I called Maria, my housekeeper, who confirmed my suspicions. She had arrived early to help me prepare for the day and heard noises from my room late the previous night. “I thought it was you moving around, Mrs. Wilson,” she said tearfully.
“But then I saw Miss Natalie leaving your room. She said you weren’t feeling well and had asked her to get something for you. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.” The wedding was scheduled for 2:00 p.m., just 4 hours away.
I sat on the edge of my bed, utterly devastated. “What was I supposed to do now? Stay home?” as Natalie demanded. The thought of missing my only child’s wedding was unbearable.
But the thought of appearing bald without proper clothes and being subjected to whispers and staires was equally horrifying. For a moment, I considered calling the police. What Natalie had done was assault, plain and simple.
But that would mean disrupting the entire wedding, creating a scandal, and potentially damaging my relationship with Jackson beyond repair. No matter how hurt and angry I was, I couldn’t bring myself to do that to my son. I went to the bathroom and looked at my reflection again.
The stranger staring back at me looked vulnerable and old in a way I had never seen myself before. But as I continued to look, something shifted in my expression. The initial shock and horror began to give way to something else determination.
I thought of all I had overcome in my life, all the challenges I had faced and conquered. This would not break me. In that moment, I made a decision.
I would attend this wedding. Not only would I attend, but I would hold my head high, literally. And I would make some changes to my plans for the inheritance transfer that was scheduled for tomorrow.
Natalie had shown her true colors in the most dramatic way possible. And now it was time for me to protect my son from the predator he was about to marry, even if he couldn’t yet see her for what she was. I picked up my phone again, but this time I didn’t call Jackson.
Instead, I called my sister Judith and my lawyer. It was time to take action. “Oh my god,” Babette Judith gasped when she arrived at my house.
Her hands flew to her mouth as she took in my bald head and tear streaked face. “Who did this to you?” I handed her Natalie’s note with trembling fingers.
As Judith read it, her expression morphed from shock to rage. “This is assault,” she said firmly. “We need to call the police.”
“I can’t,” I replied, my voice breaking. “Not today. Not on Jackson’s wedding day.” “Babette, look what she did to you. She drugged you and shaved your head. This is beyond a bridezilla moment. This is criminal.”
I sank onto my sofa. The weight of the situation crushing me. “If I call the police now, Jackson will never forgive me. You know how he is, Jude. He’s completely under her spell.”
Judith sat beside me, taking my hand in hers. “Then what are you going to do? You can’t possibly attend the wedding like this.” But I had already made up my mind.
“Actually, I can and I will. I just need your help.” Over the next 2 hours, Judith transformed into my personal crisis manager. She called her stylist friend who arrived with three different wigs.
We selected one that most closely resembled my natural silver hair, though the style was different, shorter, and more modern than I would have chosen. Since my dress was destroyed, Judith raided my closet and found a simple but elegant navy blue dress I had worn to a charity event the previous year.
“It’s not traditional for the mother of the groom, but under the circumstances, it’s perfect,” she declared. As I stared at my reflection now, somewhat restored but still fundamentally changed, a deep sadness washed over me. “This should have been one of the happiest days of my life, watching my beloved son, Mary.”
Instead, it had become a nightmare. “I just don’t understand the level of hatred it would take to do something like this,” I whispered. Judith’s face hardened.
“It’s not about hatred, Babs. It’s about money. $120 million to be exact. Natalie sees you as an obstacle to her control over Jackson and his inheritance.” The truth of her words hit me like a physical blow.