Her Scissors Cut My Hair, But His Betrayal Cut Deeper - Chapter 26: Chapter 26
You are reading Her Scissors Cut My Hair, But His Betrayal Cut Deeper, Chapter 26: Chapter 26. Read more chapters of Her Scissors Cut My Hair, But His Betrayal Cut Deeper.
Nathan returned home in a daze.
The moment he stepped through the door, his mother slapped him hard across the face.
"Mom?" he asked, stunned.
"You still have the nerve to call me 'mom'?" Mrs. Gray threw a USB drive at Nathan's face. "See for yourself how that tramp has been sabotaging our family!"
Nathan connected the USB drive to find an audio recording and a PDF file.
"What is this?" he asked.
"What is it?" his mother repeated mockingly. "Why don't you find out for yourself?"
Claire stood nearby, consoling Mrs. Gray.
The recording began with noisy music, as if captured in a nightclub.
"...he's so stupid, I've wanted to break up with him for ages..." Melody's voice.
Nathan felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
"I... need money... sure, he'll never know..."
The background noise was too chaotic, making Melody's voice come through in fragments. Nathan held his breath to concentrate.
"I'll get you the documents tomorrow."
The recording ended.
What documents? Nathan was still confused.
Mrs. Gray gestured for him to look at the PDF.
His hand trembled so much he couldn't click the mouse properly. Claire helpfully opened it for him.
The woman in the photos was Melody—college-era Melody. A face Nathan knew better than his own.
But her actions were completely unfamiliar to him.
Champagne glasses stacked in a pyramid, Melody draped over a stranger's arms...
There was too much to process. Nathan couldn't bear to look anymore and closed the entire window.
"That's impossible," he said, standing up, refusing to believe Melody had betrayed him.
Mrs. Gray sighed in frustration. "You've seen what kind of person she is. I warned you—she only got close to you for your money. And that recording... I intercepted these files. Look for yourself."
She placed a stack of papers on his laptop. When he opened them, he found Gray Enterprises' bidding proposals.
"Claire is the one who truly cares for you. She went to great lengths to find this evidence. This time, we must make Melody pay for what she's done!"
His mother continued ranting, but Nathan could no longer hear her.
He had been with Melody for so long; he knew what kind of person she was. She couldn't have betrayed him.
"I'll investigate this thoroughly," he said firmly.
"The evidence is right in front of you. What more do you need to investigate?" his mother interrupted. "Or are you still defending that tramp?"
"Mom!" Nathan began to protest.
"Mrs. Gray, let Nathan look into it," Claire quickly intervened to calm Mrs. Gray. "He knows what to do, don't you, Nathan?"
Nathan mumbled a response and texted his assistant.
Meanwhile, at the hospital...
After emergency treatment from a top medical team, Grandfather Sinclair's condition had finally stabilized.
It was a stroke, the doctors explained.
"The patient's condition is serious. He needs to maintain emotional calm at all times. Avoid any significant emotional fluctuations."
Melody held Jackson's hand, trying to comfort him.
Jackson had been raised by his grandfather, so Melody knew how important the elderly man was to him.
When Grandfather Sinclair regained consciousness, he saw Melody holding Jackson's hand by his bedside, while his grandson stood there stiffly, like an awkward block of wood. He cleared his throat softly to get their attention.
"Jackson, when Melody speaks to you, couldn't you at least smile?" The old man decided to help his grandson out.
Before Jackson could respond, Melody came to his rescue.
"He's just worried about you, Grandfather!" Melody said with a warm smile. "We were just discussing when you might wake up so we could bring you some home-cooked meals."
"Good girl," Grandfather Sinclair finally smiled. "But I'm fine. I can go home soon."
"That's not advisable," Jackson disagreed. "This was a serious episode. You need to stay in the hospital for observation."
"I'm old, not invalid!" the old man huffed indignantly. "I know my own body better than anyone. Are you trying to keep me out of my own home now?"
