Our Simple Peace

This was the hundredth time Mom caught Dad throwing thousands of dollars at social media influencers. She didn't scream or make a scene for the entire construction crew to laugh at anymore, nor did she pause her work. Dad thought she had finally learned her place and grown sensible. The very next month, he invited every single worker on the job site to attend his wedding. However, he kept Mom and me out of it. When the workers returned, they were all gossiping about how Mom, the worn-out house-cat, had been replaced by a beauty. The bride was a meticulously dolled-up young woman. I had seen her on his phone many times. Every time, she would be wearing next to nothing, dancing on camera while calling my dad her "Big Spender", right before Dad transferred amounts of money to her with many zeros at the end. Mom looked calmly at them. Unfastening her apron, she thrust the spatula into the woman's hands. "The workers' massive daily meals will be on you from now on." Dad's expression hardened instantly, and he slapped Mom's hand away. "Are you out of your mind?! There are over a hundred people on this site. How could you possibly make Abigail cook for them? It would wear her out! She married me to live in luxury!" "And living in a shack on a construction site isn't too much for our daughter?" The young woman stepped forward to play the peacemaker. "Oh, I heard you and my husband started working on construction sites together ten years ago. The kid must be totally used to it by now. "You can just stay on as the housekeeper. I won't kick you guys out." As if granting charity, Dad commanded Mom, "Hurry up and thank Abigail for her generosity. She's the new matriarch around here. We're all one family now." Mom didn't say another word, simply closing the drafty corrugated tin door. "Bailey, I saved up a bit of money. How about I take you somewhere else to go to school?" Chapter 1 Bailey's POV Inside the cramped, sweltering room, which reeked of grease and sweat, I could still hear the crude, filthy language of the workers outside loud and clear. Mom’s arms shook violently as she held me close. I covered my ears, nodding frantically. "I only want you, Mom. Wherever you go, I go." "Okay. Then we leave tomorrow." Mom began packing our things. In reality, our luggage was incredibly simple. Everything we owned could fit into a worn duffel bag. Suddenly, Dad pushed the door open and walked in. Nervously, I stepped in front of Mom. To my surprise, he took one look at what we were doing and actually looked somewhat relieved. "It's about time you threw those rags away. It keeps this place from looking like a homeless shelter." He tossed a plastic bag toward us. "I brought you some leftovers." I used to see this kind of food all the time when I helped the adults pack scraps for dogs. I didn't move, and Mom held me steady. "No, thank you. I took Bailey out, and we ate our fill at lunch." "How can the stuff you eat compare to a five-star hotel? The kid is so short for her age. People are going to think I'm mistreating her." For once, he picked me up, smelling strongly of expensive cologne. He shoved a piece of chocolate into my hand, the kind I had only ever seen on TV. Even though Dad was a construction contractor, he never gave Mom any money. He always claimed times were tough and that he was drowning in debt. Mom had to wake up at 3 a.m. every day to cook breakfast for the construction workers, and then work a part-time cleaning job just to afford meat for me. However, most of the time, whatever money we had was lost by Dad at the card table. "This is the kind your Auntie Abigail loves. It’s incredibly expensive, imported from overseas. "If you like it, you better behave and please Auntie Abigail. If you make her happy, I'll buy you some." A wave of anger washed over me, and I bit his hand hard. He let go instantly, and I crashed straight onto the floor. Mom rushed to pull me up immediately. He savagely stomped on the chocolate, crushing it into pieces. "Ungrateful little brat, exactly like your mother! Watch it, or I'll dump you both!" "Chris Nelson!" Mom finally snapped. She rushed forward and slapped him right across the face. "Why on earth should my daughter have to please a mistress?!" Dad's expression hardened instantly. He pulled out a marriage certificate. Dad had never registered his marriage with Mom. "Take a good, hard look at this! Abigail and I legally signed the papers and had a wedding. She is my lawfully wedded wife!" Staring at the date on the certificate, Mom froze in shock. I leaned in to look, only to realize with a jolt that the day Dad legally married her