After Your Rejection Novels & Stories

“Growing. Contributing. Not disappearing.” His brows twitched in amusement or confusion, I couldn’t tell. We finished quickly after that. He shook my hand mechanically and promised to “be in touch.” He never was. The email arrived instead, two days later. Polite. Hollow. Another bench. Another steady breath. By the time the third rejection rolled in, the emails were beginning to form a pattern. We appreciate your interest. Unfortunately… We wish you success… elsewhere. I read each one carefully, as if somewhere inside the wording, there might be clues.

“Come back in a few years.” A few years. Like ambition waited patiently. We left in silence. On the sidewalk, Aria kicked a trash can. “Cowards.” Theo rubbed his face. “We were stupid to think it’d be easy.” Kai said nothing. Neither did I. Because rejection didn’t hurt. It burned. But I refused to stop. I sent proposals to every boutique I could find. Cold emails. DMs. Phone calls. Rejections stacked like bodies. Until one message changed everything.

She had accepted the rejection. Finally.

A lone sweat trickled down my forehead, my fingers shaking as I brought myself to tap on the last message. And as expected, there it was. Another declination message. The tear filling my eyes dropped loose eventually dripping down my cheeks. It burned — the tears, the regret, the anger, everything! I ran my fingers into my hair, my temples relaxing to the rough message it received from the brush of my fingers. I settled into thoughts, my mind going over the messages. There was something about the rejection from the vendors that didn't sit right. Why did they all decline on the same day?

I would not be able to handle another rejection. "W–what are you saying?" I gasped in tears. "You heard me properly and I believe your mind is mature enough to understand that you should prepare for my rejection tomorrow" Alpha Trent said coldly. I had never seen such coldness from him before. There was no single warmth in his eyes, there was nothing but darkness and void. "Why do you want to reject me?" I asked with tears rolling down my cheeks. "I owe you no explanation to my decisions, I need you to pre–"

It is only because of my excellent skills as a waitress that I don’t drop the plates in my hands, but instead set them on the table and slowly walk toward the hostess stand in the front of the restaurant. I have to squat down to grab four menus, and I take the opportunity to inhale and exhale a few calm, cleansing breaths I’m hoping will somehow prevent the emotional tornado I can feel building inside me. I don’t know what to say to him. I haven’t even worked through the pain of his rejection yet. I wasn’t supposed to have to see him only twelve hours after it happened! Do I ask him why, or do I feign ignorance and pretend he’s a stranger?

"I've been looking for you." Ethan didn't answer quickly. He needed to chose his words carefully, to let Gabriel comprehend the extent of his anguish. "Gabriel," he continued, his voice firm, "what you did, the way you rejected me, it hurt more than I can ever express." Gabriel gulped hard, his shoulders dropping. "I know, and I'm very sorry, Ethan. I was an idiot. I let my ego and arrogance blind me." Ethan's eyes never wavered. "I need to know, Gabriel, why did you reject me? Why did you imply I wasn't good enough for you?"

I’ll add you back in a few days. A red exclamation mark appeared. Your message has been sent, but was rejected by the recipient. Vance had blocked him. Graham: …

Office Dear Ms. Emily Jones, We appreciate your time and interest in our company. After careful consideration, we have decided to move forward with other candidates for the position. We encourage you to apply for the future roles… I stared blankly at the screen of my phone, and my heart just sink. My heart tightened and I feel like the walls were so close around me that its feels so suffocating. It was like a repetition of the last few weeks with another rejection, another door slammed close in my face. I don’t even have any energy to get angry and sad anymore. Just…… exhausted.

His ice-cold blue eyes looked down at Adrian’s broken body with absolute indifference, his lips curving into a small, cruel smirk that held the weight of a six-year debt. "I remember the school steps perfectly, Adrian," Noah whispered, his layman words falling over the quiet hallway like heavy stones. "Six years ago, I stood in the dirt while you sat in your luxury car and told me I wasn't your type. You valued your father's stolen title more than my existence. Now, you are lying on my floor, crying for a glance, while your family name turns to ash on a live broadcast. Some rejections come with a deadly price, Adrian. And you are six years too late to pay the bill."