This chapter is horrible. I updated early so y'all can grow abs cringing.
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Marinette grunted, placing a heavy tray of cupcakes onto the buffet table.
She reached up, wiping some sweat from her hairline with a deep breath.
The young woman turned, glancing around the patio Chloe had kindly allowed them onto.
Her blue eyes bounced around each corner, glancing at every yellow, pink and blue balloon that was tied to the baluster. The pool could be seen from the other side, and Marinette could really see it coming together.
Granted, Marinette was a little bummed that Adrien couldn’t make it. She would have begged Gabriel Agreste in person to cancel the photoshoot at the studio so that Adrien could accompany her and help set up for the party that her and Chloe planned, but the fear on Adrien's face disparaged that idea almost instantly.
If Adrien was intimidated by his own father, then Marinette would certainly be too. She was now his daughter-in-law, surely he wouldn't be easy on her either.
Instead, Adrien remained up with her throughout the night, learning and helping Marinette with the cupcakes and lollipops. They weren't expecting a lot of company - in fact, it was just a small get together to buy gifts for Alya and Nino's baby, but Chloe wanted to make it special and Marinette couldn’t have agreed more.
Every mother deserved a baby shower.
Marinette agreed to save some sweets for Adrien, so he could at least try some of the ones he helped make, and with the help of his bodyguard, Marinette was able to pack the baby gifts into the car.
Chloe staggered into a corner, placing the heavy boxes of baby toys and crib pieces. Nino set up the baby swing, stuffing it with diapers and baby wipes.
It didn't seem appropriate to serve alcoholic drinks at a baby shower, and Marinette knew for a fact that Alya would be sour to see everyone drinking without her, so Marinette opted Chloe's servants to bring juices and sodas instead while Marinette prepared the cupcake display.
A small smile tugged on her lips as she set the cupcakes up in a way that appeared to take the shape of one huge bottle.
She glanced up at Chloe's servants as they placed the sodas juices and snacks around the cupcakes. Marinette pressed her lips together, putting the takeout cake boxes her parents gave her from their bakery off to the side, just in case anyone wanted to bring some home.
She knew Alya had an icing craving; she figured perhaps the woman of the afternoon would want to hoard some cupcakes back down to her apartment.
"Should we set up the crib here before I bring her up?" Nino asked, a deep blush on his cheeks as it was quite obvious he was a nervous wreck.
Chloe scoffed, huffing as she stood up to place her hands onto her hips.
"Why would you set it up here?" She teased. "The baby would be sleeping at your place, not up here."
Nino blinked, a nervous smile on his lips as he ran his hand through his hair.
"O-Oh, yeah that's right," he breathed sheepishly. "I'm a nervous wreck."
"I think you'll be fine," Marinette assured, stepping back to look at the cupcake and snack display table. She bit her lip, quickly digging into her pocket for her phone so that she could snap photos and share them with Adrien who would most likely be dying of boredom down at the studio.
"Do you guys know if it's a boy or a girl yet?" Chloe asked, fixing her white jeans with a flushed face. "I told the servants to buy co-ed toys and onesies. I hope everyone else took the advice."
"We haven't gotten the chance to confirm the baby's gender. I know you can get it looked at via ultrasound, but right now we are still a bit too early in the pregnancy. I know there are blood tests that we can do now to confirm it, but we haven't gotten around to it yet. Planning this wedding and figuring things out especially regarding our living conditions has our hands full," Nino explained, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.
"Don't worry about it," Marinette interjected, hoping to assure Nino. "I made sure that all the gifts that Adrien and I bought were for children of any gender. The colors were neutral, we stuck with green, yellows and whites. As far as anything else that regards your living conditions, I have no problem helping you figure things out."
"That's right," Chloe chimed in with pursed lips. "My father owns many penthouses. In fact, there’s one he bought for me, but I'm rarely there. I prefer to be here because my daddy's here all the time, it's closer to the shops and because the hotel penthouses have twenty-four hour servant workers. If you want, you can have my old penthouse...I mean, if you don’t mind not having any servants."
