Billionaire’s Unlikely Bride - Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Julie lay restless in bed, staring at the ceiling, her father had asked her to spend a few days with her brother. He didn’t like how they rarely spoke to each other anymore. From the moment she arrived, she's been irritated by Candice’s presence. It wasn't like she could sleep, not with so much going on in her head. Julie wanted Candice out of the picture for good. She couldn’t stand the sight of her.
It was almost midnight when she heard a knock. Startled, Julie sat up, frowning. Who would be up at this hour? She slipped out of bed, walked barefoot towards her door, and looked out. Across the hallway, she saw Candice, knocking on Mason's bedroom door, not even concerned that she was disrupting everyone's sleep.
Julie stepped out angrily. "What are you doing, Candice?" She demanded. "Can't you see it's late?"
"Mind your business, pest." Candice turned to her and said.
"You should be thankful you're pregnant, or else I’d make sure your mouth went behind your head."
Candice didn't get a chance to speak when Mason’s door swung open. His tired, disheveled appearance made it clear that he had been fast asleep.
"What's going on?" Mason’s voice was hoarse, his eyes darting between the two women.
Candice immediately pouted, turning her attention to Mason. "I was craving ice cream," she whined. "I can't sleep, and the baby wants ice cream."
"Are you being serious right now?" Julie snapped. "You mean you've been making all that noise just because you want ice cream? Unbelievable."
"There's no ice cream in the house now. So you'll have to wait till tomorrow morning." Mason said tiredly.
"No, Mason. I can’t wait! The baby needs it now. Why don’t you care about me and our baby? I didn't get myself pregnant." Candice said, her voice rising in desperation.
Julie crossed her arms, her patience wearing thin. "We're not even sure if that's my brother's child you're carrying. We'll only know that once the baby is born, and so help you, God, if it isn't."
Mason let out a groan, clearly not in the mood for this argument. He has a meeting tomorrow and he needs to rest. "Candice, it’s late. Everyone’s asleep. One of the maids can get you ice cream tomorrow."
"I need it now!" She cried, her voice getting on his nerves.
Mason ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident on his face. With a heavy sigh, he muttered, "Fine. I'll get you ice cream if that'll make you shut up."
"Are you seriously going to listen to her?" Julie stepped forward. Can't you see her walking all over you in the name of pregnancy?
"Julie, she's pregnant. It's normal for her to have these cravings."
"I'll go watch TV while I wait for my ice cream." Candice shot Julie a triumphant look before descending the stairs, unbothered by the argument she had caused.
Mason grabbed his jacket, preparing to leave. Julie couldn’t believe it. "You're seriously doing this?"
"If Raven was the one pregnant, I'm sure you wouldn't mind. So please, even if you don't care about Candice, think about the child in her womb. I just want peace."
"Don't you dare compare my bestie to that witch? Raven would never let you go out this late, and you know that." Julie shook her head, fuming as she watched him follow after Candice. How had Mason become so spineless? It was like Candice had a leash on him.
As Mason passed the living room, something on the television caught his eye. He squinted at the screen. The woman in the elegant dress looked familiar.
"Raven?" Mason called out, almost to himself.
Candice turned to him, her irritation evident. "Excuse me, did you just call me Raven?"
Mason frowned. "I didn't call you Raven. I thought I saw her on TV."
Candice let out a mocking laugh. "You wish. That’s Brian Anderson, Mason. No way she could be at an event like that."
Mason said nothing, his thoughts already drifting off to Raven as he left to get the ice cream.
The next morning, over breakfast, Mason watched Candice as she picked at her food. "And why aren't you eating?"
"Mason, I'm tired of being called your baby mama by everyone. I don't want our child to grow up and think any less of himself. What's stopping us from getting married?"
"Eat your food, Candice, stop talking nonsense." Mason gritted his teeth.
"If you don't want me and this baby, Mason, then don't waste my time." Candice snapped.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"What I mean is, I'm going to get an abortion. I can't let you treat me like this after ruining my life."
