Billionaire’s Unlikely Bride - Chapter 25: Chapter 25

The shock was written on both Lenora and Margaret's faces as they stood, frozen in place. Their eyes widened as they registered the fact that their private argument was no longer private. Everyone had heard everything they just said, and there was no escape now.
"This can’t be true," Julie stammered, shaking her head as if to erase the words she had just heard. "I must have heard wrong... I'm imagining things, right, Mason?"
Mason remained silent, not knowing what to say to his sister. Raven moved closer to Julie, gently placing her hands on her friend's shoulders, trying to offer some kind of comfort. But even she couldn’t comprehend the intensity of the bombshell that had just been dropped.
"Margaret," Charles’s voice broke through the silence. His face masked with growing fury, and his body trembled with anger. "What is she talking about? What 'fake pregnancy'?" He stepped toward Margaret, his voice rising. "Speak now, woman!"
Margaret flinched at the booming sound of Charles’s voice, her eyes darting nervously from Charles to Lenora. She had never seen Charles this angry before. She swallowed hard before stammering, "I... she's lying. I don't know what she's talking about." Her voice wavered.
Lenora scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Oh please, Margaret. Enough with the theatrics. You and I both know that Julie isn’t your daughter, or Charles's. You’ve been hiding that truth for far too long."
Lenora silently hoped that Charles would send her away in anger. She was tired of playing nice with Margaret. It was time Margaret faced the same fate as everyone who had discovered her secret. She should have gotten rid of her a long time ago.
"Stop this!" Margaret screamed, her voice cracking as her composure began to crumble. "Julie’s your daughter, Charles. She’s ours." She gripped Charles’s arm tightly, her knuckles turning white.
But Julie’s trembling voice cut through the argument. "Let’s get a DNA test."
Margaret’s head whipped around, panic flashing in her eyes. "What? No, no, there's no need for that," she said, her voice filled with desperation. "I... I love you, Julie. You don’t need a test to prove anything. Don't you believe your mom?"
"No! I don't believe anything and that's why I want to know the truth." Julie's voice was stronger now, laced with anger. "So why not, mom? If you’re so sure, then what are you afraid of?"
Margaret, feeling cornered, lashed out. "You stupid girl shut your mouth!" The room fell silent as her harsh words echoed. "Fine, you want the truth? You’re not my daughter. Happy now?" She sighed, clearly frustrated. "You should be thankful that I gave you a new identity, or you would still be stuck in that stupid orphanage."
Julie gasped, her hands trembling at her sides. Her world felt like it was collapsing around her.
"Mom..." Julie whimpered, her eyes welling up with tears.
Margaret snapped. "Don't call me that!" She shouted. "You're just a constant reminder of my failure. I didn't even get what I wanted."
"Enough, Margaret!" Charles roared, his face twisted in anger and disbelief. But Margaret was too far gone, she wanted to be free from the years of lies and blackmail. She's had enough of Lenora’s constant torment.
"No!" Margaret screamed, her voice filled with determination. "I'm done letting her hold this over me. I’ve had enough of her threats! Yes, Charles, I lied to you. I took advantage of your grief after your wife died. You were drunk, and I thought if I could get you to believe you raped me... maybe, just maybe, you’d learn to love me. I knew you would take responsibility once you found out I was pregnant 'cause you're a good man."
Margaret pointed at Lenora, her finger shaking with fury. "But it was all her idea. Lenora pushed me into it! She manipulated me and played on my feelings for you. She knew how much I loved you, and she used it against me, I thought she was helping me as a friend, but she was only trying to save herself. She just wanted to have something to hold against me so she could keep her secrets hidden."
Everyone was stunned by Margaret's outburst. Mason's eyes flickered between his father and Margaret, guilt twisting in his gut. All these years, he had resented his father for moving on so quickly after his mother’s death. He thought Margaret was a victim all this time, not knowing it was his father who had been a victim of Margaret and Lenora’s wickedness. Now he realized the truth, his father had never moved on at all.
Raven, too, was trying to process this revelation. She had never known that Margaret wasn't Mason's mother, and now she discovered she wasn't even Julie's mom. She couldn’t shake the feeling that more secrets were yet to be uncovered. She was curious to know what secrets her mother was hiding.
"So all these years... I was just a pawn in your twisted game?" Julie’s voice cracked as tears began to fall. "Is that why you couldn’t love me? Because I wasn’t your daughter?"
Julie stared at Margaret in disbelief. Was this the woman she had called "mother" all these years? The memories of her once comforting childhood, now felt like shards of glass cutting into her skin.
Raven placed a comforting hand on Julie’s arm, but words of comfort eluded her. How could she possibly console her friend after such a devastating betrayal?
Lenora watched with growing unease as Margaret revealed their conspiracy to everyone. She knew Margaret was close to spilling her dark secret, the one she had worked so hard to keep hidden. If Margaret revealed everything, it would ruin her. She had to think of something, a way to stop Margaret from speaking further. She needed to act fast.
"Charles, you have to believe that I never wanted this," Margaret pleaded, ignoring Julie’s questions, her tone desperate now. "I loved you... I still love you. But Lenora... She's the real villain here."
Charles’s face turned livid, his chest heaving as he tried to comprehend the extent of Margaret's betrayal. His heart pounded painfully in his chest, and suddenly, the world around him began to spin. All these years, he blamed himself for a mistake he never made, and when he decided to see his mistake as a blessing, Margaret told him that Julie wasn’t his daughter. He refused to accept this fact. Julie was his precious daughter, the only lady he could bring himself to care for after his wife left him. Seeing Julie in so much pain broke his heart.
"I... refuse... to..." Charles’s voice faltered, his hand flying to his chest as his face twisted in pain. His legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground.
For a second, Mason stood frozen, unable to breathe, to move. Then Julie’s scream broke through the haze.
He rushed forward, his hands trembling as they found purchase under his father’s arms."
"Dad!" Julie shouted as she rushed to his side. Mason rushed forward, and so did Justin.
Raven rushed to them as well, Margaret following behind, panic rising as they saw Charles’s eyes flutter closed. Without wasting a second, Mason and Justin lifted him, carrying him toward the car. Julie scrambled in, her face tear-streaked, while Raven followed quickly behind.
Margaret, still in shock, hesitated for only a moment before running to her car and following them to the hospital. The guilt and the weight of her actions came crashing down on her like never before.
As everyone left for the hospital, Lenora let out a huge sigh of relief. "Well, that went better than I expected." She murmured to herself, a small twisted smile tugging at her lips.
She had been thinking of how to come up with a distraction earlier but who knew Charles’s old heart couldn't handle the truth. She began to think of a way to stop Margaret from revealing her secrets to everyone, especially Raven. Suddenly, an evil smirk etched her face as she left the Barrett house. As she left, her mind buzzed with new plans. There was one person who could help her silence Margaret for good. It was time to make a call to an old friend.