Both Nino and Marinette gawked at Chloe, their eyes wide and their faces completely stunned by the sudden gesture.
There was an awkward silence between the three of them, and Chloe blinked, clearing her throat nervously as their gawking had started to make her feel displaced.
"D-Did...did you just give them a penthouse?" Marinette asked, blinking rapidly with a furrowed brow.
"W-Well, yeah! See? I care sometimes," she muttered, crossing her arms and looking away.
"Okay, so I'm going to have to actually talk with you about that because even I think it's too good to be true," Nino breathed. "But right now, I have to go grab Alya. She's sitting in the bodyguard’s car and even though the AC is on, she's going rabid from hunger."
Marinette pressed her lips together, nodding as she quickly glanced back at Nino who took a few steps back away from the girls and then eventually leaving to retrieve Alya.
Chloe sighed, a grimace on her face as she slouched forward.
Marinette furrowed her brow, her chest feeling tight at Chloe's exhaustion. She wasn't sure what was up with her, but something seemed off.
She had never seen Chloe look so disassembled in her life. Her skin looked a lot more clammier than usual, her hair had been unkempt, and the bags under her eyes seemed more prominent than she could ever recall it.
Chloe was usually on her game. She was always sassy but had good intentions beneath, while it was nice that she offered Alya and Nino a place to stay, it almost seemed like she was in a rush to get rid of it.
All in all, Chloe seemed more unpleasant than usual. She was more polished and well kept in case she stumbled upon paparazzi, but this was unexpected.
"Chloe, are you alright? You look like you haven't slept a wink. I understand that this was a huge day for you, but I worry that perhaps you've made this keep you up all night," Marinette mused, offering Chloe a warm smile.
Chloe reached up, rubbing her cheek with a look of disdain. She pressed her lips together, glaring at Marinette as the color from her skin only drained more so.
"I'm fine," she replied while crying, stepping away from Marinette. The sweat became more visible against her skin, causing concern to Marinette who stepped closer to her so that she couldn't put anymore space between them.
"Chloe, are you sure? You look like you've had a rough night. You're not usually this riled up, you know you can talk to me-"
"I said I'm fine!" Chloe interjected sharply, her eyes glaring at Marinette who flinched at her tone. "Now drop it."
Chloe pressed her lips together, turning away from Marinette and walking away.
Marinette frowned, her heart pounding inside of her chest as Chloe began walking away.
The young woman sighed, glancing down at the ground with a grimace.
Something didn't seem right with Chloe, but Marinette couldn't help but to feel totally defeated.
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Adrien blinked the moment the camera flashed in his direction. He reached up, fixing the collar of his shirt.
His eyes trained on Nathalie who waited for him behind the cameras. Adrien's bodyguard and driver was also in the room.
A small smile tugged on his lips, as Adrien thought it was funny. He remembered when he first started out in modelling - his father sent his entourage with him everywhere. It didn't matter where he went, they were always with him. When he went to the movies, they were there, when he went to his outside classes for fencing, they were there, hell, when he even went to the store for a snack, they were there.
It was awkward at first when they started to accompany him on his dates with Kagami, but Adrien simply resorted to sneaking out at night in a desperate plea for privacy. He had grown used to having his entourage with him, even though he had to admit that it was awkward at first.
Adrien felt a little giddy. Since marrying Marinette, his father had kept a looser hold on him. He was allowed to hang out with friends again, he was allowed to eat what he wanted, and he was allowed to stay up as late as he wanted. Granted, he was still tied to his father by modelling his clothes and attending his events, Adrien couldn't help but feel he had a bit more freedom.
"We've got a couple of shots in,” Adrien murmured, offering his entourage a cheeky grin. "Can I take the shoes off? They hurt."
Adrien felt his heart skip beats within his chest. He knew Marinette would be sending him photos and he knew she'd save him some cupcakes and snacks; he couldn't wait to finish up so that he could see what they were up to.
Though, Adrien wouldn't admit it, he really couldn't wait to see Marinette again.
There was something about the way she smiled at him, that made him feel completely elated. He was proud of how far their relationship had gone, and how comfortable they were with each other.
