The Real Me || Book One

Chapter eighteen: Mason and Marinette

A/N: This chapter is long overdue! So to make up for it, I'm going to make it longer than most chapters! Enjoy~

(Third Person POV)

The wedding was in two weeks exactly and just thinking about it sent shivers down the girl's spine. She was happy to finally share a life with someone she loved, but her heart broke even more when she thought of who it was. It's not like she didn't have feelings for Mason because she did, however, they weren't as prominent as the ones she had for Adrien. He was her first love, it was understandable that she couldn't forget him but the thought of him not being by her side what's supposed to be the happiest day of her life, made her want to run away and hide from everyone.

There was just one altercation; Mason and Marinette weren't actually getting married. The romantic relationship was fake from the very beginning and it fooled everyone. Mason was just a friend to the girl, a very good one to be exact. All of her family and friends expressed how bad it was for her mental health to sit day and night, waiting for Adrien yet she obliged when they mentioned she should move on. Marinette knew Adrien didn't just disappear into thin air, there was more to the story but with the injury she had inquired on the day he went missing, she couldn't quite remember. Eileen had explained that when she came to from consciousness, Adrien was gone as well as Samantha and since then, no one had seen him which Marinette found hard to believe. How could two people escape the eyes of security cameras or witnesses who stood on the sidelines? It didn't add up in her mind.

Mason and Marinette met in class, a year after the incident. The two hit things off pretty well and it didn't take long for Eileen to take notice. They would hang out just about every day and while it seemed like they were a happy couple to some, they were the only ones who knew the truth. It wasn't until Eileen asked if they had made things official yet when Marinette came up with the idea. In order to get everyone to stop worrying about her health, Marinette would pretend to date Mason, having his consent before she went along with it. When the news finally broke out, she didn't expect everyone to cheer them on, there were random strangers who came up to them and explain how they were 'couple goals'. The whole fiasco was only supposed to last a year, but when that time finally came and there wasn't any news about Adrien, she proceeded to see Mason and soon enough, they had surpassed five years.

The two were very close at this point and with everyone asking when they would finally tie the knot, Marinette knew she couldn't turn back now. They'd have to take their 'relationship' to the next level and Mason proposed on her birthday, which was all planned out. The wedding wouldn't be official, as they were planning on hiring an actor who would portray the minister, a few bridesmaids were also actors, and the entire groomsmen were random people Mason was acquainted with. Things were set in stone and the big day was right around the corner. Nothing would prevent them from getting married and Marinette was sure of it. She secretly hired a few bodyguards to stand in front of the building and was on the verge of getting in touch with a private investigator. She wanted to find Adrien and bring him home once and for all, nothing ever coming between them.

Somewhere far away...

Five years.. five years of being with her... He finally knew the truth and it utterly disgusted him.

Although they were happy, he secretly bottled up his emotions, not revealing what was going on in his head. He didn't think she'd understand since she never met the person who took up so much of his mind. To be honest, he was afraid of telling her, since she was in a low state of health. Years of hiding had hindered her body to a significant degree. If they were to ever show their faces again, be apart of society again, she surely wouldn't be able to walk again and it pained him to see her cooped up in bed all day. He wanted nothing more than to see her bright smile that he had imagined so many times.

The blonde sat across from her, his hand tightly wrapped around her small hand. His eyes were filled with worry as he glanced at her sunken in cheeks. He couldn't lose her, he had just gotten to know who she was and he'd be damned if he lost her... again.

"You're going to be all right, right?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"A-Adrien, I-" she paused and let out a cough, wincing from the pain after. "I'll be fine, dear."

"But how can you be so sure? You're getting weaker and weaker every day!" Tears had started to stream down his cheeks as he glanced at the girl again.

"It may not seem like it now, but I assure you, I'll be fine. Believe me." She softly caressed his cheek to ease him but to no avail. His worries had only grown worse as she let out another cough.

"I-" Before Adrien could say anything, a doctor came into the room, a clipboard in his hands.

"Miss? We have word on your test results."

Adrien sat up quickly and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"And?" she spoke softly.

"I'm sorry, but it's positive. Treatment will start within the week."

"I don't want treatment." she replied, letting go of Adrien's hand. His head snapped around quickly.

"You're kidding! You can't just deny treatment when they're trying to help you!"

"I can and will." She turned to the doctor. "Thank you Sir, but I will not be receiving treatment."

He nodded, understanding. "Yes, ma'am. I apologize again." with that, he turned and walked out of the room. Adrien scoffed and looked away.

"Jess, this is ridiculous!" He exclaimed, not looking at her.

"What's more ridiculous is that you aren't understanding why I denied it. It's stage four, there's nothing left they can do. Let nature take its course." She reached out for him but in return, Adrien stood up, his back facing the female.

"I-I need some air..."

There was little to no time for her to respond and as he walked out, the heart rate machine next to her started to beep continuously. A swarm of nurses and a few doctors ran towards the room, rushing past the blonde. Nerves set in and as he ran back, her pale face was all he could see within the crowd.

"J-Jess?!" He screamed out, two nurses stepping in front of him.

"JESS!"

~~~

Boom.. another cliffhanger. They're the best right? (pls don't kill meh)

~yoosxnglove♥️