He Didn't Love My Daughter

"Alright, Mr. Kozlov, I'll do it," Emma said.

For the sake of her parents who labored tirelessly over her, she would do it.

And that was it.

The beginning of her nightmare.

Emma sighed softly before throwing her thoughts to the back of her mind, making herself more comfortable on her bed. 

'Anyways it's all over now. Tomorrow is going to be a new day and a new beginning.' She thought as she groggily closed her eyes in slumber.

***

Sitting in the corner of their living room, Emma's father, Gabriel sat with a grave expression as he embraced Rosa who wept softly in his arms. Her sobs were soft, almost as if she feared the sound of her own pain.

"I knew it, Gabriel. I had the feeling when that boy came to our doorstep a year ago. I saw it in his eyes then that he didn't love my daughter but I still let her get married to him." Rosa said between sobs as she wept bitterly, her shoulders trembling.

When Daniel suddenly appeared in their home last year proposing to marry Emma, she could clearly see the alienation in his eyes when he stared at her daughter.

It was the look of a stranger, attempting to wear the mask of a lover. 

Though he tried to conceal it with a perfunctory smile, Rosa knew better. She knew the language of love, having fallen in love herself, and she recognized the absence of it in Daniel's eyes.

Rosa had questioned Emma about it then, her maternal instincts urging her to protect her daughter but Emma dismissed it and told her that she was worrying too much.

At first, she thought her daughter wanted to marry the boy because of money as she heard he owned the world's leading global enterprise, K which her husband worked in as a general manager.

She could remember vividly well that when her husband got offered the position of general manager after being laid off from his previous company that year, the whole family was over the moon as it meant their lives would change for the better.

So she was quite shocked to see the founder of K standing before her and his employee, asking for their blessings so he could marry their daughter.

Honestly, Rosa and Gabriel were very unwilling. 

To them, Emma was still young and they hadn't got enough of her.

But most importantly, they needed assurance that the apple of their eye was going into a home where she would be cared for, treasured, and loved by her husband so they didn't want to bless their union till they were positive of that fact.

Their resistance, however, crumbled in the face of Emma's unwavering pleas and relentless whining.

Emma was their only daughter, the light of their lives, and they found it impossible to deny her happiness. She had convinced them that there was nothing amiss, that her love for Daniel was genuine. 

What had taken them by surprise, though, was the speed with which their world had unraveled. Less than two days after Daniel's initial visit, Emma returned home with a marriage certificate and informed them that she was already married to Daniel.

The shock in their hearts was palpable at that point as they helplessly watched Emma hastily pack her bags, explaining that she was moving in with her husband.

They could sense something fishy but just couldn't place their finger on it.

Their only assumption was that the young couple must have been so deeply in love that they couldn't bear to be apart any longer.

However, fate seemed to have played a cruel trick on them, revealing the real reason behind the hasty marriage registration only after Emma was already legally bound to Daniel.

By then, it was too late to protect their daughter from the clutches of a loveless marriage. The realization weighed heavily on Rosa's heart, and she couldn't help but blame herself. 

"I led my daughter into the lion's den with my own hands. I've failed as a mother!" Rosa wailed, her voice breaking with self-blame. 

She clenched her hand into a fist and began to hit her chest, producing a dull sound with each impact.

Gabriel quickly grabbed the woman's hand worriedly, "Honey, please don't hurt yourself! Emma won't like seeing you like this!"

Rosa didn't say anything in response and just rested weakly in Gabriel's comforting embrace, her sobs getting quieter by the moment.

She didn't want Emma to witness her in this condition. 

Who knew if the poor girl would make another impulsive decision that she'd regret for the rest of her life just to alleviate her mother's suffering?

Her daughter was too filial and too concerned about her parents' wellbeing!

Seeing his wife's defeated expression, Gabriel sighed deeply, "Rosa. Emma hasn't said anything yet. Maybe…"

Rosa lifted her tear-stained face from Gabriel's shoulder and locked gazes with him, her blue eyes reflecting pain.

