Her Scissors Cut My Hair, But His Betrayal Cut Deeper - Chapter 24: Chapter 24
You are reading Her Scissors Cut My Hair, But His Betrayal Cut Deeper, Chapter 24: Chapter 24. Read more chapters of Her Scissors Cut My Hair, But His Betrayal Cut Deeper.
From a distance, Jackson frowned as he spotted the intruder. He quickly signaled his assistant with a subtle nod, and security guards silently escorted Nathan out. This was his and Melody's wedding day, and he was determined not to let anyone ruin it or upset his grandfather seated in the front row.
Despite Nathan's gym routine, he had zero strength after his hospital stay. As security firmly removed him, several reporters recognized him, capturing the humiliating moment before he was unceremoniously deposited into a nearby reception room.
Before he could even pull himself up from the floor, a familiar shocked voice cut through the air:
"Nathan?"
Emma stood frozen in the doorway, utterly stunned to see her brother there.
"What the hell are you doing here?" they asked simultaneously.
Nathan's jaw tightened before asking, "Weren't you the one marrying Jackson? Why is Melody in there wearing the dress?"
"Melody's taking my place," Emma shot back defiantly. "And you still haven't answered my question. What are you doing here?"
"Don't you know Melody and I were about to get engaged?" Nathan stared intensely at Emma, who let out a bitter laugh: "Really? That's news to me. Aren't you busy rekindling things with your ex?"
"You even bid on her 'first night' at that charity auction. God, do you have any shame? Or..." Emma's eyes narrowed, "Or did you actually want Melody to find out?"
"You don't understand a damn thing," Nathan protested. "I was getting back at Claire! How could you possibly think I'd be with her again?"
"Getting back at her?" Emma laughed incredulously. "Since when does 'revenge' involve sleeping with someone? And I've definitely never heard of revenge that humiliates your actual girlfriend in the process!"
"You don't even know, do you?" Emma couldn't bring herself to call him 'brother' anymore. "You have no clue what your precious ex sent to Melody! If I hadn't borrowed her phone that day, I wouldn't have seen how busy you've been between the sheets!"
Nathan looked like he'd been struck by lightning. Claire had contacted Melody?
"Being friends with Melody—my biggest regret was ever introducing her to you," Emma said furiously. "If I could turn back time, I'd never have dragged her to your stupid basketball game. Then she never would have laid eyes on you!"
While Emma was still plotting how to get rid of Nathan, familiar footsteps approached. She turned to see Melody in her stunning wedding gown, champagne flutes in hand.
Melody froze mid-step. She'd been thinking about Emma and had slipped away from the reception as soon as she'd finished the ceremony. She never expected to find Nathan here. Now she realized there had been a commotion during the ceremony, but Jackson had strategically blocked her view.
So it was Nathan all along.
Emma reached out to pull Melody away, but Nathan was faster. He grabbed Melody's wrist, his eyes desperate. "How could you do this, Melody? Couldn't you wait for me? I told you we'd talk about getting married when I got back, didn't I?"
"I don't recall agreeing to marry you," Melody said coldly, pulling her hand away and standing beside Emma. Her expression was completely unfamiliar to Nathan—distant and glacial.
"Were you just that impatient?" Nathan persisted desperately. "Have you signed the marriage license yet? If not, we can go to the County Clerk Office right now. I don't care that you've already had a ceremony with him..."
"And what's your condition?" Melody swirled the champagne in her glass. "That I drop the charges against Claire?"
She laughed bitterly. "The Gray family is loaded and connected. Your mom bailed her out once—let her keep doing it."
"Using marriage as a bargaining chip to make me drop charges—aren't you just pathetic, Nathan?"
Nathan tried to respond, but his sister shoved him hard. "Just stop! You're seriously going to cause a scene at Melody's wedding? Have you completely lost it?"
Emma couldn't believe her brother would say such absurd things. She absolutely wouldn't allow him to ruin this important day with his delusions.
"Since you crashed the party, Nathan, why not have a toast before security throws you out again?" Melody filled a glass and moved to splash it on him, but was suddenly knocked aside by Claire who appeared out of nowhere. "You have gone too far, Melody!"
The champagne splashed all over Claire instead.
Wobbling on her five-inch heels, Melody nearly fell from the force of the push, but Jackson appeared just in time to catch her around the waist.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
Melody nodded, leaning slightly into his steadying grip.
She had briefly explained the situation to Jackson before coming to find Emma, leaving him to entertain the guests. When she didn't return, he came looking for her, only to witness this drama unfolding.
Melody's eyes narrowed. She hadn't expected to encounter Claire here, but Claire wasn't the only unexpected arrival.
"So this is where you disappeared to," Nathan's mother said, strutting into the reception room.
After Nathan had his assistant book an emergency flight, Claire, suspecting something was wrong, had alerted his mother, who followed them.
"Mom? What are you doing here?" Emma asked, shocked.
Her mother shot her a withering glance. "I'll deal with your betrayal later."
