Back at the mansion, Julie was scrolling through her phone when she stumbled upon the news. Her heart dropped. The headlines are bold and clear: RAVEN BARRETT’S SECRET AFFAIR WITH HER HUSBAND'S COUSIN. She rushed to Raven, finding her in the sitting room, drawing in her sketchbook. "Raven," she said breathlessly, holding up her phone, "you need to see this." Raven's eyes widened as she took the phone from Julie. The blood drained from her face as she saw the photos, Justin leaning in and kissing her neck, but it looked as if they were both kissing. "No," Raven whispered, her hands trembling. "This isn’t true. I didn’t---" "I know, and I'm sure Mason won't believe this either," Julie said softly, sitting beside her. "I hate how the media twists things just to get a good story. This is Justin’s doing, I'm sure of it." "Not just Justin, I know Blair’s involved in this." Raven’s heart pounded in her chest as she picked up her phone to call Mason. The phone rang, but he didn’t answer.
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.
Charles shook his head as he waited for Mason to tell him what had happened. Not that Charles was clueless, by any means, but he wanted to allow Mason to tell him the truth. He leaned against the doorframe of his study as he watched Mason step inside. Mason sank into one of the leather armchairs, wondering why his father suddenly asked to talk to him. "Do you want to tell me what's going on, Mason? Or should you keep being reckless with your decisions?" Charles asked, his disappointment evident. Mason frowned, realizing Charles seemed to know something but unsure how. Then again, Charles always seemed to know what was going on and Mason had never figured out how. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wondering just how much his father already knew. "What do you want me to say, Dad?" Mason muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Where exactly were you last night?" Charles asked, folding his arms across his chest. "And don't try to lie to me because I know you met with your ex. I
Raven sat on the couch in her living room, her legs tucked beneath her, as she sipped her coffee. She had been working nonstop on her new collection and decided to take a break. It's been two weeks since Mason asked for space, and since then, she moved into the house he had gotten her when their marriage was still an arrangement. She decided not to fight him on his decision. She couldn’t bear to see the distrust in his eyes. When he said he couldn’t look at her, those words shattered her heart into a million pieces. And right now, all she wanted was to focus on herself. The Raven Prescott before Mason Barrett had always been self-reliant, and she was determined to find that part of herself again. The one who didn't need to beg to be loved. "At least I have my fashion studio now, that should keep my mind off him." She murmured to herself, glancing toward the dining room table, which was littered with sketches and fabric pieces. The office for her studio was finally ready, and her first
The time was 10 pm and Mason remained adamant. He wasn’t going back without his wife. Raven looked outside her bedroom window and found him still standing there. It was cold out there, why wouldn't he just leave? "Go home Mason, or you'll freeze to death." She yelled. "Then I'd rather freeze out here than return without my wife." He said, sounding so determined. "There's no home without you, Raven. I know I was wrong for not trusting you, and I'll never do that again. I love you, Raven. More than I've ever loved anyone else." "I found the evidence you wanted, I'll---" "I don't care about any evidence to know you'd never cheat. I trust you, completely." Mason said, cutting her off. Raven went downstairs, and as she passed the living room, Julie glanced at her, giggling silently. Raven paused in her steps. "It's late... and it's cold. I don't want him to get sick." Julie smirked, knowing her bestie couldn’t wait any longer to be in Mason’s arms. "Yeah, right." Raven hurriedly ope
Mason and Raven walked into the living room, hand in hand, only to be met with a chaotic scene. Candice and Julie were arguing, and Damon held Julie back before she could attack Candice. Julie’s voice was filled with so much anger. "You're full of it! Mason would never cheat on Raven, my brother's not that kind of person." Julie shouted, her fists clenched at her sides. Justin, who stood beside Blair, smirked as he turned towards Mason and Raven. "Well, here he is! Why don't we ask him himself?" Mason's grip on Raven’s hand, tightened. His eyes narrowed as he glanced at Justin and then Candice. "What the hell is going on here? And what are you two doing here?" Justin smiled, feigning innocence. "I came to visit Uncle Charles, of course. Oh, and to also introduce you all to my girlfriend, Blair." Justin said, wrapping his arm around Blair’s waist. "Uncle and I were having a good chat, when Candice came in requesting to see you." Mason's jaw clenched, while Raven's attention immedia
Raven's world crumbled around her. Tears threatened to spill as she looked at the man she had trusted, the man she had fallen for. "So you've admitted that you slept with her? You cheated on me because you thought I did the same thing to you?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly. "You're a hypocrite, Mason. You said you couldn't look at me; you kicked me out for cheating when you had just done the same thing. You couldn't wait to run back into her arms, so you used my mess as an opportunity, right?" "Raven, I'm sorry. I was drunk and things went out of control." Mason reached for her, but Raven stepped back, shaking her head. "I don't remember much from that night, that's why I didn’t say anything." "You used me to get over her, but you weren't truly over her, were you? You both deserve each other," she spat, turning on her heel to leave. Mason grabbed her arm, desperation in his eyes. "Raven, please believe me. I never wanted any of this." "Then send her away, tell her to neve
Raven sat quietly at the breakfast table, picking at the corner of her toast. The chatter around her felt distant as if she were inside a bubble. Julie, who was sitting beside her, was laughing with her friends, Kyle and Emily. It was Julie's idea to come here after the chaos yesterday, and Raven had no energy to refuse. Julie turned to Raven, pulling her from her trance. "Raven, I didn’t get the chance to properly introduce you to my friends yesterday." She said, smiling apologetically. "This is Kyle, and this is Kyle's sister, Emily. Yesterday was a bit, huh?" Raven forced a smile. "Yeah, just a little." Kyle, a tall guy with blonde hair, reached across the table, offering his hand. "Nice to officially meet you, Raven. Julie’s told us a bit about you." "Umm, you mean a lot. Julie won't shut up about you." Emily said. "I guess I can't blame her for that, you're... pretty." Emily sounded a bit off to Raven, but she didn't comment on it. Raven shook Kyle's hand and nodded. "It's n