Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: First ever rejection
Sean’s rejection left Gina so shaken that she isolated herself for the entire evening after returning from lunch.

At first, Lily assumed she was resting, but when Gina appeared hours later still wearing the same clothes, her hair a tangled mess, Lily’s curiosity piqued.

“You look like a scarecrow struck by lightning,” Lily remarked, lounging in her chair at the dining table. She took a sip from her beer can, her gaze fixed on the zombie-like figure trudging toward her.

She had expected Gina to return with a smug grin or, at the very least, a dramatic rant about her lunch with Sean. Instead, the disheveled state of her friend suggested the day had gone terribly wrong.

Gina slumped into the chair across from her, staring blankly ahead.

“Lily… how do you handle rejection?” She asked dully, her voice devoid of its usual confidence.

Lily’s brows knitted together as she studied Gina’s almost shell-shocked expression.

“Why would you want to know that?” she asked, suspicion creeping into her tone. Then, as if the realization suddenly struck her, she gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth.

“Don’t tell me…you confessed to Sean, and he rejected you?”

Gina flinched as if Lily had physically struck her. As much as she hated to admit it, the rejection stung far more than she had expected. She was used to being the one who turned people down. How had the tables turned on her?

Lily watched Gina’s uncharacteristic silence with growing amusement. Having known Gina for years, Lily was certain that she was not the type to pursue someone unless she truly liked them. And getting rejected? That was practically unheard of.

Slowly, Lily reached across the table, her tone softer now. “Are you okay?”

Gina remained motionless, but her mind kept replaying Sean’s words on an endless loop, each repetition cutting deeper.

“No, I am not,” she suddenly burst out, her voice raw with frustration. “How can I be okay when I just got rejected, Lily?!”

She ran a hand through her messy hair before burying her face in her palms.

“I’m supposed to be the one rejecting people! How could he-” Her voice wavered, shifting from disbelief to offense.

Lily, however, found the whole situation unexpectedly hilarious. It was almost too amusing to watch Gina, who had effortlessly dismissed countless admirers, finally face the consequences of her actions.

And she couldn’t help but laugh.

Gina shot Lily a seething glare, but it didn’t faze her in the slightest. Instead, Lily casually leaned back in her chair, taking another sip of her beer.

“Well, it was bound to happen someday,” she said with a shrug. “You’ve been on a dumping spree for years, tossing guys aside without a second thought. Glad to see Sean finally gave you a reality check.”

Gina’s glare intensified, but Lily remained unfazed.

“How can you be so harsh, Lily?” Gina snapped. “You’re supposed to be consoling me, not lecturing me!”

But Lily only smirked, thoroughly enjoying Gina’s first-ever rejection.

When it became clear that her friend wasn’t going to offer an ounce of sympathy, Gina huffed and looked away, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

“Fine,” she admitted. “I’ve been… a little harsh when rejecting people.”

Lily raised a brow.

“Okay, maybe a lot harsh,” Gina corrected with a sigh. “But at least they agreed to date me—even if it barely lasted a month. Sean, though? He didn’t even give me a chance.”

She turned back to Lily, her expression almost childlike in curiosity.

“Do you know what he said?” she asked, as if still trying to process it herself. “He said he doesn’t do flings! Like, seriously, who in the world gets serious when there are so many better options?”

Lily shot Gina a look so sharp it nearly cut through her. For a brief moment, she was tempted to smack some sense into her, but she held back.

“Not everyone thinks like you, Gina,” she said instead, her voice calm but firm. “Some people actually believe in true love. In being with one person. Forever.”

Gina opened her mouth to argue, but for once, the words got stuck in her throat.

Something about Lily’s words held Gina back from speaking. But then, she noticed a fleeting glint of regret in Lily’s eyes, and curiosity got the better of her.

“What are your thoughts on dating?” Gina asked, tilting her head. “I mean, I’ve never seen you with anyone, but just in case, what do you think about men and love?”

Lily blinked, clearly caught off guard. Of all things, she hadn’t expected Gina to turn the conversation toward her love life, especially when she barely had one.

“I think,” Lily said slowly, choosing her words carefully, “not everyone wants flings or one-night stands. Some people actually crave real love.” She paused before adding, almost too casually, “And I’m one of them.”

Gina narrowed her eyes. She didn’t miss the subtle weight behind those words.

“Do you have someone in mind?” she pressed, her curiosity deepening.

Lily shot her a strange look, as if debating whether to brush off the question.

But Gina wasn’t letting this go. “Tell me, Lily. Have you ever liked someone? Is there a guy in your life?” She asked, her voice almost desperate.

