The Hour He Never Gave

After Pierce Emery and I got back together, I started "renting him out." Every time his old flame, Daphne Roach, called him away, I stopped crying and causing scenes like before. I charged by the hour instead. Ten grand an hour during the day. Twenty at night. Triple on holidays. Three months later, my account was up almost two million dollars. Pierce had promised to help me pick a dress for a banquet, but Daphne called him crying, saying she'd sliced her hand while cooking. I didn't even look up. I just held out my phone with the payment screen open. One night, I came down with a brutal fever. While Pierce was driving me to the hospital, his phone rang again. Daphne. He stared at the screen for a long second before answering. Her voice came through shaky and tearful. "Pierce, the thunder's so loud. I can't sleep. Can you come stay with me?" I quietly pulled out an umbrella and told him to let me out at the next intersection. He looked at me like he wanted to explain something, but I just smiled. "Don't forget to transfer the money." The same thing happened again on the day our daughter went in for her routine checkup. Except this time, she was the one asking him for money. Chapter 1 The guilt on Pierce's face vanished instantly. He shot to his feet and pointed at Ellie. "Lucia Leighton, is this what you teach our daughter?" I calmly pulled Ellie behind me. "What's wrong with it? If she can't get love, she might as well get money. Better than ending up like me and learning that after a divorce." Pierce went silent. The tension hung in the air until his phone rang again. Jared's voice blasted through the speaker. "Hurry up! You promised to ride the Decepticon coaster a hundred times with me!" At that, Ellie's grip tightened on my clothes. She'd begged Pierce over and over to take her to an amusement park. Every single time, he said he was too busy with work. Noticing her reaction, Pierce didn't answer right away this time. He reached over to pat her head. "Be good, Ellie. Go with Mommy to your checkup today. Once you're better, Daddy'll take you to the amusement park, okay?" Ellie dodged his hand and blinked up at him. "It's okay. Just send me the money." Like he hadn't expected that answer, Pierce's face went completely dark. Before leaving, he snapped, "Lucia, you and your daughter can keep this up if you want. Unbelievable." The front door slammed shut, making my heart jump with it. Ellie tugged on my sleeve and stood on her tiptoes, holding up her smartwatch. "Mommy, look. Daddy added so many zeros. Is this enough for my surgery?" I looked at her face, forcing down the lump in my throat. Then I crouched and pulled her tight against me. "It's enough. After your surgery, we're leaving this place." Once I pulled myself together, I took Ellie to the hospital. While we waited for her exam, notifications started blowing up my phone. Paparazzi shots of Pierce at an amusement park with Daphne and Jared. Caption: [Pierce spotted with rumored new girlfriend at amusement park. Child already calling him Dad!] I zoomed in on the photo, staring at the easy smile on Pierce's face. I couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled like that around Ellie and me. My hand shook as I backed out of the post. By the time I refreshed the page, it had already been deleted. A second later, Pierce called. "Lucia, don't be mad. Those garbage reporters made everything up. I already paid to get it taken down." I froze for a second before realizing he meant Jared calling him Dad. "I'm not mad. Kids don't mean anything by it. Since I rented you out to them, you should enjoy yourself." I hung up before he could respond. When Ellie's test results came back, the doctor said her condition was stable. Her bypass surgery could be scheduled for next month. The strength drained out of my body. I almost collapsed right there. Before this, Pierce and I had divorced because Daphne and her son kept crossing lines in our lives. To teach me a lesson, Pierce hired the best lawyer money could buy and made sure I walked away with nothing. The day after the divorce, Ellie suddenly collapsed at school. The doctor diagnosed her with myocardial ischemia. She could've died at any moment. Staring at the massive medical bills, I didn't even have time to break down. I rushed out résumé after résumé instead. But because of Pierce, nobody dared hire me. Not one friend or relative would lend me money either. As Ellie got worse day by day, I finally gave in and went back to Pierce. Now, Ellie was finally out of danger. After confirming the surgery date with the doctor, I went straight to an immigration agency and filed visa applications for both of us. Right after I finished, a text from Pierce popped up. [When are you coming home? I made your favorite food.] I didn't reply. An hour later, I pushed open the front door. Pierce was in the middle of serving food to