Chapter 3: Three Inches From Revenge
“DARIUS, PUT THE CLIPPERS DOWN!””
Evelyn's voice cracked through the dressing room.
But Darius barely seemed to hear her.
His eyes were fixed on Brittany.
The electric clippers hummed in his right hand, their sharp metal teeth catching the light from the vanity mirror.
Brittany stood frozen.
Her expensive cream dress was pressed against the counter.
Her perfectly styled hair fell over her shoulders in glossy waves.
A few minutes earlier, she had been laughing at a six-year-old child's tears.
Now her own hands were trembling.
“Darius,” she whispered, “please.””
He took another step.
She jerked backward.
“Don't come any closer!””
Darius stopped.
“Why?””
Brittany stared at him.
“What?””
“Why shouldn't I come closer?””
“Because you're scaring me!””
His expression hardened.
“You weren't worried about scaring Kayla.””
“That is different!””
“How?””
“She is a child!””
Darius looked at her for several seconds.
Then he raised the clippers slightly.
“And you are an adult who should have known better.””
Brittany's breathing became uneven.
“Evelyn! Do something!””
Evelyn moved closer.
“Mr. Mitchell, I know you're angry. I am angry too. But this is not the way.””
Darius shook his head.
“You saw what she did.””
“I did.””
“You heard Kayla crying.””
“I did.””
“And you want me to just put this down?””
“I want you to remember who you are.””
Those words seemed to reach him.
For a moment, his arm lowered.
Then Brittany spoke again.
And she made everything worse.
“Honestly, I don't know why you're acting like this. The girl will look fine in a few weeks.””
Darius's head snapped toward her.
“Stop talking.””
Brittany swallowed.
“I was only trying to make her presentable.””
“Stop.””
“She looked like a little wild animal with all that hair!””
Evelyn gasped.
Darius's face went pale.
“Get out of my sight.””
Brittany shook her head.
“Not until you understand that I was trying to help you.””
“Help me?””
“Yes! You can't raise a child by letting her do whatever she wants!””
Darius took another step.
Brittany screamed.
“DON'T!””
The dressing room suddenly felt too small.
Evelyn stood near the doorway, watching the two people she had known in completely different circumstances.
Darius was usually controlled.
Even during difficult business negotiations, he rarely raised his voice.
He was the kind of man who listened before speaking.
The kind of father who remembered which bedtime stories Kayla preferred and which stuffed animal she needed when she was frightened.
But the sight of his daughter's shaved head had destroyed his composure.
And Brittany knew it.
She had seen his tenderness toward Kayla for years.
She had also seen how fiercely he protected her.
Yet she had convinced herself that she could do whatever she wanted once she became his wife.
Now she was discovering how wrong she had been.
“Darius,” she said, trying to recover some dignity, “think about the wedding.””
He looked at her.
“What wedding?””
“Our wedding.””
“You think we're still getting married?””
Brittany blinked.
“You can't cancel a wedding because of one argument.””
“One argument?””
He pointed toward the floor.
“Look at what you did!””
Brittany's lips tightened.
“You're making a permanent decision because of something temporary.””
Darius laughed without humor.
“You shaved a six-year-old girl's head because you were jealous of her.””
“That's not true!””
“Then tell me why you did it.””
Brittany looked away.
“I've already explained.””
“No. You haven't.””
He moved the clippers slightly closer.
“Tell me why.””
Brittany's voice became sharp.
“Because I am tired of living in Renee's shadow!””
The words hung in the air.
Darius didn't move.
Evelyn stared at Brittany.
For a moment, even the buzzing seemed to fade into the background.
Brittany's eyes glistened, but her expression remained defiant.
“Everywhere I look, there's something reminding me that she was here first. Her photographs. Her belongings.
Her daughter's little routines. Her stupid hair!””
Darius lowered the clippers.
Brittany continued.
“I wanted this house to feel like mine too!””
“So you punished my daughter?””
“I wanted her to understand that things were changing!””
“She is six!””
“And I'm supposed to wait forever for her to accept me?””
Darius looked at her with disbelief.
“You don't understand anything about being a mother.””
Brittany's face twisted.
“And you don't understand anything about being a husband!””
He stared at her.
Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
Brittany frowned.
“What are you doing?””
