Lily froze, her gaze locked on his half-lidded eyes, which struggled to focus on her. His grip was faint, yet it sent a warmth rushing through her—a reminder of his unwavering instinct to protect her, even in pain.

“I won’t,” she whispered, squeezing his hand gently, tears spilling over her lashes. “I won’t go anywhere.”

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips, and his grip on her wrist loosened, though his fingers still rested against her skin, as if seeking reassurance that she was real.

“I’m sorry…” Lily’s voice cracked. “I’m so sorry, Roger. For everything. For not seeing… for not believing you.”

“Not your fault…” Roger’s words were barely a whisper, his eyes fluttering shut again, but his breathing was steadier now.

Lily leaned closer, pressing her forehead against the back of his hand, her tears soaking into his skin.

But this time, they weren’t just tears of regret.

They were tears of hope—hope that maybe, just maybe, they could find a way forward. Together.