True, he was sad that Marinette had bumped into the piece of shit that had attacked her, but Adrien was relieved that Marinette opened up to him and allowed him to understand what was going on.
He wanted to share the burden with her, just like she was there for him when he discovered Kagami cheated on him, he wanted to be there for her for her troubles.
Wherever they went..
Whatever they did.
They were going to go through it together.
Nathalie glanced up at Adrien, her blue eyes moving over towards Vincent, the photographer, who simply shrugged and stepped back to switch out the memory card of his camera.
Adrien chuckled. If he was just testing the limits now, it wouldn't hurt to continue to push them.
"I'm erm...I'm also very hungry. I was up all night baking with my wife, I didn't get up early enough to grab breakfast before coming up this way." Adrien glanced over at the clock, obnoxiously pointing to it.
"See? It's lunch time. We can take a little break. Maybe enough for a sandwich or two? Food is good. We should eat," he dragged out, an obnoxious smile on his lips.
Nathalie sighed, shifting her weight to one of her legs.
"Alright, fine. They have fruits prepared down stairs in the lobby. If you want, we can go down and grab you some-"
"No!" Adrien exclaimed, immediately hopping on one of his legs so that he could pull off his uncomfortable Gucci tennis shoe. "I can walk down there on my own," he assured, before he switched to his other foot to pull his shoe off.
The blonde stood awkwardly in his jeans, collared shirt and socks before he placed the shoes down and hopped off the photoshoot set.
He stumbled as he excitedly grabbed his own comfortable sneakers and began to shove his feet into them.
"Adrien,” Nathalie reprimanded. "Don't eat anything too heavy. You'll be too tired and sick to finish the work you're scheduled to finish today."
Adrien waved her off dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah," he murmured, nearly running towards the doors to exit from the building. He quickly swiped his phone off the table and waved awkwardly. "I won't eat too much. Just give me fifteen minutes."
Nathalie parted her lips, ready to offer a rebuttal but paused the moment Adrien slammed the door behind him. She sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose.
Adrien smiled, scrolling through the photos that Marinette had sent him via text message.
He wandered down the hall, chuckling at the cupcake bottle that Marinette had set up. He was just nearly down the hall when he bumped into someone in front of him.
Adrien gasped, stumbling back while holding onto his phone tightly.
"Oh! Sorry!" He breathed, stuffing his phone into his pocket. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay-"
Adrien froze, the moment his eyes landed on a pair of familiar brown eyes and a freckled face. He sighed, his smile immediately dropping from his face as he leaned down and grabbed her hand.
He gently helped Kagami off the ground and she stepped back, the moment she let go of his hand to swipe her skirt.
"Kagami, what are you doing here?" He asked, his voice flat and cold as he had completely forgotten that his ex-girlfriend knew his work schedule. In fact, she accompanied him to every single session up until they broke up.
"I...I wanted to talk with you," Kagami sighed, a soft blush dusting her cheeks as she took in his appearance. He always looked so good during his photo shoots, of course it went without saying that his hair and makeup were on point, but he was incredibly mouth-watering.
"About what?" Adrien asked, blinking as he glanced around for a clock, hoping that he had enough time.
Kagami reached up to fix her hair, a deep sigh escaping her lips.
"I miss you. I haven't seen you in weeks, you haven't been answering my phone calls, you won't answer my text or voicemails. It’s like you disappeared."
Adrien pressed his lips together, sliding his hands into his pockets as his face remained impassive. While it was true that he couldn't forget what Kagami had done to him, he didn't want to treat her cruelly.
Marinette had mentioned to him a couple of nights before that it would be better to forgive others and to forgive themselves for the mistakes they made in the past. It wasn't worth carrying that burden with them for the rest of their lives. If Marinette could do it, would it be wrong to do it as well?
"I mean, I think that's the point of a breakup. You're supposed to separate. You cheated on me, you can’t expect me to jump at the chance to see you again. I'll need some time to unsee you from Luka's waist. I was just unfortunate enough to actually see it," Adrien explained, looking away awkwardly.
He felt bad.