"Candice!" Mason yelled.
"What? I'm only going to wait for a month; if you're still not going to marry me, then I'm leaving, and I'll get rid of this baby."
"You wouldn’t dare." Mason's voice was low and dangerous.
"We'll see about that. So you better start making preparations for our wedding."
"By the way, I need some money to go shopping on my way back from the hospital." Candice continued.
"Do you have a doctor’s appointment today?" He asked, trying to sound casual.
Candice looked up at him, surprised. "Why?"
"I could go with you after my meeting at the office." He replied. Mason didn’t understand why he said that.
Candice scoffed. "There's no need. You’ll just be all grumpy and embarrassing. It’s better if I go alone."
Mason didn’t push it. He hadn’t wanted to go anyway.
Soon, Julie came down the stairs with her bags. Mason looked up in surprise.
"What's all this? Where are you going?" He asked, frowning at her packed belongings.
"I don't think I can stay here as long as she's still here. I'll be visiting you, but not spending the night or a few days anymore. You've got a lot of responsibilities." Julie answered. "I'll mostly be at Raven’s place; she left the documents at her house for me before she left. So I'm taking my stuff there."
"What do you mean, Raven left the documents of the house to you? Did you also know she was leaving?" Mason's confusion deepened. "Why didn’t you tell me this before?"
"Why would I? You don’t seem to care." Julie shrugged, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "And I didn't know she was leaving. I only realized she left when I found her letter."
"What letter? I didn't find any letter." Mason said, confused.
"You think you deserve one?" Julie chuckled. "I think you should focus on this homewrecker you have with you and forget about Raven. She's probably not coming back."
Candice, tired of hearing Raven’s name, stood abruptly and stormed off to her room, leaving Mason and Julie alone. Mason sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Julie, please," he pleaded. "Just tell me where Raven went."
"You think I'd still be here if I knew?" Julie paused, looking at him with a mix of frustration and pity. She reached into her bag and pulled out a folded letter. "Here," she said, handing it to him. "It's not meant for you but I think it'll give you some sort of closure. It's the last thing she touched before she left."
Mason stared at the letter for a long time before looking at Julie. "Will you ever stop hating me for my mistake?"
Julie’s expression softened. "I don't hate you, Mason. I could never hate you. I’m just mad at you for ruining what you had with Raven. You let Candice back into our lives and I don't trust her."
When Julie left, she sat in her car for a moment. She was so tired. Tired of the lies, tired of the fights, and mostly tired of the confusion about who she was. Ever since the revelation that she wasn’t Charles’s biological daughter, she had been struggling with her identity.
She pulled out her phone and called Emily. "Hey," she said, her voice strained. "Can you come over tonight? I could use the company."
Emily didn’t hesitate. "Of course, I’ll see you tonight."
That night, both Julie and Emily sat in the living room, surrounded by half-empty bottles of wine and lots of chocolate wrappers.
"Everything's such a mess," Julie mumbled, staring into her glass. "Candice is ruining Mason and I can't do anything about it. And I have no idea where Raven’s gone. I just... I don't know how to fix any of this."
Emily listened quietly, as Julie continued to vent.
"I'm angry," Julie admitted. "I'm angry at my mom for lying to me all these years and now she's dead. I'm angry at Candice, angry at Mason, and at Raven for not fighting for what she had with my brother."
Emily placed a comforting hand on Julie’s arm. "I'm not sure about Mason or Candice. But no matter what happens, you're still you, Julie. It doesn’t matter who your biological parents are. You’re still the same person you’ve always been."
"You don't understand, I'm---"
"Perfect," Emily said, cutting her off. They stared intensely at each other. Then, out of nowhere, Emily leaned forward, her lips brushing against Julie’s in a soft kiss.
Julie froze her mind spinning as she processed what was happening. When Emily pulled back, her face flushed with embarrassment, Julie didn’t know what to say. After a while, she leaned forward and kissed Emily.
Emily was shocked but she responded immediately.