Daphne and Jared. Chapter 2 The warm, happy scene made it feel like Ellie and I had walked into the wrong apartment. "Lucia—" Pierce jumped up and hurried over to take my bag. "Daphne's landlord suddenly sold the place and kicked them out. They haven't found somewhere new yet, so I brought them here. Can they stay a while?" I didn't answer. I just watched the housekeeper carry our stuff into the storage room piece by piece. Daphne spoke softly, though the smug look on her face was impossible to miss. "Sorry, Lucia. My health's not great, so I need a room with good sunlight and airflow. Pierce gave me the master bedroom." Jared had taken over Ellie's room. Her favorite doll had been tossed aside by him, its arms and legs snapped off. Pierce suddenly looked uneasy. "Lucia, if you're not okay with this, I can find them another—" "I'm fine with it." I held my hand out calmly. "Same rates as before. But since they're staying in my apartment, there's a location fee. And your company gets billed separately." A loud smack echoed through the room. Pierce slammed my bag onto the floor, his face dark with anger. "Lucia Leighton, have you lost your mind? What kind of crap are you saying in front of the kids? Do you have any shame left?" I almost laughed. He was the one who brought another woman and her kid into our home, yet somehow I was the shameless one for saying it out loud. Pierce grabbed Daphne and Jared and headed for the door. As he passed me, he threw a bank card at my face. "Five hundred grand. Happy now? I tried being nice, and you kept pushing. Why don't you just marry your money already?" When the apartment finally went quiet, Ellie sniffled and wiped my face with a tissue. That was when I realized the edge of the card had sliced the corner of my eye. "Mommy, it's my fault for being sick. You have to put up with Daddy because of me every day." I forced back my tears and held Ellie tight. "I'm not mad. Once your surgery's over, you'll be okay. I'm happy..." Ellie, who used to need Daddy to tell her bedtime stories every night, cried herself to sleep in my arms. I stared at the tight crease between her brows, my chest aching like it was being crushed. When did our happy little family turn into this? Was it after Daphne's husband died, when Pierce got scared she'd do something reckless and started spending every night at her place to comfort her? He went so often the paparazzi started calling him her boyfriend. Or was it when he worried Jared would get bullied for not having a dad, so he never missed a parent-teacher conference? Children's Day. Birthday parties. He showed up for all of it. Meanwhile, my daughter got treated like some illegitimate kid at school and bullied nonstop. Or maybe it was the first time Ellie collapsed from a heart attack. I called Pierce over and over, but his line stayed busy. By the time I got to the hospital, every doctor had been pulled away to treat Jared's tiny scrape. Ellie's heart stopped three times. I begged until my voice gave out and collapsed from exhaustion before I finally stopped a doctor and barely saved her. I snapped out of it, took a deep breath, and headed for the storage room to pack. Other than clothes and daily essentials, I left everything behind. Then I saw the ceramic mugs the three of us had painted together at a craft shop back when Pierce used to take Ellie and me out. A sharp pain twisted through my chest. The Pierce who once gave Ellie and me all his love, patience, and time was gone. After making sure I hadn't forgotten anything important, I carried the sleeping Ellie out of that unfamiliar apartment without looking back. A week passed in our new place. Pierce never sent a single message. Daphne, though, kept blowing up my phone. Every message was another tabloid article about their trips together, like she was scared I might miss one. I opened them without expression. They'd gone everywhere Ellie and I used to dream about visiting. Watching the Northern Lights in Iceland. Skiing in Switzerland. Seeing cherry blossoms in Japan. Even the media company covering them was the same one that had once reported on my fairytale wedding with Pierce. [Sorry, Lucia. I tried convincing Pierce to pay the paparazzi to delete the articles, but he said you have plenty of money. This all started because of me. Maybe I should sell the jewelry and bags Pierce bought me and use that money to remove the news?] Daphne deliberately photographed every gift Pierce gave her, obviously trying to get a reaction out of me. Before, I would've stormed over and smashed everything in sight. Now, I simply replied: [Then I'll leave it to you.] The typing indicator hovered on the screen for what felt like an eternity, but no new message ever came. Just when I thought things were finally calming down, a million dollars suddenly hit my account. The second I saw the note attached to the transfer, my blood went ice-cold. Chapter 