Ten

Raven's POV

I was finally home, after a long day of lectures, and all I wanted to do now was to eat and collapse on my bed. I pushed the door open, not expecting to find Julie sitting on the couch, nervously. The moment I saw her in the living room, I froze, my heart skipped a beat.

I haven't seen her since that night at the party. I tried calling her after, but she ignored my calls. When I learned Mason was a Barrett, I knew I'd see her sooner or later. But I didn't expect it to be today.

"Julie," I greeted, unsure of what to say. "I didn't know you were here. Mason’s not back yet."

Julie looked up, her expression unreadable. "I know. I'm here to see you."

My stomach churned. She's probably mad I married her brother. She only told me she had a brother once but we never really talked about him. Then I found out Blair was engaged to the son of the Barrett family.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Julie sighed, looking down at her hands before meeting my gaze again. "Can we talk? Please?"

I nodded slowly and gestured for her to sit. We sat silently on the couch.

Julie took a deep breath. "I owe you an apology, Raven. I've been avoiding you, and ignoring your calls. I'm sorry for that."

I frowned, my heart pounding in my chest. "I wanna know why, Julie? What happened? We were fine until that night."

Julie’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she looked away, unable to meet my eyes. "I was embarrassed after what happened at the party. After I kissed you, I saw how you looked at me, and I panicked. I didn't know what to do, so I just... ghosted you."

I blinked in surprise as the memory of that night flashed through my mind. When Julie kissed me, I was stunned. But I just brushed it off and convinced myself she did that because she was under the influence of alcohol that night. "Julie, you didn't need to ghost me for that; you were drunk. People do silly things when they're drunk."

Julie let out a bitter laugh. "I wish that was the case. The thing is... I've had a crush on you for a while, Raven. I didn't know how to tell you, and I was scared of ruining our friendship. And... I was terrified of what my family would think if they found out. Especially my mom, she already thinks I'm a disappointment."

I was stunned by Julie's revelation. I never imagined that Julie felt that way about me. "Julie I..." I struggled to find the right words to say. I don't want to hurt her feelings. "I would never judge you for your feelings, and if I could return these feelings, I would. But I only see you as a friend, Julie. My best friend, and when you stopped being friends with me, I felt bad because I thought I did something wrong and I lost my only friend."

Julie's expression softened, and she nodded in understanding. "I get it. I've already come to terms with my feelings. I know nothing can happen between us, and I'm fine with that. But I don't want to lose our friendship, Raven. Can we still be friends?"

As soon as she said that, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. "Of course, Julie. I don't wanna lose you either."

We both smiled as Julie reached out to hug me and I hugged her back, grateful to have my friend back.

As we pulled away, I noticed the worried look that clouded Julie's face. It was as if there was something she wanted to say, but before I could press further, she changed the subject. "How's it going with your designs?"

She's the only one who knows about that, and she always asks me about them cause I don't have anyone to share my passion with. "Honestly, I haven't drawn anything new. I also plan on stopping by our house tomorrow to pick up my sketchbooks and some of my other stuff. Wanna come?"

"I'll pass. The last thing I want is to run into your evil sister." Julie doesn't like my family, and I don't blame her.

"And how are things with you and your mom?" I asked, paying close attention to her expression. Julie's relationship with her mom is almost like mine, the only difference is her mom can't express her disdain publicly like mine.

Julie shrugged. "Nothing changed. She still treats me like an inconvenience, but I've learned to deal with it. Anyway, enough about me. How are things going with Mason?"

I hesitated, unsure of how to answer her. My relationship with Mason is complicated and I don't think Mason told her about our arrangement. "It's fine, I guess. We're just trying to make this work."

Julie raised an eyebrow, a mysterious glint in her eyes. "You're falling for him aren't you?"

My cheeks flushed, and I quickly looked away. "We're just getting to know more about each other. You know we kind of rushed into things. Come on, let's go to the kitchen. I want to prepare dinner today." I tried to change the topic.

Julie smirked, clearly not buying my excuses. "You don't cook unless you're trying to impress someone. So clearly, you've fallen for my brother."

I opened my mouth to protest, but I couldn't find the words. She knew me so well. But I wasn't falling for Mason. Do I find him attractive? Yes. Do I sometimes want to kiss him? Yes, but that doesn't mean anything.

I sighed and changed the subject. "So are you gonna come over more often now, or do you still prefer traveling around the world?"

Julie smiled, her eyes lighting up. "I'll soon start taking a business class, so I'll be around more. You better get ready to see my amazing face every day."

I looked up in surprise. "Business class? I thought you hated the idea of working in the company or even studying."

