Contract Marriage With My Ex — Chapter 48.  I hope you are fine, raven

"Kiara! Kiaraaa!!" a harsh shake and I came back to my senses blinking my eyes vigorously.

I looked in the front only to find Payton standing before me with a quizzical look. Where is my Raven? Where did my baby go? "Oh Kiara, I have been calling you since long. Where are you lost?" he asked me, but did he see that I was sitting with Girard and talking to him. Not only that, I was actually with my baby and Raven!!!

"I and Girard were talking about bil—" I turned my head pointing at the place beside me where Girard sat however it came out as a shock when I got to see none! "WY-where did he go?" He was nowhere to be seen.

I can't help but stand and look everywhere around with my eyes. I swear he was here right beside me and talking to me about getting Billy back and Raven's love for me. "Who are you talking about Kiara! There is no one. What are you looking for!" It was unbelievable.

I just talked to Girard, he was right there talking to me, and I was adamant to make Payton believe that too. "God's swear Payton, he was just here, and we were discussing about the hearing going to happen tomorrow for Billy's custody." I can't bring myself to trust that neither did I want him to trust that it was a lie.

After giving me such a hope, Girard won't go away. I know they all need me, Carter family needs me just like how need them right now. I miss them... I miss my family. I miss them all!

The thought of them again tore my eyes. There was no going away from this feeling. I wanted to rectify my sins, mend things back and after the conversation with Girard... A hope has risen within me. Please just tell me where the heck are you, Girard.

"Ugh, Kiara." My weak knees were on the verge of crashing but thankfully before I could kiss the ground I was engulfed into Payton's arms. He pulled me tight into his cage providing me the console I needed. "You probably were paranoid!" though it was difficult yet it was true.

I fucking hallucinated his presence around me. Otherwise, why on heaven's sake would he come here to see me and talk to me! It was a fucking vision.

"Hey it's okay! Happens. I know you are stressed out, so am I. Billy's face is hurting me too and I can't even catch some sleep but Kiara... This is not the end of life." I whimpered sending him detaching himself away from me.

The warmth was not exactly what I would feel in Raven's arms yet it was soothing enough. My sobs did not calm still it gave me the check that I was not alone. At least there was someone by my side to share my sorrows and pain.

"I knew it, Payton." It was perhaps the time to confess to him. He had strong feelings for me, Payton had bought me here to lighten up my mood but least idea did we have we would be caught in the puzzles of life and stuck deeper and deeper onto it. "Raven had told me already during his confession that he married me for Billy. But, later he also mentioned he wants Billy and me together at the same time in his life. He has told me that, 'Kiara, I could never be a good father for Billy in these two years of his life but now that you have come... We will be his best parents together. I need your support to fulfil this dream of mine, Kiara' And I just— left the very next day of his confession. I feel like a criminal, Payton." It was hard recalling those moments.

I still remember Raven's expressions— so pure and real. He was seriously happy around me. The kind of smile he would give me and his face would adore... Seemed gratefully real. In fact, it never seemed like he never smiled like that in all these years!

We were contended as it was the life we always wished to live. He was the Raven i dreamed of living my entire life with... And I was the same Kiara he desired to spend his breaths with. Alas, just within a night everything changed. Our happy lives changed into something opposite of that.

"It's alright Kiara... Mistakes happen. But then, there is also a chance to correct those mistakes. Even you will get your chance... Just have faith in life and God." Payton shook my shoulders as he could see I was extremely lost in my thoughts.

He knew it was important to pull me out of my thoughts otherwise I would fall deeper into my realization and worsen my condition. He continued to shake until I gasped perceiving a harsh shake hitting me. "When I— who wanted to separate you from him, can say this then why can't you trust it, Kiara!" I blinked my eyes concentrating on his words.

Oh yeah, again I was being selfish. So selfish that I did not think of this person standing before me to consider about him and his life. I was brought here by him for a reason. He brought here with the motives of freshening my mind and wooing me as his women nevertheless I became so caught up with my own problems that I yet again forgot to think about him.

"I am soo sorry, Payton. It was supposed to be us but I—"

"Hey, not now." I coveted to apologize to him, and he decided to interrupt me. His forefinger of the other arm that was not encircling my waist pressed on my lips not letting me finish off what I wished to say. The moment was indeed painful as I can see his feelings right in his eyes. "You have a family to build kiara, a damaged kid to look after, a ruined husband to love and a life to make it worth of living. So many responsibilities yet you want to think about someone who just wished to destroy your life, not fair!" My eyes were left wide in shock.

Was he even real?

Could he really be so selfless. My mind refused to trust him. He cannot be the same Payton with whom I spent four years of college. Didn't he lust me and desired to part me away from Raven? Oh that I could comprehend it like that but no— this man standing before me was holding a completely different personality from the guy whom I knew in the college.

That was right that, the Payton I met in the college, lusted me. Nonetheless, the Payton that I was standing here now with, really loved me. His loyalty made another fresh badge of tears to fill my eyes.

I took him so wrong all these tears, I cursed him unnecessarily and that proved how as individuals we have wrong perceptions about some people in life. It is therefore, rightfully said that, we should not judge any book by its cover!

"How could you be so nice, this is not the Payton I had met in college!" Playfully hitting my wrist on his chest I pulled his leg to which he blushingly smiled and looked down.

I cannot describe how cute he looked at the moment, "The credits go to you, Mrs. Carter. This is all because of you that I am changed into a different person. It's the beauty if your innocence unfortunately, my bad. I can't own you in this life!" He faked a sigh with a crying face.

I playfully hit him again but this time on his head, "Shut up! You will get someone better than me." He rolled his eyes showing off his attitude that my mouth firmed into O.

"Come on, let's go in. We have a lot of things to do from tomorrow." We initiated our walk towards the door. "And before anything, we need to find out about your husband's current situation. Nobody heard about him anything after the Billy's hearing, Kiara. It's dreading but true!" no sooner he mentioned that than my heart skipped beats.

I hope you are fine Raven!

Tbc...