3 I stumbled toward my mother's grave. Pierce stood there directing workers to dig it up. "Stop!" I rushed forward, shoved both workers down, and grabbed a hoe, blocking the grave. Pierce pulled Daphne and Jared behind him and scoffed. "Lucia, didn't you say anything can be rented if the price is high enough? I already transferred the money for your mother's grave. So why are you freaking out now?" I shook so hard my teeth chattered. Barely able to stand, I glared at him. "Are you even human?" Pierce shrugged. "I'm playing by your rules. How does that make me the bad guy? Or is every kind of love sacred to you except our marriage? That one's cheap enough to put a price tag on?" My nails dug into my palms, but I was too furious to feel it. I couldn't understand it. The man who once stood beside my mother's hospital bed and swore he'd protect me forever—how had he turned into this? Daphne clutched a framed photo of Goldie, her eyes glossy with tears. "Forget it, Pierce. Goldie was family to Jared and me, but an animal is still an animal. Taking Lucia's mother's grave... it's wrong." The second he saw her cry, Pierce's expression went cold. "Lucia. Move." I clenched my jaw. "Not happening." He stepped beside me and leaned close. "Ellie's surgery is next month. You should really behave until then." My whole body went numb. I stared at him in disbelief. "Ellie's your daughter. You're seriously using your own kid's life to threaten me?" Pierce reached up and brushed my hair behind my ear. His voice was gentle. His words weren't. "She is. But Jared's my son too. The night before our wedding, Daphne came to see me. We drank too much and screwed up. You and Ellie already have money and status. You should be more understanding." Cold sweat drenched my back. A sharp ringing filled my ears. Ellie collapsing from a heart attack kept flashing through my head. Over and over. Slowly, I lowered the hoe. My legs felt like concrete as I stepped aside. Jared instantly lit up. "Yay! That old lady finally moved out so Goldie can have the spot!" He ripped my mother's photo off the headstone and grabbed the urn like he was about to smash it. "Don't!" My mind went blank as I threw myself at him. I shielded the urn, but my head slammed hard against the stone. The world spun. Blood blurred my vision red. And still, the urn shattered in my arms. Ash scattered everywhere. Jared got even more excited. He stomped all over the ashes again and again. Daphne pretended to stop him. "Jared, stop being naughty. What if that dirty stuff stains your clothes and shoes? Then Pierce will have to wash them for you." As she dragged Jared back, she "accidentally" dumped her entire boba tea onto my mother's ashes. "Ah!" Daphne stared at the mess with fake panic. "Lucia, I didn't mean to ruin your mom's ashes. What are we supposed to do now?" She hid behind Pierce, barely holding back her smug smile. "Lucia!" Pierce rushed over to help me up, his hands shaking as he wiped the blood from my forehead. "Does it hurt? Are you dizzy?" I looked at the ashes scattered across the ground and completely snapped. I shoved him away and swung my bag at that disgusting mother and son. "I'll kill you!" Before I could reach them, Pierce slammed a kick into me. I crashed to the ground so hard it felt like my whole body shattered. Pierce stood in front of Daphne, his face dark with rage. "Lucia, you've seriously lost your mind. Attacking women and kids in public? Maybe a few days at the police station will calm you down." Chapter 4 He pulled out his phone and called the cops. I was too weak to even get up. Blood filled my mouth, thick and metallic. My voice came out raw. "They desecrated my mom's ashes like that, and you're seriously pretending not to see it?" Pierce only checked whether Jared was hurt. "He's just a kid. Why couldn't you talk things out? Besides, Daphne already tried to stop him." The cops showed up fast. As they moved to put me in the squad car, I struggled. "Officer, I didn't even touch them!" Daphne pointed at a bruise barely bigger than a fingernail on Jared's knee, tears pouring down her face. "She hurt my son like this. He's still so little. This could traumatize him forever!" The two workers backed her up too. I was taken to a detention center for disturbing the peace and sentenced to five full days. The second I heard that, panic hit me. "Pierce, can't we settle this privately? You know Ellie's heart condition is serious. If she doesn't see me for five days, she'll panic. What if something happens to her?" Pierce hesitated. Daphne instantly wrapped herself around his arm. "Pierce, if you let this go now, Jared will think actions don't have consequences. He's still young. What if he grows up spoiled?" Pierce's expression hardened immediately. "Lucia, you were wrong. Let this be a lesson for both kids. I'll take care of Ellie. You can use this time to think about what you did." "Pierce!" I