Every time he looked at Kagami, he didn't even see her as his girlfriend or his ex. All he could see was the way she was wrapped tautly around Luka's waist. He couldn't imagine how far they would have went had it not been for Adrien stepping in.
"I'm only human you see, I made a mistake," Kagami whispered, glancing around the empty hallway with a deep blush. Not wanting to make a scene, she kept her voice low, stepping closer to him in case anyone walked by. "I acknowledge that I messed up, I won‘t make excuses for it anymore."
Adrien clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth together as he began to feel anxious. He didn't like having these conversations with her.
All he wanted to do was run away. Just like Luka, he wasn't ready to hear anymore of it. Adrien was used to burying things and pretending like they never existed.
He did it with his mother's disappearance, he did it with his father's coldness towards him, and he had every intention to do it with this situation as well.
"As much as you want to forget about me and as much as you want the past to not exist, it still does," Kagami breathed, lowering her eyes. "We spent four years together - yes, I led astray but my feelings for you were genuine. I'm doing everything I can to change even now to fix things with us. Everything that happened between us was real, they existed. We loved each other, we spent time together, we shared things together. I was here. You were here, we existed..." Kagami pleaded, her eyes glancing up to his face, despite him keeping his gaze away from her. "You can't erase me like this. I want to at least have the opportunity to gain your trust back. Let me be your friend, please if I have to get on my knees and beg, I would. Please, let me be apart of your life. I know you don’t believe me, but I love you, I still want to see you."
Adrien sighed, his body growing cold as he was put in a tight spot. Perhaps he wasn't as strong as Marinette. He wasn't sure if he was able to be friends with Kagami. He was still so incredibly angry at what she had done to him and the fact that she had been doing it when they barely started dating. It almost made him feel like she never took him seriously.
"I'm not sure how you want me to respond. I mean, you cheated on me and lied to me throughout the entirety of our relationship. What you and I had wasn't real. You were never real..." Adrien whispered, his gaze finally shifting back to her.
Kagami pressed her lips together, her heart aching in her chest.
"Adrien, you don't know what I felt. You can't tell me what I was thinking or what I wanted to do," she whimpered, her fists clenching together. "I already told you that I won’t explain the stupid things that I did, but I miss what we had. I miss the time we spent together. You promised that you would at least try to reconcile with me. Ignoring me doesn’t do anything. We both deserve a modicum or respect for the foundation that we built."
"A foundation that you completely destroyed when you shattered trust, Kagami," Adrien interjected calmly. "Put yourself in my shoes, tell me how you'd treat me if you caught me fucking someone else. I didn't just hear it from someone else's mouth and I sure as hell didn't hear you fucking say it."
Kagami bit her lip, her chest heaving as she withheld the tears that threatened to pool at the edges of her brown eyes.
"I've seen you with my own eyes. I would have rather you just tell me you didn't love me," Adrien continued. "Now, every time I look at you, I don‘t see you as a person I loved, just someone I caught around the hips of another guy."
Adrien glanced at her, quickly looking away as Kagami began to cry. His heart squeezed in his chest, and anxiety began to bubble through his veins.
He needed to remove himself quick.
Adrien brushed passed her, his eyes trained on the elevators at the end of the hall.
Kagami breathed out, reaching over towards him. Her hands gripped around his wrists, preventing him from moving any further.
"Adrien, why won't you listen to me?" She cried softly, her voice quivering. "It’s like we talk and I think we are making progress, but then we end up taking two steps back. It's like we are just going around in toxic circles, I'm really trying to work here, but you won't work with me-"
"Because I'm so fucking angry-" Adrien cut in, his voice breaking at the last word. "I'm so, fucking, God damned, angry, Kagami..." he reiterated, lightly tugging his hand away from her.
Kagami immediately dropped her hands to her side, her lip quivering as Adrien continued to walk, leaving her behind.
Adrien felt his heart pound between his ears as he approached the elevators. His hand trembled as he pushed the elevator button, silently praying that it would open or he'd result to taking the steps.
He exhaled, his eyes glancing up at the doors finally opened, and Adrien took the initiative to step inside but paused the moment he heard Kagami speak.
