The Hour He Never Gave

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.