"So you abandoned my son because you found a better meal ticket with the Sinclair family?" she turned to Melody with venom in her voice. "Do you know my son was hit by a car because of you? He only woke up yesterday!"
"The moment he regained consciousness, he rushed here to find you, and what do we discover? You've become someone else's trophy wife! How could you do this to him after everything?"
As Melody opened her mouth to respond, Jackson subtly stepped in front of her.
"Mrs. Gray, regarding why Melody married me—I think you know the answer better than any of us," he said with deadly calm. "Besides, Melody is now my wife. She don't have obligation to answer your accusations."
Nathan's mother was momentarily speechless, surprised that Jackson would defend Melody so firmly.
"Hmph! Is she even worthy of joining your family?" Claire's sharp voice cut in. "The second she saw Nathan was injured, she gave up on him and left. Do you really think she'll stay loyal to your family once she gets access to your bank accounts?"
Melody was bewildered by these baseless accusations. "Was Nathan injured because of me?" she demanded, then turned to Nathan himself. "Am I somehow responsible for your accident?"
Nathan quickly shook his head.
"Then can you deny you married Jackson for his fortune?" Claire persisted. "I heard his grandfather is dying, and that's why—"
"Shut your mouth!" Nathan finally snapped. "Apologize to Melody right now!"
Melody noticed Jackson's expression turn dangerous when Claire mentioned his grandfather.
"You want me to apologize to her?" Claire laughed bitterly. "What did I say wrong? Melody—OUCH!"
"I've had ENOUGH!" Emma finally lost her patience and slapped Claire across the face. Meeting Claire's shocked expression, she raised her chin defiantly. "I really don't understand what my brother ever like you. You're toxic."
"What's wrong with you?" Their mother was furious that her daughter would take Melody's side. She ordered her assistant to remove Emma. Emma secretly exchanged a glance with Melody, who understood she was planning another escape with her boyfriend.
Seeing Melody's seemingly amused expression, Nathan's mother grew even angrier. She raised her hand to slap Melody, but Jackson caught her wrist mid-air, his expression cold as ice.
"Hello, police? I'd like to report an assault. Someone is threatening me at my own wedding reception..." Melody was already on the phone.
Nathan stared at her in disbelief. "Have you completely lost it? That's practically your mother-in-law—"
"It seems I haven't given a sufficient wedding gift," Jackson's mother appeared in the doorway, designer heels clicking as she entered. She had been watching the scene unfold for some time. "I wasn't aware my daughter-in-law needed to call anyone else 'mother.'"
She walked over and placed a reassuring hand on Melody's shoulder. "It's alright, sweetheart. I'll handle this. Go back inside to keep Grandfather company."
Despite Nathan's gym routine, he had zero strength after his hospital stay. As security firmly removed him, several reporters recognized him, capturing the humiliating moment before he was unceremoniously deposited into a nearby reception room.
Before he could even pull himself up from the floor, a familiar shocked voice cut through the air:
"Nathan?"
Emma stood frozen in the doorway, utterly stunned to see her brother there.
"What the hell are you doing here?" they asked simultaneously.
Nathan's jaw tightened before asking, "Weren't you the one marrying Jackson? Why is Melody in there wearing the dress?"
"Melody's taking my place," Emma shot back defiantly. "And you still haven't answered my question. What are you doing here?"
"Don't you know Melody and I were about to get engaged?" Nathan stared intensely at Emma, who let out a bitter laugh: "Really? That's news to me. Aren't you busy rekindling things with your ex?"
"You even bid on her 'first night' at that charity auction. God, do you have any shame? Or..." Emma's eyes narrowed, "Or did you actually want Melody to find out?"
"You don't understand a damn thing," Nathan protested. "I was getting back at Claire! How could you possibly think I'd be with her again?"
"Getting back at her?" Emma laughed incredulously. "Since when does 'revenge' involve sleeping with someone? And I've definitely never heard of revenge that humiliates your actual girlfriend in the process!"
"You don't even know, do you?" Emma couldn't bring herself to call him 'brother' anymore. "You have no clue what your precious ex sent to Melody! If I hadn't borrowed her phone that day, I wouldn't have seen how busy you've been between the sheets!"
Nathan looked like he'd been struck by lightning. Claire had contacted Melody?
"Being friends with Melody—my biggest regret was ever introducing her to you," Emma said furiously. "If I could turn back time, I'd never have dragged her to your stupid basketball game. Then she never would have laid eyes on you!"
While Emma was still plotting how to get rid of Nathan, familiar footsteps approached. She turned to see Melody in her stunning wedding gown, champagne flutes in hand.
Melody froze mid-step. She'd been thinking about Emma and had slipped away from the reception as soon as she'd finished the ceremony. She never expected to find Nathan here. Now she realized there had been a commotion during the ceremony, but Jackson had strategically blocked her view.
So it was Nathan all along.
