Every Single time
783 Words
"Five thousand dollars," Damien said again. He looked at Mia with a cold smile. "That is the price for tonight. Do we have a deal, or do you want to keep acting like you are too good for my money?"
Mia looked at the check. Her heart was beating very fast, but she did not cry. She did not scream. She knew she needed a plan. If she was going to have this baby, she needed to be able to run away. She needed her own money so she wouldn't have to beg him for anything ever again.
"Is this a one-time thing?" Mia asked. Her voice was very quiet and very flat. She wasn't acting sad. She was being practical, just like him.
Damien blinked. He was surprised that she wasn't crying. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, if I agree to this, is it just for tonight? Or is this the new rule for our marriage?" Mia looked him straight in the eyes. She didn't look like a "wounded bird" anymore. She looked like someone making a business deal.
Damien leaned back, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't think you were a negotiator, Mia. I thought you were the girl who cried over hospital bills."
"I am the girl who pays her debts," Mia said. "And since you want to buy my time, I want to make sure the price is right. I will agree to stay with you tonight. But I have one condition. If you want to touch me again after tonight, you have to pay the same price every time. Five thousand dollars for every night. No exceptions."
The car became very quiet. The air felt heavy. Damien felt a strange flash of anger in his chest. He had expected her to be insulted. He had expected her to fight him. But seeing her agree so easily and even ask for more money made him feel disgusted.
He thought she was different. He thought she was like the girl from the hotel who had been so sweet and real. But now, he saw a girl who was putting a price tag on herself.
"You really are just a gold-digger, aren't you?" Damien hissed. He grabbed the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. "I thought you were innocent. I thought you were a good person who was just having a hard time."
"You are the one who offered the money, Mr. Cross," Mia reminded him. She kept her face calm, even though she felt like she was dying inside. "I am just accepting the terms of the contract."
Damien let out a loud, mean laugh. He looked at her with pure hate in his eyes.
"Fine. I'll pay," he said, his voice sounding like a knife. "But don't expect me to be gentle. If I'm paying for a service, I expect to get my money's worth."
He leaned in close to her ear. His breath was hot against her skin, but his words were like ice.
"You’re just a cheap w***e with a pretty face, Mia. I hope that five thousand dollars is worth your soul, because after tonight, I will never look at you with respect again."
Mia felt the words sting her heart, but she didn't let him see it. She reached out and took the check from the dashboard. She folded it carefully and put it in her pocket.
"The money is for my father's future. And for mine," she said simply.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Damien snapped.
He started the car and drove away so fast the tires made a loud screaming sound on the road. He didn't look at her for the rest of the drive. He felt dirty, and he hated her for making him feel that way.
Mia sat in the passenger seat and watched the city lights go by. She had the money. She had the start of her "runaway fund." She would keep taking his money, night after night, until she had enough to disappear with her baby.
She would let him call her names. She would let him hate her. As long as she could save her child and her father, she didn't care what he thought of her.
When they got back to the mansion, the big iron gates opened slowly. The house looked dark and scary. Mia realized that her life in this palace was going to be much harder than she thought. She was no longer just a fake wife. In Damien's eyes, she was just something he had bought.
- Writer