was the exact day I had a high fever. Mom didn't have enough money for the doctor, but Dad never picked up her calls. Later, he had even berated Mom for not making lunch for the workers on time. Dad carefully put the marriage certificates away like a treasure, then sneered at Mom again. "You wouldn't want your daughter to be mocked as a b*st*rd child, would you? "I've said it before, I remember who helped me. I know exactly how hard you worked, doing heavy labor on the sites with me. So I won't abandon you two. "But I finally made something of myself and got rich. Is it really a crime to have a young, beautiful wife by my side? "I haven't even thrown it in your face that you couldn't give me a boy!" Years ago, Mom was the only one who didn't care that Dad was dirt poor. Every day, before the sun even came up, she followed him to the construction site to haul bricks, never stopping even when she was pregnant. When she was close to her delivery date, she was struck by a steel rebar, which severely damaged her uterus. I barely survived the birth, and my body had been weak ever since. Back then, Dad had sworn to give us the best life possible. Later, though, he got lucky and made his fortune in construction. From then on, he constantly berated Mom for failing to give him a son. The chronic pain from years of hard labor began to flare up in Mom again. She sank to the floor, losing all will to argue. Large tears splashed heavily onto the concrete floor. The words Dad was about to say caught in his throat. He reached out, wanting to comfort her. Right then, Abigail Cook poked her head in, holding her nose. "Honey, the new house needs a deep clean before we move in. Can we use your housekeeper?" "You bought her a house?" Chapter 2 Mom and I looked up at the same time. Guilty, Dad looked away under our furious stares. "A house is a prerequisite for marriage! Abigail is young, after all, and she's never had a hard day in her life. I can't exactly have her living on a construction site, can I? "It works out perfectly, anyway. You go over and handle the cleanup. It saves money on a professional deep clean, and doesn't that help you out too?" Acting casual, he reached out to grab Mom. "Don't worry. You'll get to live there too when you help Abigail keep the place running after the baby is born." Mom dodged his hand, her eyes growing even redder. "She's already pregnant? What about Bailey? "Bailey has lived on a construction site for six years! Why didn't you buy her a house?" Feeling embarrassed in front of Abigail, Dad snapped, displeased. "Who do you think earned all the money? You two haven't gone hungry, so what is there to be dissatisfied about?" "It's not like the construction site is unlivable. Why do you insist on wasting money on a house? Plenty of people out there have to sleep on the streets!" I looked down at my dirt-caked fingernails, which looked so ugly next to Abigail's perfect, glossy manicure. For as long as I could remember, I had lived in a corrugated tin shack that was freezing in the winter and scorching in the summer. The roaring noise outside never stopped, which had severely damaged my hearing. My body was always covered in a thick layer of dust. The neighborhood kids avoided me for being dirty, calling me a beggar. I used to think the surrounding skyscrapers were impossibly expensive. It turned out Dad could actually afford a place like that... Mom wiped away my tears and told them to get the hell out. Dad suddenly whipped out two hundred dollars from his wallet and threw them at her. "It's about money, right? Here, take it!" The two bills fluttered down onto the filthy floor. Mom hesitated for a second, but she still picked them up. She had to, because that was enough to buy me new clothes for over half a year. Dad then shoved a bank card and a new set of car keys into Abigail's hands. "There's twenty thousand on the card. The PIN is my birthday. Go shop and buy whatever you like." Mom's eyes instantly widened. "That... Is that my card?" Dad shot her a disdainful look. "What's yours is mine. I can't believe you were secretly hiding money! I guess I usually give you too much!" "That's Bailey's tuition money! Give it back!" Panic-stricken, Mom lunged forward to grab it, but Dad shoved her hard to the ground. Abigail looked on with utter disgust. "Only twenty thousand? What can I even buy with that?" Dad immediately pulled out his phone. "I just transferred fifty thousand more. If it's not enough, just ask!" Only then did Abigail leave happily. Dad dragged Mom and me into his minivan. It was the first time I had ever seen such a beautiful house. It was huge and bright, and