Billionaire’s Unlikely Bride - Chapter 58: Chapter 58

In New York, Candice was on FaceTime with Blair, who had told her everything that happened at Justin's house.
"Mia isn’t as naive as we thought. She’s playing her own game with Justin, and it’s working. We need to get rid of her before she tells Mason everything." Blair’s voice sounded through the phone.
"You're right, I should have gotten rid of that Mia a long time ago. She knows too much. I never imagined she'd go against me like this. She needs to be out of my way," Candice nodded in support. "I can't risk her telling Mason anything, not when I finally have him all to myself."
As they spoke, Mason entered the room, his expression was furious. Without a word, he yanked the phone from Candice’s hand and threw it across the room. It clattered against the wall and fell to the floor, the screen shattering.
"Mason! What are you---" Candice started, but her words died down in her throat when Mason held up his phone.
He pressed play on the recording, and Candice’s voice filled the room, the sound of her laughter as she bragged about her lies.
Candice stood rooted to the ground, her face paled. "Ma... Mason, I... I can explain---"
"Explain?" Mason's voice shook with fury. "You fucking lied to me! You made me believe you were pregnant, and I lost Raven because of you! You let me mourn a child that never even existed!"
Tears welled up in Candice’s eyes, but Mason was unmoved. "And now you’re here, planning to get rid of your assistant just because you can't risk her telling me the truth? Heaven knows how you plan to get rid of her. All just to keep your lies hidden?"
"Mason I'm sorry, it wasn’t my idea. It was Blair and... and---"
"Shut the fuck up! Don’t blame someone else for your lies, why would I believe you anyway? It doesn’t matter whose idea it was! You put me through hell, thinking you had lost the baby. You're going to pay for this. I'll make sure you regret ever trying to make a fool out of me."
Candice opened and closed her mouth as if trying to find something to say, anything to stop him from giving up on her.
“But, I-”
“Why the hell did I ever believe you!”
“You-”
“I can’t believe I listened to you-”
“You didn’t, you never did-”
“That’s bullshit, Candice… why the FUCK did I sleep with you?!”
“You didn’t-” Candice clamped her mouth shut as she realized what she had said.
Mason stood still, his mind unable to process what he had just heard.
“What do you mean, we didn’t… was that a lie, too?” Mason called for his guards, shaking his head, unable to think about what was going on around him. His stomach dropped, anxiety crushing his chest. "Stay with her until the cops get here. She's not to eat or drink anything until I decide to hand her over to the police. Am I understood?"
Mason had never been so angry, so hurt. Even when he had seen pictures of Candice and Justin together, the pain he felt had been nothing compared to losing his baby.
The guards nodded, and they dragged Candice with them.
"Mason, no, you can't treat me like this," Candice said as she was being taken away. "Mason! I didn't do anything wrong! I can’t go to jail, it'll affect my career!"
"Trust me, by the time I'm done with you, you won't have a job, let alone a career. Take her out of my sight!"
Soon, his phone rang. He checked to see who was calling, and Raven’s name flashed across the screen. His heart, which had been pounding in his chest with anger, now calmed as he saw Raven’s name. Why was she calling? Was she okay? Did she miss him the way he missed her?
He didn’t hesitate to answer, his heart pounding in his chest again, making it hard to hear, hard to think.
"Raven?" He said, his voice softening.
For a long moment, there was silence on the other end, and then finally, Raven spoke. "I... I called because there’s something I need to tell you."
"Raven, are you okay? I've been looking everywhere for you. I’m so sorry-"
"I didn't call you about that, Mason. I’ve been in Australia. And... I'm pregnant with your child."
Mason’s phone slipped from his hand, falling to the floor as the weight of her words sank in. Raven was pregnant. With his child. The devastation of a moment ago shifted to hope for the family he hadn’t realized he wanted.
Does this mean that he still had a chance with her? He couldn’t believe any of this was real. His mind seemed to echo in his head her voice… her words…
"Shit!" He said, suddenly remembering his phone had slipped from his hand. “Raven? Are you there?”
Raven’s sobs came through the phone line.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, sounding so small. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“I know, I know you didn’t,” he told her, his voice excited even as he felt fearful. “This isn’t bad news, Raven, this is a good thing.”
“How is it a good thing? I’ve just started a new life, a new career. I’m free for the first time in my life and… I’m happy. Add to all of that, we’re divorced! We can’t do this!”
Mason hesitated, uncertain how to feel about the revelations she had just shared. She was happy. He wanted her to be happy, he just wanted her to be happy with him. Did that mean she had never been happy when they were together? He remembered their marriage had been one of convenience, not of love. Love had come later when he almost lost her. Then, when he had gotten her back, happiness lasted a matter of hours before Candice’s lies destroyed everything.
But now he had another chance. At love, at happiness, at having the family he had just lost.
“Are you still there?” Raven called out, fear emanating in her voice. “Mason?”
Mason took a shaky breath.
“I’m here,” he assured her, sitting on the couch before his shaky legs could give out under him. “I’m so sorry, Raven.”
Raven sighed.
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you when you said you had nothing to do with Justin. I’m sorry about… Candice. Mostly, I’m sorry I signed the divorce papers,” he rushed, running his hand over his face.
“Why did you sign them, then?”
Raven had never sounded so uncertain and it made Mason’s heart ache that he had done that to her.
“Because… I thought I was doing the right thing by you. Everyone was so angry at what I had done. They said I had thrown you away, that I didn’t deserve you, that you deserved to be happy and I couldn’t give you that.”
Silence.
“But you did,” she whispered, finally. “You did make me happy, Mason.”
“Why did you sign the papers?” Mason wasn’t sure he wanted to hear her answer, but he needed to know. After everything that had happened in the last hour alone, he needed someone to tell him the truth.
“Because you didn’t want me,” she whispered, still unable to speak at a normal volume. “You chose Candice. I understand why you did, but you chose her and her baby-”
“There was no baby,” Mason interrupted, the lump in his throat surprising him. “It was all a lie.”
Silence, again.
“But… why would someone do that?”
Mason chuckled bitterly.
“She was trying to break us up… Raven, please come home. Or tell me where you are. I’ll come to you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mason. I didn’t call so we could get back together, I feel like that ship has sailed, don’t you?”
Mason gasped, shocked that she would think that way.
“It doesn’t have to be that way, babe. We can still make this work, we can figure it out”
“Mason,” Raven sighed his name in the way she did when she wasn’t sure what to say to him. He hoped that would be followed by words that gave him another chance. “I have to go.”
“Raven, no,” he pleaded with her, reaching his hand out as if he could still touch her, clenching his fist when he realized he couldn’t. “Please, don’t go. Talk to me, just… talk to me.”
The line went silent.
Raven had hung up the phone.