Melody caught the teasing tone in his voice and said, "Of course not, Grandfather. Jackson is just concerned about your health. We'll let the doctors observe you for a while, and as soon as they give the all-clear, we'll bring you straight home."
Grandfather Sinclair finally agreed but gave Jackson a sidelong glance. "Why is it that when Melody says the same thing, it sounds so much more reasonable?"
Seeing that everything was under control, Melody prepared to leave to make some medicinal soup for Grandfather. During her previous job, she had cared for a stroke patient and had specifically learned how to prepare therapeutic foods.
As Melody was leaving, Grandfather Sinclair instructed his grandson to escort her out.
At the supermarket, Melody carefully selected bitter melon and shiitake mushrooms. Watching her serious expression, Jackson couldn't help asking, "How do you know about medicinal cooking?"
Melody placed the chosen bitter melon in her basket. "During college, I needed money and worked as a caregiver for a while."
"There was an elderly woman in the hospital who had also suffered a stroke. Her son lived out of state and couldn't come home, so he hired me to care for her. He sent me many medicinal soup recipes and asked me to learn how to make them. I guess I have a talent for it because they seemed quite effective."
Thinking about that elderly woman brought warm memories, but other recollections from that time caused a bitter smile to form on Melody's lips.
"What's wrong?" Jackson asked with concern, noticing her change in mood.
"Nothing," Melody shook her head. "I was just thinking how wonderful it is to shop for groceries together and go home together. It feels like real happiness."
It was a private kind of joy that represented family harmony and a happy childhood—neither of which she had experienced. As a child, she had always envied other children whose parents shopped for groceries together.
This scene represented the embodiment of happiness in her mind, yet she had never experienced it herself. She had once requested this of Nathan, but he had dismissed her, saying the housekeeper could handle grocery shopping.
She never brought it up again.
This time, however, Jackson took her hand solemnly and promised, "Then from now on, we'll shop for groceries and cook together every day. Would you like that?"
Melody's heart stirred. "Yes."
The moment he stepped through the door, his mother slapped him hard across the face.
"Mom?" he asked, stunned.
"You still have the nerve to call me 'mom'?" Mrs. Gray threw a USB drive at Nathan's face. "See for yourself how that tramp has been sabotaging our family!"
Nathan connected the USB drive to find an audio recording and a PDF file.
"What is this?" he asked.
"What is it?" his mother repeated mockingly. "Why don't you find out for yourself?"
Claire stood nearby, consoling Mrs. Gray.
The recording began with noisy music, as if captured in a nightclub.
"...he's so stupid, I've wanted to break up with him for ages..." Melody's voice.
Nathan felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
"I... need money... sure, he'll never know..."
The background noise was too chaotic, making Melody's voice come through in fragments. Nathan held his breath to concentrate.
"I'll get you the documents tomorrow."
The recording ended.
What documents? Nathan was still confused.
Mrs. Gray gestured for him to look at the PDF.
His hand trembled so much he couldn't click the mouse properly. Claire helpfully opened it for him.
The woman in the photos was Melody—college-era Melody. A face Nathan knew better than his own.
But her actions were completely unfamiliar to him.
Champagne glasses stacked in a pyramid, Melody draped over a stranger's arms...
There was too much to process. Nathan couldn't bear to look anymore and closed the entire window.
"That's impossible," he said, standing up, refusing to believe Melody had betrayed him.
Mrs. Gray sighed in frustration. "You've seen what kind of person she is. I warned you—she only got close to you for your money. And that recording... I intercepted these files. Look for yourself."
She placed a stack of papers on his laptop. When he opened them, he found Gray Enterprises' bidding proposals.
"Claire is the one who truly cares for you. She went to great lengths to find this evidence. This time, we must make Melody pay for what she's done!"
His mother continued ranting, but Nathan could no longer hear her.
