The Man Clad in Black: Book Two

To Reiterate - Chapter 35

"Peter?" you asked, blinking a few times as you fixed the sleeve of your dress (that hadn't been bugging you until you needed a distraction). You gave a soft chuckle of disbelief, shaking your head as you did so, and you could only think of one thing to say. "Why?"

"Well..." Meg started, her eyebrows furrowing a little. She stared at her petite hands as she played with the hem of her skirt, gnawing on the inside of her cheek as she attempted to collect her thoughts. Silence was pointless. "I haven't been completely honest with you, [Y/N]."

"Really? The Meg Giry, not being honest?" You didn't know whether it was because you were nervous or because Meg was, but you had intended your sarcasm to be done more so in a joking manner... However, the moment Meg's eyes flicked to yours and casted the most intensely unamused expression you had ever seen, your mind changed in an instant.

She let out a long sigh.

"I... well, the reason I... you know..." she began, though she let out a soft huff and massaged the bridge of her nose. "I don't really know how to say it, but I knew about you and the opera ghost. A long time ago, actually."

You felt your entire body heat up. It was difficult to tell if it was embarrassment, or anxiety, or a release of the tension that had built up over the last year or so, but nonetheless, you just went blank.

Meg took that expression for a surprised look.

"Oh, come on— you really think you were secretive?" she asked, giving a chuckle to try and lighten the mood. She noticed that your posture had hardly changed. "You snuck off quite often during Il Muto... and that appearance he made that night with that drunk widow— it was no coincidence that he showed up. And how you would show up in places unexpectedly, and— the ring, [Y/N]. All of that was fairly obvious to me."

You relaxed just a little— though the resurgence of tension was quick to return.

"I'm sorry I didn't invite you," you said quickly. "He and I, we got— we married in secret, and I was afraid of putting you in danger if you were to attend."

"It's forgotten," Meg said. "But... To finish up the story before I lose the courage to keep speaking, the reason I slept with Monsieur Peter was because he planned on pressing charges against you or something— for conspiracy, I think it was— and because I knew he was getting suspicious, I spoke with him and convinced him to drop it... It definitely cost a portion of me, but— [Y/N], you're my best friend. I dare say more so than Christine— and there is nothing you can do about it. What's done is done, and while there's plenty of shame that comes with my decision, I haven't lived a day regretting it."

You sat in silence for a few moments.

It was a lot to absorb— after all, the information most definitely made your head pound and your chest tighten with guilt.

"[Y/N], please say something," Meg whimpered... She was almost afraid of your reaction. Sure, she had gone out of her way to help you, but that twinge of nervousness ate away at her— was this too much? Did it make her seem desperate or obsessed? Her heart raced a million miles a minute, as she was almost dreading your reaction, but it all faded away the moment you threw your arms around her and gave her a tight hug.

"Meg, I'm so sorry," you said, running your hand through her hair. "All this time, I haven't noticed— oh, goodness..."

"Don't fret about it, [Y/N], I told you," Meg said, giving a soft chuckle. She returned the hug, but one of her hands moved quite quickly to wipe her eye— it was an emotional moment for her indeed... And it didn't help that she cried over a dropped chicken prop earlier, either. "I think the best way for you to pay me back for this is to not beat yourself up over it. It was my decision and I regret nothing."

You had no clue what to do other than hug Meg— your sniffling, emotional, and very pregnant friend.

"Oh— that's right," Meg stated, completely out of the blue as she wiped her eyes and backed out of the hug. "Antoine wishes to have lunch with you, Matthew and I today, if that's alright."

You glanced back and caught glimpse of Matthew jogging toward the both of you, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket as he made his way over.

"You two alright?" he asked, holding out the cloth for Meg to grab.

"Yes," Meg nodded. She held the handkerchief to her eyes to catch the tears, as they continued flowing, and she flashed you a swollen-eyed smile.

"Glad to hear," Matthew said, exchanging his glance between you and Meg. "Antoine is waiting in the lobby for us, so we'd best be going soon."

"Right," Meg said, balling the handkerchief on her fist (simply because handing back a freshly-wet handkerchief wasn't so... Lovely). "Any updates on visiting?"

Matthew's lips prickled into a hidden smile.

"Not too much I can say, but that is a part of it," he said, giving a soft nod. "Also— by any chance, do either of you know where to get flowers?"

"I do," Meg said quickly. "I'll show you after lunch, if you'd like."

"That would be spectacular," Matthew smiled.

For a moment, you just lingered in confusion. It was hard for you to understand exactly what had happened in that moment, but it was clear to you that something had, in fact, happened.

"Well then," you said, brushing your hands off before smiling just a tad. "Off we go then? To meet with Antoine?"

"Right— of course," Matthew smiled. "I'll walk the both of you. Oh— and [Y/N], I promise some of the news is good. No doubt about it."

A/N: So, I disappeared, haha! This book is going to be updated more frequently (I mean it this time!), So no worries about that... This chapter was kind of short, but there was a lot that's gonna go down, and I don't want the chapters to be forever. ANYWAY, before I'm more sleep-deprived than usual, I'll see you all soon 💖