Billionaire’s Unlikely Bride - Chapter 32: Chapter 32

The next morning, Mason woke up groggily. His head was pounding as he blinked, the harsh sunlight streaming through the window. He tried to sit up, but something didn't feel right. Slowly, he turned to his side, his heart sinking as he saw Candice lying next to him, naked beneath the sheets.
"What the hell?" He yelled, scrambling out of the bed and waking up Candice in the process. He began to panic when he couldn’t remember anything that happened last night. How did he end up here, in the arms of the very woman he despised? What had he done?
Candice stirred on the bed, stretching before turning to face him with a sleepy smile. "Good morning, baby." She purred, reaching out to touch his arm. Last night was... incredible. I've missed how you touched me.
Mason refused to believe anything that she said. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t have---
"What happened? How did you end up here?" His voice came out hoarse, his mind still trying to piece the pieces of last night together.
Candice sat up, wrapping the sheet around herself as she leaned back on her elbows. "You don’t remember?" She asked, her tone playful as if this was all some kind of joke. "I came to you after I heard about what your wife did. You carried me up here after I apologized and asked for just one night to make things right."
Mason's heart sank. He didn’t remember, and that was what terrified him the most. "That's insane, I would never go back to you for comfort. I'm married, Candice. Get that into your fucking brain."
He quickly scanned the room for his clothes, pulling them on in a rush. His mind was spinning, not just from the hangover but from the panic rising within him. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He had vowed never to let Candice back into his life, and yet here he was, waking up in bed with her.
"Don't give me that crap, Mason. You're married, so? You left me because I cheated, and now your wife did the same thing. Why can't you accept that? It's the same thing."
"No, it’s not." Mason's voice boomed. "I may be having a hard time trusting Raven, but I know she would never do that."
"How come, when I do it, you erase me from your life, but when that stupid Raven---" Before Candice could speak further, Mason slapped her. "Did you just hit me? Be... because of her? I thought you never raised your hand on a woman?"
"The next time you call my wife names, I'll make sure you're never able to speak again," Mason warned her.
As he grabbed his phone from the bedside table, his stomach dropped. Ninety-seven missed calls from Raven, ten from Julie, and a few from Damon. He has been gone all night. He had never ignored their calls, and he knew they'd be worried.
Candice watched him, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Leaving already?" She asked, her voice annoyingly calm. "You know, we're all the same after all. I cheated, your wife cheated and now you cheated. I wonder what good old Raven would do if she knew about our little secret."
Mason shot her a glare, barely holding back the rage building up inside him. "Are you threatening me?" He scoffed. "This was a mistake, and you know that." He muttered under his breath, storming out of the room without another word.
As soon as he left, Candice smirked, staring at her phone. "I always get what I want, Mason. And what I want is you."
She quickly dialed Blair’s number on her phone. "What now?" Candice asked as soon as Blair picked up.
"We wait." Was all Blair replied, chuckling darkly?
When Mason arrived home, the atmosphere was tense. Charles and Julie were seated in the living room and Raven was nowhere in sight.
Charles stood as soon as Mason entered, his expression was stern, carrying the weight of his disappointment. "Where were you all night?" Charles asked, his voice low but firm.
Mason hesitated, trying to come up with an excuse. "I was at the office. I had a lot of work to catch up on."
"We called the office," Julie cut in, her voice filled with concern. "You left the office very early."
Mason clenched his fists, his frustration evident. He couldn’t explain himself, couldn’t possibly tell them what happened. Not yet, at least. Not until he figured out what happened last night.
Before he could say anything else, Raven rushed downstairs, her eyes filled with relief as she saw him. She rushed to him, wrapping her arms around him, but Mason stood stiff, not returning the hug.
"I was so worried about you," Raven whispered, pulling back slightly to look into his eyes. "I called you so many times."
Mason's heart ached at the sight of her. She was worried, he could see it in her eyes. But those images of her with Justin flashed through his mind again and he began to doubt her again.
"Are you worried about me," Mason asked coldly, pulling away from her, "or you’re just feeling guilty?"
Raven froze, her face masked with confusion. "Guilty? What are you talking about?"
He scoffed, running a hand through his hair as the tension in the room grew. "Don't play dumb with me, Raven. I saw the pictures. You and Justin, kissing."
"And you believe them? Don't you trust me?" Raven asked.
"No. I don't. Not when photos of my wife and cousin kissing are all over the news."
Raven's eyes widened in shock. "What? Mason, I didn’t kiss him! He kissed me, and I pushed him away as soon as it happened. I would never---"
"You expect me to believe that?" Mason interrupted, his tone harsh. "Candice did the same thing, and I ended things with her. Yet you go behind my back and repeat the same thing, and you want me to trust you?"
"That was Candice, Mason. Not me. If I had any intentions of cheating, I'd have agreed to his advances at the hospital. But I didn't." Tears welled in Raven’s eyes, but she held her ground, stepping closer to him. "I didn't do anything, Mason. You have to believe me. It didn’t happen the way the pictures made them out to be. I was trying to leave but Justin---"
"I don't want to hear your excuses!" Mason shouted. "You should’ve never been in that situation to begin with! Why didn't you come to me when he started making advances at you? Maybe you were considering it in the first place. And now---"
Raven stared at him, feeling hurt at the fact that her husband didn't trust her. "And now what?"
Mason's fists clenched at his sides, his mind filled with anger, regret, and confusion.
"Maybe we were never supposed to work," Mason muttered, his voice low and filled with pain. "Maybe this was all a mistake."
Raven's breath hitched as he spoke, his words cut deep. "A mistake?" She whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Is that all I am to you? A mistake?"
Mason couldn’t look at her. "I don't know what we are anymore."
"Mason, what are you saying? Raven would never betray you." Julie couldn’t hold back anymore.
Raven shook her head, wiping her tears. "No, you can't say that. You can't tell me you don't feel anything for me, Mason, because I love you." She held Mason's shirt. "I love you so much, I can't even stand the thought of not being around you. So no, I won't let you push me away. I... I'll find a way to prove to you that I'm telling the truth."
Mason didn’t respond.
"I need to have a word with you." Charles’s calm voice cut through the tension. He couldn’t watch his son act foolish or be a hypocrite.