The Music of the Night

Chapter 11

I arrived at the room and opened the door, quickly closing it so that no one else would disturb us. 

If Gerard was even there. 

But he had promised to be there, and I trusted him, so I called out his name and looked around for any signs of him.

A few moments passed with no answer or sound, so I called out again. Nothing.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, chiding myself for thinking such foolish thoughts. Of course he wouldn't be there. He was filming a freaking movie! There was no way he would make time for me and my complaints.

Disappointed, I turned to walk away, but the sound of rapid footsteps made me stop and face in the direction it was coming from. In a blur of movement, Gerard came running in and slid to a stop on the sleek wooden floor.

"Hello, Ellie," he waved, leaning over to catch his breath. I smirked from my amusement of his energy. He didn't seem like the kind of person that sat down and read a book for hours.

Once he could speak, Gerard asked, "How may I be of assistance?"

I chuckled a bit and was about to answer when I noticed how different his face looked. I furrowed my brows and stepped over to him. "What happened to your face?" I asked softly, resisting the urge to touch it.

"Oh, it's nothing," he assured me. "This is only makeup. It's the Phantom's deformity."

He still looked gorgeous either way, but my thoughts were interrupted when I saw a touch of red on his lips. "Are you bleeding?"

Gerard was confused for a moment, but then he noticed I was staring at his mouth, so he wiped it with his fingers and chuckled. "Lipstick. I should've known."

"Lipstick?" I asked, feeling my body deflate.

"From Emmy," he confirmed, wiping the rest of it off with his hand. "I'll have to ask her to warn me about it next time."

My heart shattered into a million jagged pieces. He was having an affair with Emmy, and I should've seen it coming all along. 

How could Gerard ever have feelings for someone like me when he had a beautiful young woman at his side all of the time?

The answer was simple: a celebrity didn't fall in love with some designer that was barely making it on her own.

I held back tears and ran away, ignoring Gerard's calls of confusion. I was not going to feel the pain any longer.

I arrived at my hotel after telling Joel that I hadn't been feeling great, which was actually true. My stomach was painfully coiled into a thousand knots, I was light-headed, and my nausea was dreadful. 

He understood and sent me back, telling me to take as much time as I needed. Joel had to be one of the nicest people I had ever known in my lifetime, and I was grateful for his friendship.

I pressed the key to my hotel door, and it unlocked with a click. I walked in and headed straight for the bed, not bothering to change as I face-planted into the comfy sheets. What a great day, I sarcastically thought, rolling my eyes under my eyelids. Maybe I won't go back tomorrow.

But I immediately scrambled the thought and shook my head. I had to go back, whether I wanted to or not. This was my job, no matter what Charlotte thought of me, and I was going to be the best member on the team.

I fell asleep with a fire in my soul, and I was determined to keep fighting until my wishes came true. My eyes closed, and my night was filled with dreams of putting Charlotte into the ground and burying her deep, right where she belonged.