Emma reached out to pull Melody away, but Nathan was faster. He grabbed Melody's wrist, his eyes desperate. "How could you do this, Melody? Couldn't you wait for me? I told you we'd talk about getting married when I got back, didn't I?"
"I don't recall agreeing to marry you," Melody said coldly, pulling her hand away and standing beside Emma. Her expression was completely unfamiliar to Nathan—distant and glacial.
"Were you just that impatient?" Nathan persisted desperately. "Have you signed the marriage license yet? If not, we can go to the County Clerk Office right now. I don't care that you've already had a ceremony with him..."
"And what's your condition?" Melody swirled the champagne in her glass. "That I drop the charges against Claire?"
She laughed bitterly. "The Gray family is loaded and connected. Your mom bailed her out once—let her keep doing it."
"Using marriage as a bargaining chip to make me drop charges—aren't you just pathetic, Nathan?"
Nathan tried to respond, but his sister shoved him hard. "Just stop! You're seriously going to cause a scene at Melody's wedding? Have you completely lost it?"
Emma couldn't believe her brother would say such absurd things. She absolutely wouldn't allow him to ruin this important day with his delusions.
"Since you crashed the party, Nathan, why not have a toast before security throws you out again?" Melody filled a glass and moved to splash it on him, but was suddenly knocked aside by Claire who appeared out of nowhere. "You have gone too far, Melody!"
The champagne splashed all over Claire instead.
Wobbling on her five-inch heels, Melody nearly fell from the force of the push, but Jackson appeared just in time to catch her around the waist.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
Melody nodded, leaning slightly into his steadying grip.
She had briefly explained the situation to Jackson before coming to find Emma, leaving him to entertain the guests. When she didn't return, he came looking for her, only to witness this drama unfolding.
Melody's eyes narrowed. She hadn't expected to encounter Claire here, but Claire wasn't the only unexpected arrival.
"So this is where you disappeared to," Nathan's mother said, strutting into the reception room.
After Nathan had his assistant book an emergency flight, Claire, suspecting something was wrong, had alerted his mother, who followed them.
"Mom? What are you doing here?" Emma asked, shocked.
Her mother shot her a withering glance. "I'll deal with your betrayal later."
"So you abandoned my son because you found a better meal ticket with the Sinclair family?" she turned to Melody with venom in her voice. "Do you know my son was hit by a car because of you? He only woke up yesterday!"
"The moment he regained consciousness, he rushed here to find you, and what do we discover? You've become someone else's trophy wife! How could you do this to him after everything?"
As Melody opened her mouth to respond, Jackson subtly stepped in front of her.
"Mrs. Gray, regarding why Melody married me—I think you know the answer better than any of us," he said with deadly calm. "Besides, Melody is now my wife. She don't have obligation to answer your accusations."
Nathan's mother was momentarily speechless, surprised that Jackson would defend Melody so firmly.
"Hmph! Is she even worthy of joining your family?" Claire's sharp voice cut in. "The second she saw Nathan was injured, she gave up on him and left. Do you really think she'll stay loyal to your family once she gets access to your bank accounts?"
Melody was bewildered by these baseless accusations. "Was Nathan injured because of me?" she demanded, then turned to Nathan himself. "Am I somehow responsible for your accident?"
Nathan quickly shook his head.
"Then can you deny you married Jackson for his fortune?" Claire persisted. "I heard his grandfather is dying, and that's why—"
"Shut your mouth!" Nathan finally snapped. "Apologize to Melody right now!"
Melody noticed Jackson's expression turn dangerous when Claire mentioned his grandfather.
"You want me to apologize to her?" Claire laughed bitterly. "What did I say wrong? Melody—OUCH!"
"I've had ENOUGH!" Emma finally lost her patience and slapped Claire across the face. Meeting Claire's shocked expression, she raised her chin defiantly. "I really don't understand what my brother ever like you. You're toxic."
"What's wrong with you?" Their mother was furious that her daughter would take Melody's side. She ordered her assistant to remove Emma. Emma secretly exchanged a glance with Melody, who understood she was planning another escape with her boyfriend.
Seeing Melody's seemingly amused expression, Nathan's mother grew even angrier. She raised her hand to slap Melody, but Jackson caught her wrist mid-air, his expression cold as ice.
"Hello, police? I'd like to report an assault. Someone is threatening me at my own wedding reception..." Melody was already on the phone.
Nathan stared at her in disbelief. "Have you completely lost it? That's practically your mother-in-law—"
"It seems I haven't given a sufficient wedding gift," Jackson's mother appeared in the doorway, designer heels clicking as she entered. She had been watching the scene unfold for some time. "I wasn't aware my daughter-in-law needed to call anyone else 'mother.'"
She walked over and placed a reassuring hand on Melody's shoulder. "It's alright, sweetheart. I'll handle this. Go back inside to keep Grandfather company."
End of Her Scissors Cut My Hair, But His Betrayal Cut Deeper Chapter 24. Continue reading Chapter 25 or return to Her Scissors Cut My Hair, But His Betrayal Cut Deeper book page.