This is one lie Rayna won’t be able to cover up. In “Nashville” Season 3, episode 20, Rayna (Connie Britton) lied to Deacon (Charles Esten) about her plans and went out to find him a liver. After his failed transplant last week, she was desperate for a cure. She was even willing to break the law.

Deacon was taking care of the girls while Rayna was away “on business.” She told Deacon she was going to New York, but she was actually in Mississippi. She was visiting Deacon’s sister Beverly (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson), who was a match but refused to go through with the transplant. Rayna begged for help, and Beverly said that she felt used when she visited earlier this year. Beverly tried to leave, but Rayna wasn’t letting up.

Beverly flashed back to a time when she used to perform with Deacon. When Rayna offered them a spot on her tour with Deacon on guitar and Beverly singing back up, Beverly refused. She was jealous of the star's success and how much Deacon loved Rayna, and she didn’t want to be second best.

Rayna found Beverly performing at a bar later and tried to convince her again. Beverly said that Rayna stole her career when she took Deacon on tour. Rayna called Deacon to tell him that she didn’t “close the deal.”

Yet the country star wasn’t ready to give up yet. Rayna handed Beverly a check for a million dollars and said that she hoped it would change her mind. Paying someone for organs is completely illegal, but apparently that couldn’t stop Rayna.

Deacon was completely oblivious to Rayna’s plan, and he was a bit distracted by their daughter. He came home to find Maddie (Lennon Stella) in Scarlett’s (Clare Bowen) room with Colt (Keean Johnson). Maddie was buttoning her shirt, Colt was topless and Deacon was enraged. Colt literally ran out of the house, and Maddie and Deacon drove to Rayna’s house in silence.

Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) showed up at Rayna’s house a little while later to find Deacon freaking out. Juliette convinced Deacon that she could be a “cautionary tale” for Maddie. Juliette talked to Maddie and told her to have sex for the right reasons. Maddie said she’d be a great mom. Deacon thanked Juliette and finally told her about his cancer.

Even with the shocking news that Deacon was dying, Juliette couldn’t let that stop her from making a comeback. She started rehearsals early in the morning without telling her husband. Avery (Jonathan Jackson) showed up to Juliette’s rehearsal and told her they just had to find a balance. She could be a singer and a mother. He was hoping that supporting her in this would make her a little more interested in being a mother.

However, first Juliette had to find a promoter. No one wanted to help her get into an arena for her comeback concert. Juliette performed a rooftop concert instead. It certainly attracted the attention of everyone in Nashville — including the cops. Juliette and Avery quickly bypassed the authorities and ran into the elevator. The country starlet stopped the lift to hook up with her husband. They moved their make out session to their home, but the baby’s crying quickly halted their plans.

Meanwhile, Gunnar (Sam Palladio) was reminded of the child that he didn’t have. Kylie (Alexa PenaVega) showed up on Gunnar’s doorstep to see Micah because she didn’t know about the custody arrangement with Micah’s grandparents. Gunnar yelled at her and revealed that his brother Jason was actually Micah’s father. He told her to leave and left for work.

Gunnar showed up at a gig with Scarlett at a local radio station. Scarlett offered to chat, but he didn’t really want to talk to his ex-girlfriend about his other ex-girlfriend. When he got home, Kylie returned and said she didn’t cheat on Gunnar with Jason. When they were at a party as teenagers, Jason had come into a room she was passed out in and raped her.

Scarlett went to Gunnar’s house to check on him and wondered why Kylie was still there. Gunnar said it was complicated, and Scarlett wanted him to stop being dragged down by his past. When Gunnar criticized Caleb (Nick Jandl), Scarlett yelled at Gunnar and said that at least she could leave the past behind.

Elsewhere in “Nashville” Season 3, episode 20:

  • Teddy (Eric Close) was warned that the FBI was after him. He gave the girls heart necklaces and seemed to write goodbye letters to them. However, a friend from the U.S. Attorney’s office offered to get Teddy out of this mess for a price.
  • Luke (Will Chase) and Jade (Christina Aguilera) hung out in California, and he realized that Jade was a little too wild for him. He said their worlds were too different and he dumped her.
  • Layla (Aubrey Peeples) was interested in being seen. She made out with some famous guy she met at Jade’s party and told Jeff (Oliver Hudson) it was good for business.
  • Jeff didn’t want to be in California or go to the party. He worried Layla was getting a bad reputation rather than attention for her career. The manager decided to tweet the photo that Jade told Layla not to post on Twitter. It’ll likely get Layla kicked off of Jade’s tour.

“Nashville” Season 3 airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EDT on ABC. Do you think Rayna went too far by offering Beverly money? Sound off in the comments section below!

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