“Listen carefully. I am going to marry your father. That means I will be making the rules in this house. You need to learn that.””
“But—”
“Not another word.””
Kayla started crying.
Brittany grabbed a brush and began roughly pulling it through the curls.
“Ow! You’re hurting me!””
“Then stop moving!””
“I want Daddy!””
Brittany dropped the brush.
Her expression hardened.
“I’m tired of hearing that man’s name every time I tell you something.””
She switched on the clippers.
The buzzing sound filled the room.
Kayla immediately covered her ears.
“NO! PLEASE!””
Brittany caught her shoulders.
“Hold still!””
The first pass cut through a thick section of curls near Kayla’s left temple.
The hair dropped onto her lavender dress.
Kayla gasped.
For a moment, she didn’t even cry.
She simply stared at the mirror, unable to understand what had happened.
Then her bottom lip began trembling.
“You cut it.””
Brittany continued.
“It’s only hair.””
“You cut my pretty hair!””
“Stop crying!””
Another pass.
More curls fell.
Brittany worked carelessly, shaving away the hair along the sides and back of the little girl’s head.
She left uneven patches and several short tufts standing awkwardly on top.
Kayla tried to shield her head with both hands.
“Please, that’s enough!””
Brittany pulled her hands away.
“I’m almost finished.””
But she wasn’t finished.
She wanted the curls gone.
Every last one.
Downstairs, Evelyn Carter was arranging the flowers near the staircase when she heard something unusual.
A child’s scream.
She stopped.
At first, she thought Kayla had fallen.
Then she heard another voice.
Brittany’s.
“Stop crying! You’re making me angry!””
Evelyn frowned.
She had worked for the Mitchell family for almost seven years, long before Brittany entered their lives.
She had helped care for Kayla since infancy.
She remembered the day Renee brought the little girl home from the hospital.
She remembered the first birthday, the first steps, and the countless evenings spent rocking Kayla to sleep.
To Evelyn, the child wasn’t simply her employer’s daughter.
She was family.
Another scream came from upstairs.
“PLEASE! I WANT MY HAIR BACK!””
Evelyn dropped the flowers.
She hurried toward the staircase.
“Kayla?””
No answer.
She climbed the stairs quickly and followed the sound toward the dressing room.
The door was partly open.
What she saw made her blood run cold.
Kayla was sitting in front of the mirror, her small shoulders shaking.
Her beautiful curls were scattered across the floor.
The left side of her head was almost completely shaved.
Brittany stood behind her with electric clippers in one hand.
Evelyn froze.
“What have you done?””
Brittany turned.
Her eyes narrowed.
“Evelyn, get out.””
Evelyn barely heard her.
She rushed toward Kayla.
“Oh, sweetheart…”
Kayla looked up.
The moment she recognized Evelyn, she burst into fresh tears.
“Miss Evelyn!””
Evelyn wrapped her arms around the child.
“I’m here, baby. I’m right here.””
“Make her stop!””
Evelyn looked at the clippers.
Then at Brittany.
“Put that machine down.””
Brittany rolled her eyes.
“Don’t be dramatic. I was fixing her hair.””
“Fixing it?””
Evelyn’s voice trembled.
“You’ve shaved half this child’s head!””
“She needed a haircut.””
“She is six years old! Did you even ask her?””
Brittany placed the clippers on the counter.
“I’m her future stepmother. I don’t need your permission.””
“You don’t have permission to hurt her!””
Brittany stepped closer.
“Watch your mouth.””
Evelyn pulled Kayla against her chest.
“Don’t you dare come near her again.””
Kayla buried her face in Evelyn’s shoulder.
“I want my daddy.””
Evelyn kissed the top of her head, carefully avoiding the irritated skin.
“I’m going to get him, sweetheart.””
Brittany laughed dismissively.
“Go ahead. Darius will understand. He knows I’ve been trying to get this child under control.””
Evelyn stared at her in disbelief.
Then she reached for her phone.
“Mr. Mitchell? You need to come upstairs. Right now.””
Darius answered from the backyard.
“What’s wrong, Evelyn?””
She looked at the little girl trembling in her arms.
Her voice cracked.
“It’s Kayla, sir. Brittany has done something terrible to your daughter.””
A silence followed.
“What did she do?””
Evelyn looked down at the curls scattered across the marble floor.
“Please, sir. Just come upstairs.””
And before Darius could ask another question, Evelyn heard the rapid sound of his footsteps approaching the house.
Brittany glanced at the doorway.
For the first time, uncertainty flickered across her face.
But she quickly recovered.
“Evelyn, you’re making this into something it isn’t.””
Evelyn didn’t answer.
She was too busy comforting Kayla.
The little girl lifted her head and looked into the mirror again.
“Will Daddy still think I’m pretty?””
Evelyn’s heart broke.
She cupped the child’s cheeks.
“Baby, your daddy thinks you’re beautiful because you’re his little girl. Nothing in the world can change that.””
Kayla sniffled.
“But Mommy liked my curls.””