“Making a call.””
“To whom?””
“My attorney.””
Her expression changed.
“Darius, don't be ridiculous.””
He tapped the screen.
“I want the wedding preparations stopped.””
“Darius!””
“I also want every payment reviewed and every contract handled according to the cancellation terms.””
Brittany stepped forward.
“You can't do that!””
He looked directly at her.
“Watch me.””
In Kayla's bedroom, Evelyn's absence was becoming noticeable.
The little girl sat beneath her pink blanket, staring at the empty doorway.
She could hear raised voices from the dressing room.
She recognized her father's voice.
And she recognized Brittany's frightened screams.
“Daddy?”” she whispered.
No one answered.
Kayla slipped off the bed.
She walked toward the hallway, one small hand resting against the wall for support.
When she reached the doorway, she saw Evelyn standing between Darius and Brittany.
The clippers were still buzzing.
Kayla stopped.
Her eyes widened.
“Daddy?””
Darius turned.
The moment he saw her, his entire expression changed.
“Baby, what are you doing out of bed?””
Kayla stared at the machine.
Then she looked at Brittany.
“Are you going to cut her hair too?””
Nobody spoke.
The question seemed to drain the anger from the room.
Darius looked at his daughter.
She wasn't asking whether he would punish Brittany.
She wasn't asking whether he would make her suffer.
She was afraid.
Afraid of what her father might do.
Afraid that the same terrifying sound that had taken her curls might hurt someone else.
Darius slowly lowered the clippers.
“Come here, princess.””
Kayla hesitated.
“Are you mad?””
“I'm upset, sweetheart.””
“Are you going to hurt Brittany?””
Darius looked down.
Then he looked at Evelyn.
Finally, he switched off the clippers.
The silence was immediate.
“No, baby,” he said softly.
“I'm not going to hurt anybody.””
Kayla walked toward him.
He placed the clippers on the counter and dropped to his knees.
She climbed into his arms.
“I'm sorry, Daddy.””
Darius pulled back.
“For what?””
“For making you angry.””
His eyes filled.
“Oh, sweetheart.””
He hugged her again.
“You didn't make me angry. None of this is your fault.””
“But you were shouting.””
“I know.””
“Please don't shout anymore.””
Darius pressed his cheek against her head.
“I'll try, baby. I promise.””
For several seconds, he held her without speaking.
Then he carried her back toward the bedroom.
At the doorway, he looked over his shoulder.
“Evelyn, stay with her.””
“Of course, sir.””
“And Brittany…”
She looked up.
“You will not go near my daughter again.””
Brittany opened her mouth.
Darius continued.
“You will wait downstairs. My attorney will be here shortly.””
“Darius, we need to discuss this privately.””
“We've discussed enough.””
He walked away.
And Brittany was left standing beside the mirror, staring at the electric clippers.
Twenty minutes later, the house was almost silent.
The guests had begun arriving outside, unaware that the engagement celebration was falling apart.
A catering employee approached Evelyn in the hallway.
“Ma'am, should we start serving the appetizers?””
Evelyn looked toward the staircase.
“Not yet.””
“Is everything all right?””
“No.””
The employee nodded and quietly walked away.
Inside Kayla's bedroom, Darius was sitting on the edge of the bed.
He had changed her lavender dress because the fallen hair had stuck to the fabric.
Now she wore soft pajamas.
Evelyn had cleaned the loose hair from her scalp with a warm cloth, taking care not to irritate the skin.
Darius held one of Renee's old photographs.
In it, Kayla was barely two years old.
Her curls were thick and beautiful.
Renee was laughing, holding the little girl against her chest.
Kayla pointed at the photograph.
“That's Mommy.””
“Yes, baby.””
“She used to brush my hair.””
“I remember.””
“Can we ask her to make it grow faster?””
Darius's throat tightened.
He put the photograph on the bedside table.
“I wish we could.””
Kayla looked down.
“Will Mommy be sad?””
Darius took her hand.
“I think Mommy would want you to know that you're beautiful no matter what happens to your hair.””
Kayla considered that.
Then she asked the question he had been dreading.
“Does Brittany hate me?””
Darius took a slow breath.
“Sweetheart, what Brittany did was wrong. Very wrong. But you don't have to figure out why she did it.””