Lily had been Gina’s manager ever since she stepped into the modeling world. She wasn’t just a mentor. She was a friend, an older sister, someone who had guided her every step of the way. And yet, in all these years, Gina had never seen her so much as mention a guy, let alone date one.

For the first time, Gina’s words seemed to strike a chord. Lily’s expression shifted, her usual guarded composure slipping.

Her thoughts drifted back to a time when she, too, had believed in forever. When love wasn’t just a dream but something real, something she had wanted with every fiber of her being.

But fate had other plans.

“No,” Lily denied, retreating from her thoughts as she shot a serious look at Gina.

“And I don’t think I can have someone,” she added, crossing her arms. “I’m always too busy cleaning up the messes you make.”

Gina’s expression soured. “You’re so mean,” she muttered, pouting like a child who had just been scolded.

Lily couldn’t help but chuckle. As much as she enjoyed teasing Gina, she also hated seeing her sulking for too long.

“Now, go freshen up,” Lily said, standing and stretching. “It’s your turn to make dinner.”

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her beer can and strode toward her room, leaving Gina to grumble behind her.

But the moment Lily shut the door, Gina’s words came back to haunt her, lingering in the back of her mind like an unshakable whisper.

“If only it were that easy to have a forever,” she murmured to herself, a wistful smile ghosting her lips as she took another sip of her beer.

***

[Rosewood Mansion]

Roger was busy working on his laptop when Rita suddenly appeared. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, halting mid-motion as his brows furrowed.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his tone laced with annoyance and disinterest.

Rita didn’t waver. She took slow, deliberate steps toward the bed and sat across from him, her posture tense yet determined.

“Roger, can we talk?” she asked softly, trying to ease into the conversation.

He held her gaze for a long, heavy moment before exhaling sharply and shutting his laptop.

“What do you want to talk about?” His arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable…cold and firm as his eyes bore into hers.

A shiver ran down Rita’s spine, but she steeled herself. She couldn’t afford to let fear stop her now.

“I-I know I made a mistake,” she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. “And I’m ready to apologize to whoever you want me to. Just… please, don’t end this relationship.”

Her voice cracked slightly, and she blinked rapidly, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

Roger continued to stay strong and not let her tears affect him. It was his second nature that he couldn’t see anyone crying, but still knowing Rita was at fault, he didn’t let his firmness falter.

“Tell me one thing, Rita,” Roger said, his voice dangerously calm. “Have you ever truly regretted losing our child? Because if you had, you’d understand how a mother feels when something happens to her kid.”

Rita’s lips trembled as she pressed them together, but it was useless. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice raw. “I don’t know what came over me back then… I-I don’t know why I even thought something so horrible. But I promise it won’t happen again.”

Her desperate assurance did nothing to move Roger. His expression remained cold and unreadable.

Something about forgiving Rita didn’t sit right with him.

The only reason they had married in the first place was because she was pregnant. But after the miscarriage, everything changed. The love, the connection they had, vanished along with their child. And now, he wasn’t sure if what they had was ever real… or just an illusion Rita had spun for everyone, including him.

“Roger, please,” Rita sobbed, her voice breaking under the weight of her emotions. “You know I love you. I can’t live without you. Please… I’m sorry.”

Her body shook as she pleaded, but Roger simply stared at her, unmoved.

Roger regretted reopening the wound he had long buried. As much as he wasn’t ready to accept Rita, he also couldn’t let his child grow up without both parents.

He knew what it was like to live without the blessing of a family, to navigate life alone after losing his own parents too soon. And despite everything, he wouldn’t let history repeat itself.

Letting out a slow, heavy sigh, Roger closed his eyes, attempting to calm the storm of emotions raging inside him.

“I need to work,” he finally said, his voice void of warmth. “It’s late. Go back to bed.”

He didn’t wait for her response, nor did he look at her again as he turned back to his laptop, shutting her out completely.

Rita lingered for a moment, watching him with sad, pleading eyes. But when it became clear he wouldn’t acknowledge her, she swallowed her pride and walked out of the room.

The moment the door shut behind her, the sorrow vanished from her face.

Her expression darkened, her eyes flickering with something far more sinister. She wiped away her tears, her jaw clenching in frustration.

Without hesitation, she stormed into her own room and locked the door behind her.

“How dare you taunt me over something that never even existed?” she hissed under her breath, her hands curling into fists.

Memories of her deception played in her mind like a twisted lullaby, the intricate web of lies she had spun just to trap Roger into marriage.

And she wasn’t about to let all that effort go to waste.

No matter what happened, she wouldn’t lose him. Not to his resentment. Not to guilt.

And certainly not to someone else.