"I'm leaving Paris..."
Her words made his scalp cold.
The male blinked, his heart nearly stopping in his chest.
He furrowed his brow, slowly turning so that he could face her.
"W-What...?"
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"You saw him again?" Alya asked, her voice cutting through the music like a knife.
Marinette flinched, glancing around nervously as she didn’t want anyone else to hear.
Nino, Rose, Juleka and their friend, Mylene, had stopped by for Alya's baby shower, and were conversing by the pool casually.
Alya had eaten most, if not all the cupcakes on display, and by the time her feet swelled to the size of balloons, she had to take a seat while enjoying some water to calm and cool herself down.
"I...It’s not like I planned to see him. I walked as fast as I could, and I was convinced he was following me until Audrey's assistant came by to tell me Adrien requested I'd be brought back to a hotel to clean up first before returning home," Marinette sputtered, her cheeks growing dark with blush once more.
"Next time you see that guy, don't be afraid of him. You were drunk last time, you were caught off guard and you weren't able to make a clear judgment. Just punch him the fuck out," Alya seethed, her brow furrowing. "And if you can't, just call me and I'll take care of him. It doesn't matter that I'm pregnant, I'll take my chances," Alya muttered, pressing the cup of water to her lips.
"I wouldn't want you to take those chances,” Marinette breathed. "But there's a reason why he always comes to me alone."
The young woman furrowed her brow, her heart aching in her chest as she recalled how much she pleaded with her assailant to leave her alone. It almost made her sick to her stomach. Marinette wanted to be angry, but she was more scared than anything else.
"I'm just glad that I called Adrien. He had impeccable timing, when he asked for Audrey’s assistant to take me to a hotel to clean up. I'm not sure what would have happened to me by then..."
Alya sighed, shaking her head.
"I try not to think about the what ifs, but if I am thinking about it now, he would have been dead if he tried to do anything to you. You know we wouldn't let it slide."
Marinette pressed her lips together and she glanced down at her lap.
"I'm not sure. I worry that if I get the internship I was hoping for inside of that city, he'd know where I work and start creeping outside my workplace, waiting for me to come out so he can make his move."
"So then take advantage of the assets that being Adrien's wife comes with. He has bodyguards, he has drivers, he has security and connections. Don't leave the building unless someone is with you, and when you have the courage to punch his lights out, do just that. You could even ask Chloe if her mother could amp up their security outside the building. That way you may feel a bit safer."
Marinette sighed, glancing down into her cup of soda. "I'm not sure. I'd feel like such a burden. I don't really like when people go out of their way to help me with problems I created. I feel like even calling the police maybe safer?"
"Girl, you are not a burden, and it's not your fault or your problem that some low life fuck decided to screw with you and tried to harm you after you got visibly drunk. Don't blame yourself for any of that, and we are all here as your friends to love, support and protect you. Like I said, go to Chloe and see if she could amp her mother's security team, and if anything you can get a ban on him, her father is the mayor." Alya murmured, pressing a drink to her lips.
Marinette furrowed her brow, glancing around as she carefully placed her cup down onto the table where the snacks were displayed.
"Speaking of Chloe - where is she?" Marinette asked, her blue eyes glancing around the patio in hopes to find the blonde. Marinette would have been lying if she said she wasn't worried. Something was off about Chloe in the hours before the party, and Marinette was kept on her toes.
"I have no idea...she could have went inside for more refreshments, but I can't say for sure. I'd get up and check, but my feet hurt too much," Alya replied, sitting up straighter in her chair in an attempt to get up.
"Don't worry about it," Marinette pressed, her concern growing ever deeper. "I'll go look for her."
Alya blinked, watching as Marinette left her behind to join the crowd of the others. She sighed, leaning back into her seat with a grimace before she resumed to drinking her ice water.
"Has anyone seen Chloe?" Marinette asked, blinking as the sun had began to set and the solar light clicked in to keep the area lit. "I realised I haven't seen her since everyone arrived."
"I don't believe I've seen her," Rose commented, a frown on her lips. She glanced back at Juleka who shook her head as well.