"I do," Julie admitted. "But my dad insists. So I figured I might as well give it a shot. Maybe it won't be as bad as I thought."

I smiled, genuinely happy for her. "That's great, Julie. I'm sure you'll do amazing."

We spent the rest of the evening talking, catching up on everything we had missed during our time apart. It felt like the old times again, and I was glad to have my friend back.

As we were setting the table, Julie tried to start eating, but I quickly stopped her. "Don't touch the food until Mason comes back."

Julie raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin on her face. "See? You're definitely in love with my brother."

I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my embarrassment. "I'm not. We just have dinner together, that's all." Before I married Mason, I always ate dinner by myself and I always felt lonely, but now I'm starting to get used to eating with him. Even though it's silent most times.

Julie didn't look convinced, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, we sat down and continued chatting until Mason came home. My heart did a little flip when I saw him, but I quickly pushed the feelings aside.

~~~~

The next day after lectures, I went back to my old home to collect some of my belongings, including my sketchbooks. I plan on bringing my designs to life after I graduate from college. I pushed the door open and made my way inside, my footsteps echoed in the hallway. As I approached my room, the smell of smoke hit my nose and my heart sank.

I rushed inside, only to be met with a horrifying sight. Blair was standing in the middle of the room with a fire extinguisher in her hand, a smug smile on her face as she watched the flames consume my clothes, pictures, and even the box where I keep my sketchbooks.

I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. Everything I worked so hard on for years, my designs, my memories, and all my dreams were reduced to ashes before my very eyes.

"What the hell are you doing, Blair?" I screamed, my voice trembling with fury.

Blair turned to face me, a satisfied smirk on her lips. "Good, you're here. I'm just getting rid of some trash. This place needed a makeover."

My vision blurred with rage, as I lounged at Blair, landing a punch on her face and grabbing her by her hair. "You bitch! How could you do this?"

Blair let out a shriek of pain as she tried to fight me off, but I was too consumed by my anger to stop. Right now, I don't care about anything else. I just wanted to make her pay for what she's done.

The both of us struggled, Blair’s screams echoed through the house. I scratched and clawed at Blair, determined to ruin her face the way she ruined my work. Blair fought back, pulling my hair but I was relentless.

Just as I was about to land another punch on her face, the guards burst into the room and pulled us apart. But I had already caused severe damage to Blair’s face; her nose was bleeding, but her face was covered in scratches. The guards quickly put off the fire.

"Let me go!" I screamed, struggling against the guard's hold.

Blair touched her face, horror, and fury in her eyes. "You're going to pay for this, you psycho."

"Says the dummy who started a fire inside the room." I spat, my voice dripping with venom.

Just then, my mother stormed into the room, her eyes wide with shock.

"What the hell is going on here?" She demanded, her voice shaking with anger.

"Ask Blair, she's the one who started this," I said, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Mommy, look what she did to my face. She ruined my money maker." Blair whined, obviously in pain.

My mom's eyes narrowed, as she marched up to me and slapped me across the face, the sound echoing through the room.

"How dare you lay your hands on my daughter!" She hissed, her voice low and dangerous. "After everything we’ve done for you, this is how you repay us? First, you stole her fiance, and now you want to ruin her face!"

I freed myself from the guard's grip, my chest heaving with fury. "Everything you've done for me? Blair destroyed all my work, years of designs gone because of her petty jealousy!"

"You ungrateful child! Blair is your sister. You should be ashamed of yourself for attacking her like that. Apologize now!"

I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head in disbelief. "Apologize? For what exactly? I haven't even started with her, by the time I'm done with your precious daughter, no man would look at her twice."

My mother’s face hardened, her lips forming into a tight line. "Enough, Raven. Just because you're married into the Barrett family, you think you're so powerful? You better enjoy it while it lasts. Guards, throw her out."

They grabbed my arms, dragging her toward the door. I didn't fight them this time. I was too exhausted, too broken. As they shoved me out of the house and the gates slammed shut behind me, I fell to the ground, my knees hitting the cold ground.

The tears I had been holding back finally spilled, and I buried my face in my hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

I didn't know how long I sat there, crying until I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I wiped my face with the back of my hand and pulled out my phone, seeing Mason’s name flash across the screen.

I hesitated for a moment before answering, trying to steady my voice. "Hello?"

"Where are you?" Mason's voice was filled with concern. "I’ve been trying to reach you. Are you okay?"

I forced a smile, though I knew he couldn’t see it. "I’m fine. I’m... on my way home."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Before he could ask any more questions, I quickly added, "I’ll be there soon. Don’t worry."

Without waiting for a response, I hung up and slipped my phone back into my pocket. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down before heading home. Maybe Mason had something important to talk to me about.