jumped up and tried to grab him, but an officer dragged me away to change. I didn't even want to imagine what Ellie would go through after five days alone with Daphne and Jared. The fear crushed me. I paced nonstop inside the tiny cell. That night, I finally broke down. I collapsed onto the hard bunk, and the pain from everything that happened finally hit all at once. I closed my eyes, hoping sleep would make the time pass faster. Less than five minutes later, someone jolted me awake. A man in the next cell leaned against the bars and whistled. "You're hurt pretty bad. Figured I should wake you in case you died quietly over there." I turned my back to him and ignored him. Five minutes later, he woke me up again. I barely got a second of uninterrupted sleep that whole night. By morning, I was slumped against the wall, exhausted. I tried to ask the guard to let me use the bathroom. But the guy across from me always seemed to know. Every single time before I could speak, he called the guard over first. I held it until my stomach cramped and cold sweat drenched my back. Right before I blacked out, he smirked. "Pretty girl, that's what happens when you mess with people you shouldn't." That's when I realized Pierce had paid someone to make my life hell in here. I didn't even have the energy to hate him anymore. I just wanted time to move faster. By the fifth day, I'd been reduced to skin and bones. Pierce was already waiting outside the detention center. The second he saw me, pain flashed across his face. He walked over and pulled me into his arms. "Did you learn your lesson? Your mom's ashes weren't completely ruined. I had someone gather what was left and place it in a new urn. She's been reburied in a better cemetery plot. Once you recover, I'll take you there." I didn't answer. I shoved him away. Then I pulled the papers from my bag and stuffed them into his hands. "The money you paid for my mom's grave wasn't enough. Sign." Chapter 5 The second Pierce saw the words 'Property Transfer Agreement', his expression turned ice-cold. "Wow, Lucia Leighton. Seriously? I actually felt sorry for you. I cleared my whole schedule to pick you up and take you somewhere to relax, and this is the crap you pull? I should've known not to waste my time on you." He yanked out a pen and signed without hesitation. Then he threw the pen and documents onto the ground before getting into his car and driving off without a single glance back. I stood there watching the pen crack in half. It was the gift I gave him for our third dating anniversary. The first thing he ever signed with it was our marriage certificate. I picked up the papers and pulled out the divorce agreement clipped behind the property transfer contract. Staring at his bold signature, I laughed and cried at the same time. Once Ellie's surgery was over, we'd really be over for good. "Mommy!" I spun around. Ellie jumped out of a cab and ran straight into my arms. "Ellie! Why'd you take a cab here by yourself? That's dangerous!" She buried her face against my chest, voice shaking. "Mommy, I missed you so much. I snuck out." My chest tightened. "Did anyone bully you while you were staying with Daddy?" I held her face gently. She shook her head but wouldn't look at me. My stomach dropped. I reached to check. She grabbed her sleeve tight. "I'm okay, Mommy. Jared and I were just playing a game. I kept losing, so—" "Be good. Let me see." When I wouldn't back down, she finally let go. I slowly rolled up her sleeve. The second I saw the cluster of red marks covering her arm, my heart almost stopped. Ellie quickly wiped my tears. "Mommy, it doesn't hurt. Don't cry..." I clenched my jaw. "Does Daddy know Jared pinched you like this?" Her lips trembled. "He knows. He was gonna stop it, but Ms. Roach said it was just a game. If I lost, I had to take the punishment. Otherwise, when I grow up, I won't know how to handle losing..." Just hearing it made it hard to breathe. "Ellie, don't be scared. I'm not leaving you again. I won't let this happen again." *** Finally, surgery day came. I watched them wheel Ellie into the OR. I exhaled slowly and dropped into a chair outside, praying everything would go okay. Before the surgery even finished, another deposit notification lit up my phone. I hadn't even opened the note when the OR doors slammed open. The doctors rushed out, blood still smeared across their gloves. My whole body went numb. I grabbed the last doctor by the coat. "My daughter's still in surgery. Where are you going?" I looked inside. Ellie's chest was already cut open. The line on the heart monitor barely moved. The doctor shook me off. "Mr. Emery's son had a sudden allergic reaction. The whole hospital's been called over to revive him. We have to pause the surgery." "You're not leaving!" My voice cracked. My hands shook as I yanked out my bank card. "How much did he pay you? I'll double it. Just finish my