Marinette sighed, glancing back at Nino who had grabbed a bag of chips and began to make his way back towards Alya who had become a crave monster fiend.
"Nino!" Marinette called out to him, catching him before he could return to Alya. "Have you seen Chloe?"
Nino shook his head.
"Not recently. She went inside the last time I spoke to her. I figured she had one too many cupcakes and got stuck in the bathroom."
Marinette rolled her eyes with a small smile and she hopped up on the front step that led to the penthouse.
She tugged on to the slider doors and stepped inside.
The room was huge.
Marinette had always seen the hotel in magazines but she never actually had the chance to see it in person.
A small smile tugged at her lips, her heart racing as the bed was nicely decorated, the electronics were up to date and it almost brought Marinette back to the time she stayed at her first luxury hotel.
"Chloe?" Marinette asked, stepping onto the magnificent carpet beneath her. "Are you here?" She furrowed her brow, moving deeper inside of the penthouse.
She glanced back, watching as the party faded out from behind her. The music only drew out lower and lower, and Marinette couldn't help but feel dread from the silence.
"Chloe?" Marinette asked, her voice only growing louder in case Chloe was truly stuck in the bathroom. The last thing she wanted to do was see Chloe stuck on the toilet. It was bad enough she could still see Nino's ass, just as dimpled as ever etched into the suppressed corners of her mind.
It was traumatic.
"Chloe?" Marinette asked, her voice growing lower as she wasn't hearing a response. Her eyes moved across the room, searching for anything out of the ordinary. "Are you in h-" Marinette paused the moment she saw a pair of legs sticking out from the other side of the bed.
Her heart sank into her stomach the moment Marinette could spot out the broken glass that lay on the space beside her feet.
"Chloe?!" Marinette breathed, immediately rushing over to the space beside the bed.
Marinette nearly felt sick, tears immediately pooled in her eyes as Chloe lay beside the bed.
She had gone completely limp and her skin was blue. Blood pooled in the palm of her hand from the broken champagne glass and Marinette was almost sure she was ready to pass out from the amount.
"Chloe!!" Marinette screamed, her voice quivering as she kneeled down beside her. Her hands trembled as she attempted to lift Chloe into her lap.
She was still warm, but she was not responsive. Marinette wasn't sure what had happened, but from the bluish look on Chloe's skin, this certainly wasn't a good look.
"SOMEONE HELP!" Marinette screamed, panic immediately closing up inside of her chest. "CALL AN AMBULANCE!"
Marinette wasn't sure if anyone could hear her, but she couldn't leave Chloe alone, just in case she did wake up.
"Marinette?" Nino's voice emanated muffled from behind the slider doors. "Is everything okay?"
Marinette gripped on to Chloe's lifeless body, and she tried to crawl out from the uncomfortably taut corner of the room.
"Nino! Chloe is unconscious! I need you to call an ambulance. NOW!" Marinette demanded in a panic. Her blue eyes glanced up as Nino stepped into the room.
Rose stepped in behind him, her eyes widening as she spotted the blood and the glass soiling the carpet.
"Oh my god!" She breathed, immediately brushing past Nino and joining Marinette at her side. She gently removed Chloe from her lap, laying her flat against the ground.
Marinette ran a hand through her hair, her body trembling as the panic got to her. Tears began to pool the edges of her eyes, unable to watch as Rose started to perform CPR.
"I'm calling an ambulance, right now," Juleka piped, running in from behind Nino in a panic.
"What's going on?" Alya asked, her voice emanating from the outside patio.
Nino immediately glanced back at Mylene, his mouth going dry.
"Keep her outside. Alya doesn’t need to see this. The stress isn't good for her or the baby," he instructed, watching as Mylene nodded with a panic and rushed over to Alya to keep her inside of her chair.
Marinette kneeled down, her hand grabbing Chloe's hand as she kept it to feel a pulse.
She was about ready to throw up, and though it may have felt like a couple of hours since Rose started CPR, it almost felt like forever since she finally heard a siren.
Chloe just had to be okay...
She just had to...