He had been with Melody for so long; he knew what kind of person she was. She couldn't have betrayed him.
"I'll investigate this thoroughly," he said firmly.
"The evidence is right in front of you. What more do you need to investigate?" his mother interrupted. "Or are you still defending that tramp?"
"Mom!" Nathan began to protest.
"Mrs. Gray, let Nathan look into it," Claire quickly intervened to calm Mrs. Gray. "He knows what to do, don't you, Nathan?"
Nathan mumbled a response and texted his assistant.
Meanwhile, at the hospital...
After emergency treatment from a top medical team, Grandfather Sinclair's condition had finally stabilized.
It was a stroke, the doctors explained.
"The patient's condition is serious. He needs to maintain emotional calm at all times. Avoid any significant emotional fluctuations."
Melody held Jackson's hand, trying to comfort him.
Jackson had been raised by his grandfather, so Melody knew how important the elderly man was to him.
When Grandfather Sinclair regained consciousness, he saw Melody holding Jackson's hand by his bedside, while his grandson stood there stiffly, like an awkward block of wood. He cleared his throat softly to get their attention.
"Jackson, when Melody speaks to you, couldn't you at least smile?" The old man decided to help his grandson out.
Before Jackson could respond, Melody came to his rescue.
"He's just worried about you, Grandfather!" Melody said with a warm smile. "We were just discussing when you might wake up so we could bring you some home-cooked meals."
"Good girl," Grandfather Sinclair finally smiled. "But I'm fine. I can go home soon."
"That's not advisable," Jackson disagreed. "This was a serious episode. You need to stay in the hospital for observation."
"I'm old, not invalid!" the old man huffed indignantly. "I know my own body better than anyone. Are you trying to keep me out of my own home now?"
Melody caught the teasing tone in his voice and said, "Of course not, Grandfather. Jackson is just concerned about your health. We'll let the doctors observe you for a while, and as soon as they give the all-clear, we'll bring you straight home."
Grandfather Sinclair finally agreed but gave Jackson a sidelong glance. "Why is it that when Melody says the same thing, it sounds so much more reasonable?"
Seeing that everything was under control, Melody prepared to leave to make some medicinal soup for Grandfather. During her previous job, she had cared for a stroke patient and had specifically learned how to prepare therapeutic foods.
As Melody was leaving, Grandfather Sinclair instructed his grandson to escort her out.
At the supermarket, Melody carefully selected bitter melon and shiitake mushrooms. Watching her serious expression, Jackson couldn't help asking, "How do you know about medicinal cooking?"
Melody placed the chosen bitter melon in her basket. "During college, I needed money and worked as a caregiver for a while."
"There was an elderly woman in the hospital who had also suffered a stroke. Her son lived out of state and couldn't come home, so he hired me to care for her. He sent me many medicinal soup recipes and asked me to learn how to make them. I guess I have a talent for it because they seemed quite effective."
Thinking about that elderly woman brought warm memories, but other recollections from that time caused a bitter smile to form on Melody's lips.
"What's wrong?" Jackson asked with concern, noticing her change in mood.
"Nothing," Melody shook her head. "I was just thinking how wonderful it is to shop for groceries together and go home together. It feels like real happiness."
It was a private kind of joy that represented family harmony and a happy childhood—neither of which she had experienced. As a child, she had always envied other children whose parents shopped for groceries together.
This scene represented the embodiment of happiness in her mind, yet she had never experienced it herself. She had once requested this of Nathan, but he had dismissed her, saying the housekeeper could handle grocery shopping.
She never brought it up again.
This time, however, Jackson took her hand solemnly and promised, "Then from now on, we'll shop for groceries and cook together every day. Would you like that?"
Melody's heart stirred. "Yes."
End of Her Scissors Cut My Hair, But His Betrayal Cut Deeper Chapter 26. Continue reading Chapter 27 or return to Her Scissors Cut My Hair, But His Betrayal Cut Deeper book page.