daughter's surgery!" Scared it still wouldn't be enough, I grabbed my phone to transfer the money right there. That was when I finally read the note attached to the deposit notification. It was the fee Pierce paid to pull the doctors away. Chapter 6 "Ma'am, this isn't about money. We could lose our jobs." No matter how hard I begged, the doctors peeled my fingers off one by one and walked away. Ellie was left alone on the operating table. Just thirty more minutes, and she could've had a whole new life. Now, because of her own father, she lay there with her chest cut open, waiting to die. A message from Daphne popped up. In the photo, Jared only had a tiny rash. But the room was packed with doctors. Pierce sat beside the bed, feeding Jared Ellie's favorite strawberry cake. Then Daphne called, smugness dripping from her voice. "Lucia, weren't you the one acting all generous? Saying you only wanted the money, not the man? So how does it feel watching your daughter die right in front of you?" She laughed softly. "If you hadn't remarried Pierce, maybe I would've thrown you some money out of pity so my son could earn some blessings. But you seriously overestimated your place. That marriage certificate and your pathetic title cost your daughter her life." I almost crushed my phone in my hand. Every second crawled by. If this kept going, Ellie would wake up from the anesthesia in unimaginable pain. I called Pierce again and again. All I got was the same robotic voice. Not one call went through. As Ellie's heartbeat weakened, I turned on my camera and begged into it. "Daphne, you can have Pierce. Please just let the doctors come back, okay? I'll give you every cent he transferred to me. Once my daughter's surgery is done, I swear I'll disappear. I'll never bother your little family again." The second I sent the video, Pierce finally called back. The second I answered, Pierce started yelling. "Lucia! I only pulled away two assistant doctors. What kind of stunt are you trying to pull? You're seriously using your own daughter's life to frame Daphne?" Daphne sniffled beside him. "Pierce, this is all my fault. Jared had an allergic reaction during Ellie's surgery, so you couldn't stay with Lucia..." Something clicked for him instantly. "Lucia, is this whole act just your way of reminding me I haven't paid you yet? Maybe you shouldn't be Mrs. Emery. You should be Mrs. Money." Before I could say a word, he hung up. At the same time, my phone exploded with news alerts tied to the bank notification. [Mrs. Emery Will Rent Out Anything for Cash—Her Husband, Her Mother's Grave, Even Her Daughter's Life!] [Heartless Mother Stops Daughter's Open-Heart Surgery to Film Video and Extort Money?] The comments were vicious. [What kind of monster calls herself a mother?] [That poor kid seriously got cursed with the worst mom alive. Maybe she'll get a real mother in her next life.] A second later, my phone was flooded with harassment calls and screaming insults. My hands shook as I hung up call after call. I finally got through to another hospital, begging them to send doctors over. But the ambulance got stuck behind a swarm of reporters rushing in to film. Camera flashes blinded me. Microphones were shoved in my face from every angle. "Ms. Leighton, did you really 'rent out' your daughter's lead surgeon?" "Your daughter's dying in the OR. How can you stand there so calmly?" "If your daughter dies, what are you 'renting out' next?" When I wouldn't answer, some reporters actually tried forcing their way into Ellie's operating room with cameras rolling. "Get out! All of you, get out!" I snatched up a scalpel and swung it around like I'd lost my mind. I just wanted to clear a path for Ellie to survive. More and more people shoved forward. I struggled to breathe, like I was drowning. I wanted to stab every single person blocking the way. *** Third-Person POV Meanwhile, Pierce couldn't sit still. He kept refreshing the news updates, hesitating. "Ellie's still in surgery. Am I taking this too far?" Jared looked perfectly fine in his hospital bed. Pierce finally started to get up and head for the operating room, but Daphne hooked herself around his arm and pulled him back down. "Pierce, if you go over there now, you're just proving Lucia's little tantrum works. She got her way once, so next time she'll pull the same stunt to make you cave again. Then everyone'll say you married some crazy control freak. Besides, Lucia's got plenty of people with her. Ellie's gonna be fine, so quit worrying." Her words lit Pierce right back up. "She's getting more ridiculous by the day. Pulling crap like this while Ellie's in surgery? She seriously needs to learn her lesson." He shut off his phone, fully set on ignoring Lucia. What he didn't know was that later, when he finally remembered Lucia and Ellie and checked the operating room footage himself, what he saw would almost drop him to his knees.