"Maybe what, Gabriel? We've been living in this torment for months, hoping for a miracle. But the truth is right before us. That boy has never loved my Emma and he never will. He just used her to save the face of his company!" Rosa said, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and sorrow.

"He…" she choked. 

"He didn't even see it befitting enough to give my daughter a wedding ceremony yet he blatantly kicked her out. There's really no justice in the world!" Rosa weakly mumbled, another stream of tears trailing down her face silently.

Gabriel's grip around Rosa tightened at her words. His usually jovial eyes were now veiled in a cloak of worry, and lines etched with concern creased his forehead.

The day Emma rushed back home to get her belongings, they had asked her when the ceremony would be held, expecting to celebrate their daughter's marriage properly.

However, Emma had calmly explained that she and Daniel weren't in a rush to hold the marriage ceremony as they both wanted to plan it carefully so that it would be memorable. 

Back then, Gabriel had thought it was a reasonable excuse, but the revelation the next day at his workplace had shattered that illusion.

Holding a press conference before top news outlets was his boss, CEO Daniel Kozlov who skillfully and articulately dispelled all claims of a scandal as he wasn't at the hotel with any random woman but his wife.

Initially confused, Gabriel had wondered, 'Scandal? What scandal?' 

He had been away on leave for two weeks before the press conference, unaware of the storm of a scandal that had rocked K.

It wasn't until reporters had started asking questions, and he had seen the blurry picture of Daniel and Emma walking out of a hotel on the screen, that the pieces had fallen into place. 

Emma had been caught up in a scandal with Daniel and had married him under a sense of obligation. She probably hadn't wanted to bring shame to her parents and had agreed to the terms of a seasoned businessman like Daniel without consulting them.

'No wonder Emma acted so strangely that day', he thought.

Gabriel felt the muscles of his heart contract when he understood the weight of the situation. 

His daughter has been taken advantage of!

In anger, Gabriel pulled off his company ID and resigned that very same day. He couldn't work for the same man who molested his daughter and coerced her into a marriage that was based on his one-sided benefits.

When he had returned home, he had shared the shocking news with Rosa, and they had both hastened to confront Emma. However, she had consoled them, insisting that since Daniel was already her legal husband, she would try to make the marriage work.

Emma had firmly believed that it wouldn't take long for Daniel to fall in love with her. 

Alas, one year later, his daughter came back heartbroken, vulnerable and despised.

No father would want this for their child. 

Especially a father like Gabriel, who wanted nothing but the best for his daughter.

Daniel Kozlov. That name was beginning to leave a bitter taste in his mouth.

If only he were powerful enough, he'd make sure the brat regretted his actions dearly!

"Gabriel, I can't bear to see our daughter in such pain!" Rosa's heartache ran deep, and she turned to Gabriel, her voice a mere whisper. 

Gabriel sighed to release his pent-up frustrations and patted Rosa's arm, "But we still don't know what really happened. We might just be on a wild goose chase, Rosa." he said, that was the only thing he could say to convince his wife to go to sleep.

As if struck with understanding, Rosa suddenly pulled away from Gabriel's embrace and wiped her tears with the back of her hand, conviction solidifying in the depths of her blue eyes.

"You're right, Gabriel. We don't know the full story yet. Maybe Emma has a plan or a way out of this," Rosa said, her voice tinged with hope. 

Crying wasn't the next option. 

Right now she had to be a mother and help her daughter stand back up on her feet so that smelly brat would know he had just lost a treasure.

Gabriel nodded, his eyes reflecting the deep concern he felt for their daughter. "Let's not jump to conclusions. We'll talk to Emma in the morning to find out what really happened."

The night passed, heavy with anticipation and restless dreams. 

Gabriel and Rosa, their thoughts consumed by the tangled web of their daughter's marriage, finally drifted into a fitful sleep as the dawn's soft light painted their living room in hues of pale gold.