Chapter 4 - The Blind Son
Judith and I arrived at the Westbrook Hotel exactly one hour before the ceremony.
The hotel was one of our flagship properties, a place dripping with our family’s history.
I bypassed the bustling lobby and took the private elevator straight to the groom's suite.
I found Jackson standing by the window.
He was dressed in a classic black tuxedo, looking painfully, heartbreakingly similar to his father.
When he turned and saw me, he smiled warmly.
"Mom, you look beautiful. I was wondering where you were."
He didn't know.
He had no idea what his bride had done just a few hours ago.
I closed the door behind me and walked up to him.
I didn't sugarcoat it. I told him exactly what Natalie had done.
I told him about the shaved head, the shredded dress, the stolen jewelry.
I told him about the note she left on my nightstand.
I waited for the outrage, for the protective anger I knew my son possessed.
Instead, his reaction shattered me completely.
His brow furrowed, and he took a step back, looking at me as if I had lost my mind.
"Mom, what are you talking about? Natalie has been here all morning."
Before I could insist, the adjoining door opened.
Natalie appeared, wearing a breathtaking white satin gown.
She looked like an angel, complete with a perfectly practiced look of innocent concern.
"Jackson, is everything okay?" she asked softly.
Then, she turned her eyes to me, widening them in mock surprise.
"Oh, Martha! What... what did you do to your hair? Why are you wearing a wig?"
The sheer audacity of her performance left me briefly speechless.
"You know exactly what happened, Natalie," I said, my voice dangerously calm.
She gasped, bringing a delicate hand to her chest.
"Jackson," she whimpered, tears instantly springing to her eyes. "Why is she attacking me today? On our day?"
Jackson stepped between us, shielding her from me.
He looked at me with a mixture of anger and deep pity.
"Mom, stop it. I know you've had a hard time accepting her, but making up lies? Trying to destroy my wedding?"
Those words hurt far more than losing my hair.
"Jackson, I am telling you the truth. She broke into my house."
"Enough!" he snapped. "Natalie was right. You are losing your grip on reality. If you can't be supportive, maybe you shouldn't be here."
I stared at the boy I had raised, the boy who was blinded by a master manipulator.
He had chosen his side.
I nodded slowly, holding my head high.
May you like
"I will attend the ceremony," I told him. "I am the mother of the groom. I will not cause a scene."
I turned and walked out, leaving my son in the arms of a viper.
