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My Marriage Cost My Father His Life
My Marriage Cost My Father His Life
Penulis: Little Miss Hammer

Chapter 1

Penulis: Little Miss Hammer
I called Marilyn Voss over and over like a madman. It took more than a dozen tries before someone finally picked up.

A man's voice answered. Wherever he was, it was strangely quiet. "Mr. Voss is in the shower. What do you want?"

It was Callan Rourke.

My throat closed up. "Callan, put Marilyn on the phone. My dad's running out of time. I need the money for his surgery!"

He gave a soft laugh. "You need money? Then submit an expense request through the company portal."

He paused, as if he'd just remembered something. "Oh, right. I rejected your last one. You forgot the itemized medical expenses. Make sure you include the exact price of every medication this time. Down to the individual pill."

The call ended. I tried again.

The phone was off.

A second later, my phone buzzed. It was a notification from the company portal.

It read, "Your emergency advance request has been denied. Reason for denial: Amount exceeds approval threshold. Please provide a complete itemized breakdown of anticipated medical expenses, including the unit price of all medications."

I stared at the screen as my knees gave out beneath me.

How was I supposed to provide an exact itemized bill when my father hadn't even had the surgery yet?

Another notification appeared, this one from social media. Callan had uploaded a carousel of nine photos and tagged himself at a luxury hotel in Bellgrave.

The last photo looked innocent at first. Then I saw the woman's hand at the edge of the frame. And the bracelet around her wrist.

I knew that bracelet. I'd seen Marilyn wear it countless times.

Callan's caption sat beneath the photos. "Business trip with the boss. Meanwhile, someone's back home throwing another tantrum."

I couldn't stop staring at the photo. Then the light above the emergency room doors went dark.

A doctor stepped out, pulled down his mask, and shook his head. "I'm sorry. If we'd been able to begin even 20 minutes earlier…"

The rest of his words dissolved into meaningless noise.

"Can I…" I barely recognized my own voice. "Can I see my dad?"

The head nurse gave me a quiet nod.

By the time I pulled on the sterile gown, my hands were shaking so badly I could barely fasten it.

My father, Gideon Sayer, was in the bed at the far end of the room, surrounded by tubes and monitors. I walked over and took his hand.

The moment he saw me, a faint spark returned to his clouded eyes. His lips moved.

I bent down immediately.

"Lucian…"

"I'm here, Dad." I pressed my face against the back of his hand. Tears flooded my eyes, but I fought desperately to hold them back. "It's okay. The money's coming. We'll get you into surgery. Just hang on a little longer…"

Dad shook his head, the movement almost imperceptible. Then, gathering what little strength he had left, he traced something weakly against my palm.

It took me a few seconds to understand.

Lucian Sayer. My name.

"Lucian…" His voice was barely more than a breath. "Don't let anyone make you small… because of me."

My chest tightened.

He gave the faintest nod, and something in his expression eased, as though he'd finally said the one thing he couldn't bear to leave unsaid.

"Go and be free, Lucian." Each word seemed to cost him more than the last. "Live your life… Don't spend it carrying me."

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  • My Marriage Cost My Father His Life   Chapter 9

    The ruling came down on a Thursday. The sky was clear, sunlight pouring through the windows.Walter called me, and I could hear the smile he was trying and failing to hide. "Lucian, we got it. The divorce is final."You're receiving 60 percent of the marital assets, and they've agreed to buy out the equity you inherited based on the value of the original stake. The final figure is actually a little higher than I estimated."I stared out the window without saying anything."Lucian? You still there?""I'm here.""Then why aren't you saying anything?"I opened my mouth, but my throat had gone tight."Mr. Hollis," I finally said, "I want to see my dad."…The cemetery was outside the city, a little over an hour away. Dad's grave was simple—just a gray marble headstone with his name carved into it.I crouched in front of it and placed the blue-covered journal at its base."Dad, I finished your journal. The last few pages were torn out. But I know what you wrote." My fingers rest

