Billionaire’s Unlikely Bride - Chapter 55: Chapter 55

Raven gripped the steering wheel tightly as she drove down the highway. Her hands were trembling, her vision blurring as waves of nausea crashed over her. The clock on the dashboard showed she was already twenty minutes late for her meeting with Brian and some new clients of theirs. She hadn't been feeling like herself in days; she felt weak. She didn't notice the light ahead turned red as darkness washed over her.
Her foot hit the brake too late, her car veered off the road and collided with a nearby light pole, and her head slammed into the steering wheel. The last thing she saw was the crumpled hood of her car before everything went black.
A bystander screamed for help, and two men rushed over from a parked truck. One carefully opened the door and checked her pulse.
"She's alive!" He shouted over his shoulder. "Call an ambulance!"
Raven blinked slowly as her vision began to clear. She tried to focus on her surroundings. White walls and the sterile smell of antiseptic made her recognize where she was – a hospital. Her gaze landed on Brian who was sitting beside her with his phone pressed to his ear, holding her hand.
"Yeah, she's still unconscious," Brian said into the phone. "The doctors haven't said anything yet, I think they're still running some tests or something."
Raven groaned softly as memories of the accident started coming back to her. "The meeting," her throat felt dry as she whispered.
Brian turned quickly at the sound of her voice, relief evident on his face as he ended the call.
"Raven, thank God! How are you feeling?"
Her head throbbed as she tried to sit up, wincing with pain.
"Take it easy," Brian said, helping her sit up.
The doctor chose that moment to enter the room with his clipboard in his hand. He smiled warmly as he approached her bed.
"Good to see you awake," he said, warmly. "You suffered a mild concussion. How are you feeling?”
"A bit groggy," Raven admitted, pressing her hand to her temple. "But... I'm fine"
The doctor turned to face Brian. "Ensure she isn't left alone for now."
"I'll stay with her." Brian nodded in agreement.
Raven nodded slowly, still disoriented. She opened her mouth to speak, but the doctor continued. "And you’ll be glad to know the baby is fine."
Raven's eyes widened in shock.
"What baby?" She and Brian said in unison.
The doctor chuckled, mistaking Brian's surprise for excitement.
"Congratulations, your wife is having a baby," he said to Brian. "She's three months pregnant."
Raven's heart pounded in her chest. Pregnant? How could that be? She didn't have any symptoms until just a few days ago.
"Three months?" Brian muttered under his breath. "How come she didn't know she was pregnant?"
"It's not unusual for women not to have symptoms this early on." the doctor explained.
Back in New York, Mason sat in the large living room of his penthouse, staring at Candice. She was standing a few feet away, her arms crossed as she glared at him. Mason couldn’t stand her any longer.
"Candice, we can’t keep doing this," Mason began, trying to keep his voice steady. "This isn’t going to work. You've recovered from the miscarriage, and I think it’s time we both move on."
"Move on? How can you say that, Mason? After all I've been through, you're just going to discard me like some piece of garbage?"
"I'm not discarding you; I just think it's best if we go back to our previous lives," Mason replied. "I can't keep pretending, I've had enough of your manipulation."
"Manipulation?" Candice's voice cracked as she started crying. "You said you were going to give us another chance. I've done nothing but love you, Mason. You’re all I have."
Mason sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We can’t be together anymore. You're not pregnant anymore, and---"
Before he could finish, Candice stormed into the kitchen and Mason followed behind her. She grabbed a knife from the counter.
"If you leave me, I'll kill myself." She screamed with tears streaming down her face. "I swear, I’ll end it. I’ll die without you, Mason."
Mason froze, his mind racing. Candice’s desperation was suffocating. "Candice put the knife down." He took cautious steps forward.
She shook her head violently. "No! You don’t understand, Mason. I can’t live without you. If you can't accept me then it's better if I just die. There's no point in living without you!"
"Candice, we can talk about this," Mason said, trying to remain calm. "You don't need me to survive. If you cared about me like you say you do, you wouldn't have cheated."
"There's nothing to talk about! I love you." She screamed, holding the knife up between them as he slowly approached her. "I do, I can’t breathe without you. I’ll die, Mason. I’ll die if you leave me."
Mason sighed, trying to figure out how to defuse the situation. Candice’s grip on the knife tightened, and for a moment, he feared she might go through with it. He wasn’t sure what to do. She was becoming a thorn in his flesh.
Holding his hands up to pacify, hoping he could calm her down. As he took a step closer, Candice panicked and waved the knife between them.
As the slice met Mason’s hand, the knife cut through his skin.
“Shit! Mason, I’m sorry!” Candice dropped the knife and grabbed a cloth, her emotions finally real – regret.
That night, after Mason had finally managed to calm Candice down and gotten eight stitches in his left hand – thankfully, he’s right-handed – Candice’s mind kept spinning with different thoughts of how to keep him. Losing him wasn’t an option. She knew now that pretending to have had a miscarriage was a mistake. If only she had continued to lie about being pregnant, she could’ve still had him tied to her.
All she felt right now was regret – and sorry she hurt his hand, of course, she thought. Now she needed to figure out a way to get pregnant for real. That was the only solution. If she could carry his child, he would never leave her.
Candice quickly grabbed her phone and dialed Blair’s number. She needed someone to help her figure this out, and Blair was the only one who could come up with an idea for her.
"Blair, it’s me," Candice said when her friend picked up, keeping her voice low. "We need to talk. Can you meet me tomorrow at that restaurant near Central Park? I need your ideas on something."
"Sure," Blair replied. "I need to talk to you as well."
Candice hung up, an evil smile spreading across her face. Tomorrow, she would figure out a way to make sure Mason was hers for good.