The Bet-MLB

Chapter 43- The deal-part 1

***Hello, my loyal readers. I am sorry to have to do this, but I will be making this chapter into two different parts. I will try to update one after the other. Sorry again. Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow. Sending love, MMF***

Marinette smiled as she stuffed her possessions into her suitcase. Her conversation with Adrien had gone better than she had anticipated. She exhaled deeply, feeling relieved. She truly believed she was about to lose him forever. There was no doubt he was ready to walk away for good.

Marinette massaged circles on her chest, recalling the garments and photographs in the trash can. The pain in her chest was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Seeing their memories in the trash was as painful as the day she walked to school to see Adrien's lips on Kagami's. Marinette was curious as to whether he had left them there or had decided to retain them. She prayed he'd done so. Knowing he didn't want to keep their memories would be painful.

Marinette sighed as she stuffed the last of her belongings into the luggage. Even though their conversation went well and they were able to reach an agreement, she couldn't forget his expression when he learned of her broken promise. That gaze, the young designer was positive she had never seen before. It was filled with so much hurt and hatred that it made her want to die. What if he still felt that way? What if he decides he can't forgive her in the future and walks away? That was a one-of-a-kind look. Marinette was well aware that she may still lose the blonde for good.

Once again, Marinette reached up and rubbed circles in her chest. The entire situation was killing her slowly. She had not only let Adrien down, but she had let herself down. In a matter of weeks, she had managed to do and say everything she always said she wouldn't. The sad part was at the end, she was not only hurting herself but those who loved her. Marinette was in pain. She needed help and maybe some advice, but it was not like many people knew she was hurting. She had always been good at hiding her pain behind her fake smile. But Marinette believed she deserved the pain. After all, it is the consequence of her lousy choices.

The youthful fashion designer bit her lower lip. She had never imagined herself capable of such folly. She could have saved herself and Adrien a lot of sorrow and suffering if she had just talked to Adrien before fleeing like a coward. However, it was too late. She had moved on and was already dating another man. Well, perhaps. She has yet to inform him about the agreement she reached with Adrien. When she told Luka, would he still want to be with her?

The deal.

Adrien was only staying because of this. Marinette was well aware that giving such a bargain was wrong, but she didn't care. All she could think of at the time was persuading Adrien to stay. Stay with her. Stay for her. And it worked. 

Marinette rubbed her temples, her head throbbing the more she thought about it. She did not know what to do or how to act anymore. She was well aware that the agreement would be extremely painful for Luka, but she didn't know what else to do. As horrible as it was to acknowledge it, Marinette felt guilty because the notion of losing Adrien was far more agonizing than the thought of losing Luka.

Nonetheless, she was adamant about not losing Adrien for the rest of her life.

Adrien had not earned the treatment he had received. True, he lied, and those lies hurt a lot, but he never used or played her the way she thought he did. His affection was as genuine as he had stated. That much was undeniably clear.

No one could have feigned the kind of agony he'd been in for the past few days. No one could kiss and make love to someone the way he did if they did not truly love them with all their heart. Adrien loved her, and she would have realized it sooner if she had spoken to him that night as she had promised she'd do.