opening the windows revealed a view of the river. Dad rushed Mom to start working right away. But then Abigail called, saying she had gotten into a car accident, and Dad hurried off. Mom took me to a high-end restaurant and ordered a lavish main course. "Eat slowly. Mom has to take care of something. I'll be right back." By the time Dad rushed back in a fit of rage, I found out that Mom had completely wrecked the house's brand-new interior. Covered in mud, her eyes bloodshot, she screamed at Dad. "I don't have any money to pay you back anyway! Go ahead and call the cops if you think you're man enough. Let's blow this whole thing up! "That way, everyone can see exactly how you abuse your own daughter!" Dad’s chest heaved. He pointed his finger at Mom for a long time, unable to utter a single word. "Get the hell out!" Mom looked at him, completely calm. "I was planning to leave with my daughter anyway, but you need to pay me my wages first. "Hiring someone to cook outside costs at least five thousand a month. I did it for five whole years. You owe me three hundred thousand!" Dad gasped. "Mandy Price! You really are money-grubbing! How dare you demand three hundred thousand? You are shameless! I truly misjudged you back then!" I remembered a worker once telling me that Dad used to be timid and let people walk all over him. It was Mom who stood up for him to demand the wages he'd been shorted. "The way your dad looked at your mom back then was pure worship." I didn't understand why adults were so complicated. Mom was clearly just fighting for her wages too, so why was she shameless? However, Mom didn't argue back, with only tears in her eyes. "Fine, I'm shameless. But it's not like you're any different. So what pride do I have left to keep by staying with you? "If you don't give me the money, I will make a scene in your neighborhood every single day! I'll make sure you and your mistress never have peace!" Dad’s face turned bright red with rage. He looked at Mom, then looked at me. Suddenly, he scooped me up in his arms. "Fine! You want to fight me? Then don't even dream of keeping the kid!" Before I could even react, Dad had already carried me far away. The security guards he called pinned Mom to the ground, leaving Mom's face and hands scraped and bleeding. I struggled and screamed with all my might, but Dad lied to the crowd, claiming Mom was a child trafficker. The people in the neighborhood started whispering and pointing fingers at her. Dad leaned in close to Mom, threatening her. "My name is on her birth certificate, and you don't have a dime to hire a lawyer. No court is going to give custody to a homeless woman! "If you ever want to see her again, you'll behave yourself and go to the hospital to take care of Abigail. Otherwise, you'll never see your daughter again!" "Mom..." Looking at me as my voice went hoarse from crying, Mom finally gave in. Chapter 3 "Those two are definitely bad luck and jinxed me! Why else would I suddenly get into a car accident out of nowhere?" Before we even stepped through the door, we could hear Abigail throwing a tantrum inside the hospital room. According to the doctor, the accident happened because she was driving the wrong way down a one-way street and got sideswiped. She didn't even have a scratch on her. Yet, my dad was worried sick, buying the highest-grade organic fruit to bring to her. "Hurry up and apologize!" Dad glared fiercely at my mom. Mom clenched her fists tightly. Finally, her shoulders slumped, and she defeatedly muttered, "I'm sorry." Dad’s phone rang with a call from the construction site. Before he left, he shot another warning look at Mom, telling her not to even think about running away. Once he was gone, Abigail started frantically ordering Mom around. One minute her back was itchy, the next she wanted sliced apples. Mom rushed around for three straight hours without a single moment of rest. However, Abigail still wasn't satisfied. She deliberately splashed a scalding cup of hot tea right onto Mom's hands. The skin on Mom's already cracked hands instantly began to bleed. I was so furious that I automatically threw a punch at Abigail. "Don't you dare bully my mom again!" Abigail erupted instantly, slamming a harsh slap across my face. "Who allowed a little brat like you to talk? Being a mistress' kid, no wonder you have zero manners!" Mom immediately shielded me behind her back. "You're the one who's the mistress! You knew Chris had a family, yet you still threw yourself at him!" Abigail didn't feel a shred of shame. Instead, she laughed. "Aren't you just jealous of my youth and beauty? You couldn't sell yourself