  • My Marriage Cost My Father His Life   Chapter 8

    "Callan posted a whole set of photos on his social feed. The caption read, 'Business trip with the boss..'"I paused. "And now you're threatening me with consequences?"There was silence on the other end. For several seconds, Marilyn didn't say a word.I hung up and blocked the number.By the third day after the article went viral, Voss Group finally released an official statement.The title read, "Official Statement Regarding Recent False Claims Online."The contents read, "Our company and its CEO, Marilyn Voss, have always conducted business with integrity and in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations."Recent allegations circulating online, including claims that Ms. Voss deliberately delayed treatment for her father-in-law, are materially false and misleading."Legal counsel has been retained to preserve evidence, and we reserve the right to pursue legal action against those responsible for creating and spreading defamatory claims. We urge the public not to

  • My Marriage Cost My Father His Life   Chapter 7

    I stared at the screen, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. Outside, night had settled over the city. I lowered my hand and raised it again. Then I lowered it once more.Finally, I clicked Reply and typed, "I'm available. Tomorrow afternoon, at the coffee shop downstairs from your office."I sent it, shut down my laptop, and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if Dad could see I was finally moving forward.I arrived ten minutes early the next day. The coffee shop was quiet. A woman in her early 30s was sitting in a booth by the window. I walked over, and she looked up. "Lucian Sayer?""That's me.""I read your story. It's thorough, and you've documented everything well. But there's something I need to confirm." She studied me for a moment. "Did all of this really happen?""Every single thing.""Are you willing to publish under your real name?""Yes."She smiled. "We're going to run the story. But I need you to understand what could happen once it's out th

  • My Marriage Cost My Father His Life   Chapter 6

    "You're starting Monday. Clock in by 8:30 am. If you're late, it comes out of your pay. Starting salary is 3,500 dollars a month. Once you're permanent, it goes up to 4,000 dollars. Basic benefits. If you're okay with that, sign here."I signed.When I walked out of the building, I stopped beneath the afternoon sun and looked up at the sky. For the first time in three years, I was earning my own money, and I got to decide what to do with it.I started work on Monday. Sabrina showed me to my desk, ran through a few things, and left me to it.My desk was by the window. The computer had seen better days, and a fine layer of dust covered the keyboard. I wiped everything down, turned it on, and started learning the ropes.The job itself wasn't complicated. I organized contracts, entered data, handled incoming and outgoing packages, and booked flights for the executives.At lunchtime, my coworkers headed downstairs in little groups to grab something from the cafeteria.I stayed behind

  • My Marriage Cost My Father His Life   Chapter 5

    The address led to a narrow side street in the oldest part of the city. I took a cab there and spent nearly 30 minutes looking before I finally found the place.At the very end of the street stood an aging brick apartment building. The office was on the third floor, with an old wooden plaque beside the door. Most of the paint had peeled away, but I could just make out the words. "Walter Hollis Law Firm."The door was slightly ajar. I knocked three times."Come in."I pushed it open. The office couldn't have been much bigger than 120 square feet. File boxes and battered law books occupied almost every available surface.An elderly man with silver-gray hair sat beside the window, reading through a case file with a pair of reading glasses perched low on his nose.He looked up. The moment he saw me, he froze. For several seconds, he simply stared. "Are you… Lucian?"Now it was my turn to be caught off guard. "You know me?"Walter Hollis removed his glasses and studied my face m

  • My Marriage Cost My Father His Life   Chapter 4

    The smile on Callan's face stiffened, so slightly most people wouldn't have noticed.Marilyn's frown deepened. "Lucian, what are you trying to say? Callan already explained what happened. You made a mistake when you submitted the request."I ignored her. My eyes never left Callan. "Then tell me something, Mr. Rourke. I submitted a request for 30,000 dollars. How did it become 30,000 Bellan dollars after I hit submit?"The manufactured sympathy disappeared from Callan's face. In its place came the cool, measured expression of a man handling an unpleasant business matter."What exactly are you accusing me of, Lucian? Tampering with company records?" His voice hardened. "Our system has strict audit controls. I couldn't alter something like that on my own, even if I wanted to. You made a mistake, and now you're trying to pin it on me?"Marilyn slammed her fork onto the table. "Lucian Sayer, enough! How long are you going to keep this up? Are you tearing this house apart over money?"

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