Diamonds are a Man's Best Friend

3.4

There is some swearing in this chapter so here's your warning.

The three sat in chairs in the studio, Hadley on one side and his coach and brother on the other. The two he hadn't seen – or contacted – in seven years were staring intently at him, waiting for an answer. Feeling nervous, Hadley started to play with his fingers, unlinking and linking them, playing with the jewellery on them and sometimes pulling them lightly.

'Jeez Louise, this people really enjoy to stare at people.' Jess thought, only to be reminded by that annoying system to stay in character.

"Hadley, are you really not going to answer?" Mikhail questioned, staring at the boy with an awaiting expression on his face.

"Answer what?" Hadley asked innocently, trying to evade the previous question.

"Why did you come back? After seven years, why do you suddenly appear again? You're living a great life so why come back to this place?" Greyson told and Hadley could spot his glossy eyes. He could feel himself about to tear up; people crying made him want to cry.

Turning his head away, Hadley refused to meet their stares. "Do I really need a reason for visiting you?"

A chair loudly scraped against the ground and the boy looked to see what it was only to find his younger brother had stood up, his face filled with anger and hurt.

"When you leave for seven years and suddenly come back, you kind of do need a reason. You're Hadley Jones, of course you would only come back to visit your goddamn family for a reason that benefits you, no one expects anything more from someone that dumped his younger brother with a drunken prostitute mother." He hissed venomously at the other boy.

Feeling his anger bubbling up, Hadley also stood up, chair screeching as it slid along the studio floor. "I needed to get out of this shithole when I had the opportunity to, okay?! Mother fucking despised my very goddamn existence and didn't do shit for me growing up. Maybe you don't get it Greyson but she loves you in her own weird way and me? I'm just some annoying kid she could do without! Fuck, you would want to get away from the woman who abused you most of her life and the shitty community that you grew up in. You can't tell me you wouldn't get away from that and a life you didn't want to have?"

"Well," Greyson snapped, getting up into his brother's personal space. "I don't have a twelve-year-old to look after."

Hadley let out a loud scoff, stepping even closer to Greyson till they were chest-to-chest. "And I knew that you would get looked after by that shit mother of ours and the community; you weren't me and that means a hell of a lot. Greyson Jones, you sit your ass down and shut the hell up so I can talk, got it?" And with that said, Hadley grabbed his chair and sat back down again. Following his brother's orders begrudgingly, Greyson grabbed his own.

"I visited because I thought it was about time I could face you again... And I'd have to probably come back anyway if things continue at the rate they're going." Hadley began fiddling again, though this time it was with his engagement ring and wedding band only. He slid the two up and down on his finger, quite nervous.

Mikhail narrowed his eyes, looking slightly confused. "I'm sorry, what? After the life of luxury you've lived and the partying and questionable things you've done – yes, I do know what you have been doing – you're moving back to this shithole? Please, you would not come back here with a choice. Has your husband suddenly developed a great distaste for you and decided he wants a divorce?" He then mumbled and shook his head. "E Country really lacks in decent PI's."

"No, God no, Louis really does love me." Hadley immediately shut him down. "It's more... the opposite way around." He tried to explain, struggling to piece his words together.

"So you're saying you no longer love him and are trying to divorce him?" Greyson questioned.

Hadley looked at the two of them, obviously unsure of what to say. "I mean... kinda? I really well and truly don't love him and honestly, I'm questioning if I ever really did at this point. But I can't just leave a man that got me out of some of the worst suburbs in the city and put me into one of the best in the whole country, it's just not right. And he really does treat me well and love me dearly but I can't return that... Not even if it's fake."

The room fell into silence, Mikhail and Greyson falling into deep thinking while Hadley just held his head in his hands.

It took a while before his old coach spoke up.

"If you're not happy with him, then file for divorce. I will help you to the best of my ability to make sure you get your part of this and you can stay with me as long as you promise to not participate in those types of activities anymore."

Hadley looked to Mikhail, eyes tearing up. "I can't do that to you Mikhail and I can't do that to Louis... It would just be wrong to try taking the things that are really his. I just... I really want to come home and even though home is really shit, I still want to be here with both of you. Goddammit, why do I have to think of this shithole as home when the whole reason I married Louis was to hightail my ass out of here?" Midway through his words, Hadley burst out into tears and by the end was practically wailing.

Seeing his beloved brother break down, both Greyson and Mikhail got up and walked over, wrapping the boy in a comforting hug. The two sat there with their arms around Hadley, Greyson crying into his brother's neck and Mikhail soothingly stroking his hair.

"What on earth is going on here?"

END CHAPTER

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Word count according to Grammarly: 1047

I know, I know, I'm a horrible person for just leaving and not updating without any reason and if I'm honest with you, there is no real reason. I guess I just forgot about it and inspiration for new chapters haven't hit me...

So uh, yeah. How has everyone been recently? I've been shit, thanks for asking^^