even if you wanted to! All you're good for is being a maid." "Do you have any idea how much money Chris spends on me? The house and the car are both under my name, and he even gave me half a million dollars! "He even told me that touching a wrinkly old face like yours makes him sick! He said it would have been better if you had just died when you were giving birth." Mom tightly covered my ears. I couldn't calculate how much money that was. All I knew was that Dad only gave Mom one thousand dollars a month, so that much money would take forever to save up. On top of that, Mom was the one doing all the work, and she was even the one buying Dad's alcohol. That money should belong to Mom! The moment Dad walked back in, Abigail's face changed instantly, and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing pitifully. "Honey, those two bullied me! That little brat even hit me!" Dad frowned, grabbing me by the back of my collar and hoisting me off my feet. "Do you want me to beat you to death?" Mom tried desperately to explain. "She's the one who started—" "Enough!" Dad barked coldly, unwilling to hear any explanations. "Like mother, like daughter. Your lives have just been too easy!" He forcefully shoved me toward the corner of the room. "If I don't discipline you properly now, you'll be completely ruined when you grow up! You stand there facing the wall until morning!" Dad also kicked Mom. "And you, don't you dare sit down or rest until Abigail says so!" He then snatched Mom's phone away by force. "Don't try anything stupid, or I really will make sure you never see your daughter again." I stood there until the middle of the night. My legs went completely numb, and my entire head felt heavy and groggy. "Mom, I'm so dizzy." The moment she touched my forehead, it was burning hot. Panicking, she scrambled up to find a doctor, running straight into Dad, who was returning with midnight snacks. "Bailey has a fever! Hurry, call a doctor!" Seeing how pale my lips were, a flash of worry surfaced in Dad's eyes. But just as he reached out to pick me up, Abigail started limping and crying. "Why did you use such hot water to bathe your daughter? You left the bathroom floor so slippery that I took a horrible fall! What if something happened to our baby?!" Dad’s concern shifted to Abigail in an instant. Not forgetting to glare savagely at Mom, he said, "Playing dirty tricks again! If anything happens to Abigail, I'm going to make you pay!" "Bailey really has a fever..." However, Dad ignored Mom's tearful pleas, taking Abigail to find a doctor. Left with no choice, Mom could only cry and beg the nurse. "Can you please save my daughter first? I'll make up the money, I promise." The nurse looked conflicted, explaining that hospital policy wouldn't allow it. I began to cough, my entire face flushing bright red. A kind-hearted patient nearby couldn't bear to watch any longer and offered to cover my medical bills. But after typing in my information, the hospital staff looked up in confusion. "There's no record of this child." Mom repeated my Social Security number over and over. After trying a few more times, the staff member sighed at Mom. "Your daughter doesn't seem to be registered in the system anywhere. We can't check her in for an appointment." Chapter 4 My mom paced frantically out of sheer panic. With no other choice, she went back to find Dad. "What exactly is Bailey's Social Security information?!" Dad, who was busy holding Abigail, shoved my mom out of the way with total impatience. Abigail rolled her eyes at my mom. "My son is going to be an only child. Why on earth would we register a money-sink like your daughter in the system?" As if only just realizing it, Dad showed absolutely no remorse. "I never filed her birth certificate or got her a Social Security card. If she's not on the grid, the government can't come after me for child support later. Besides, it's not like she needs it now." Mom's eyes flared with pure, hot rage. "But Bailey is supposed to start elementary school soon! Right now, the hospital won't even admit her!" Abigail clutched her stomach, leaning weakly into Dad's arms. "Honey, every time they get close to me, my entire body feels uncomfortable." Dad, who had been about to reach out and touch my hand, pulled his arm back and waved my mom away impatiently. "She's not in the system, which means you can just take the kid and leave. Aren't you satisfied now?" Mom clung tightly to Dad's arm. "You can't leave! Bailey needs medical treatment! Give me my phone and some money!" Dad was just about to lose his temper when Abigail leaned in and whispered something in his ear. To