“Did I do something bad?””
“No.””
“Then why did she cut it?””
Darius had no answer that would make sense to a six-year-old.
So he told her the truth.
“Sometimes grown-ups make very bad choices. And sometimes those choices hurt other people. But you are not responsible for what she did.””
Kayla leaned against him.
“Can I sleep with you tonight?””
Darius kissed her forehead.
“Absolutely.””
Downstairs, Brittany was pacing beside the grand staircase.
She had removed her engagement ring and was turning it over in her fingers.
Her phone kept vibrating.
Messages from friends were appearing.
One of them read:
Can't wait to celebrate you two tonight!
Another asked whether the photographer should arrive early.
Brittany stared at the messages.
She had spent months planning the wedding.
The venue was booked.
The dress had been purchased.
The invitations had gone out.
She had already told everyone she was going to become Mrs. Mitchell.
She wasn't prepared to lose all of that because of a child's haircut.
When Darius finally came downstairs, she hurried toward him.
“Thank goodness. We need to talk.””
He didn't stop walking.
“There's nothing left to discuss.””
“Darius, please.””
He placed his phone on the hallway table.
“My attorney is on his way.””
Brittany stared.
“You're actually canceling the wedding?””
“Yes.””
“Over Kayla?””
He turned slowly.
“Be very careful with your next words.””
Brittany folded her arms.
“I'm just saying that you are throwing away our future because your daughter had a bad afternoon.””
Darius looked at her for a long moment.
Then he asked, “Do you hear yourself?””
She said nothing.
“You keep describing what happened as a bad afternoon. My daughter begged you to stop. You ignored her.
You physically restrained her. You shaved her hair against her wishes. And when someone discovered what you had done, you showed no remorse.””
Brittany's eyes filled.
“I was frustrated!””
“Then you should have walked away.””
“I wanted her to respect me!””
“Respect cannot be forced out of a six-year-old with electric clippers.””
Brittany looked down at the ring in her hand.
“I love you, Darius.””
He shook his head.
“You don't get to use those words to excuse what you did.””
A car horn sounded outside.
Darius glanced toward the front windows.
His attorney had arrived.
Brittany caught his arm.
“Wait.””
He looked down at her hand.
She released him.
“I need you to understand something,” she whispered.
“What?””
Her expression changed.
The tears disappeared.
The trembling stopped.
And for the first time since Darius had entered the dressing room, Brittany looked more calculating than frightened.
“You think I did this because I hate Kayla.””
Darius frowned.
“Didn't you?””
Brittany glanced toward the staircase.
Then she leaned closer.
“You have no idea what that little girl has been doing.””
Darius stared at her.
“What are you talking about?””
Brittany gave a small, bitter laugh.
“Ask Evelyn.””
Darius's expression hardened.
“Don't bring Evelyn into this.””
“I'm telling you the truth.””
“What truth?””
Brittany looked directly into his eyes.
“Your daughter isn't as innocent as you think.””
Darius stepped back.
“She's six years old.””
“And there's a reason she never wants you to leave her alone with me.””
He stared at Brittany.
“She doesn't trust you because you've spent months making her feel unwanted.””
Brittany shook her head.
“No. There's something else.””
Darius felt a cold sensation settle in his stomach.
“What?””
Brittany glanced toward the hallway.
Then she whispered six words that changed everything.
“Ask Evelyn what she found upstairs.””
Darius turned toward the staircase.
At that exact moment, Evelyn appeared at the top of it.
Her face was pale.
And in her trembling hands, she was holding a small white envelope.
“Mr. Mitchell,” she called.
“I think you need to see this.””
Darius looked at the envelope.
Then at Brittany.
“What is it?””
Evelyn swallowed.
“It's something I found in Brittany's dressing-room drawer.””
Brittany's face suddenly lost all its color.
“Evelyn,” she said sharply.
“Don't you dare.””
But Evelyn continued down the stairs.
“I'm sorry, sir. I should have told you sooner.””
Darius reached for the envelope.
And when he saw the name written across the front, his heart began pounding.
It wasn't his name.
It wasn't Kayla's.
May you like
It was Renee's.
*And whatever Brittany had hidden inside that envelope had apparently been connected to Darius's late wife all along.*
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