my surprise, he actually agreed. "Fine. I'll take her to a clinic." Mom didn't care about anything else at that point and hurriedly followed them out. "Bailey, just hang in there a little longer." I opened my eyes groggily to find us inside Dad's new car. The backseat was incredibly spacious, but the smell of cologne made my stomach churn. Abigail immediately started shrieking. "Watch that kid! Don't let her puke in the car! It's disgusting!" Dad glanced at me through the rearview mirror. He didn't say a word, but he pressed harder on the gas. The moment we arrived at the shady, run-down clinic, he carried me inside and called for the doctor. "I contacted and paid you earlier. Draw 400 milliliters of blood." The doctor nodded and immediately pulled out a prepared syringe. Mom was completely shell-shocked. "Why are you drawing her blood?!" Dad held Mom down as she tried to rush forward and grab me. "The hospital said Abigail is a bit anemic and needs a boost. Bailey has the same blood type, and a kid's blood is clean. It's just a quick draw. She'll be fine." The needle pierced deep into my arm. It hurt so badly, and my eyelids grew heavier and heavier. "Bailey!" Mom struggled with everything she had, but Dad shoved her so hard that she crashed to the floor, cutting her forehead wide open. "How can you be so vicious?! Forcing a six-year-old to give blood? She's burning up with a fever! You're going to kill her!" I began to vomit violently, and a flash of panic finally crossed Dad's eyes. Abigail, though, merely covered her nose and complained, "I don't even want this blood anymore. Who knows what kind of diseases this little brat has? I can't let her harm my son!" "Then pump it back into her and write her a prescription for some medication." Dad pulled out his phone, preparing to pay. Suddenly, Abigail stumbled against the desk. The blood bag was swept off the counter and knocked onto the floor, spilling everywhere. "Ah! The sight of blood makes me faint!" she shrieked, falling straight backward. Dad was quick enough to catch her in his arms. My vision began to blur, and my entire body shook uncontrollably. "Mom... I'm so cold..." The doctor examined my condition, looking alarmed. "The child is suffering from acute blood loss. Get her to a hospital for a transfusion right now!" Mom looked at Dad in utter desperation. "She's undocumented! You share the same blood type as our daughter. Please save her!" A flicker of hesitation passed through Dad's eyes, and he began to roll up his sleeve. However, right then, Abigail completely blacked out. The small clinic doctor, terrified of taking the blame, frantically yelled that they had to go to a major hospital. Dad quickly scooped Abigail up into his arms. I heard the brutal sound of my mom collapsing onto the floor. "Chris! Give our daughter your blood first! I beg you!" Dad looked down at the woman in his arms. In the end, he brushed Mom's hands away. He then threw her phone down on the floor. "I'll come find you once Abigail is stable!" With that, he left without looking back once. Warm liquid dripped onto my face. My throat felt like it was being sliced by knives, making my voice terribly hoarse. "Mom... don't cry..." Mom only cried harder. She turned to the clinic owner. "My daughter is Type B. Please help me find a way. I'll give you my phone in exchange." The owner took one look at the old, beaten-up phone and waved his hands frantically. "Get out of here! I can't treat her here! Don't drag us down with you!" "You're the ones who drew my daughter's blood! If anything happens to her, I'll take you down to hell with me!" Mom suddenly roared. Having already taken Dad's money, the clinic owner felt guilty. He grabbed a few bottles of medicine from the counter. "Here, fever reducers. No charge. "Go check the alleyway in the back. There might be someone selling blood off-the-books." A torrential downpour began to fall outside. I grew colder and colder, feeling as though my body was floating away. "Bailey, wake up. Don't scare me..." … Third-person POV Chris was run ragged by Abigail until dawn. Finally, he remembered his daughter, who was still supposedly sick. He wanted to check in on the situation. However, when he unlocked his phone, he discovered dozens of missed calls. Panicked, he hurriedly dialed back. His foreman's frantic voice boomed through the receiver. "Chris, you finally picked up! "The storm last night flooded the site. The structure collapsed and crushed two workers to death! "There's more. Around midnight, I saw your ex-wife bring the kid back here. But that tin shack was completely flattened by falling steel rebars..."