The Deal

8

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   Emma sat on the couch, her book bag forgotten at the door. She watched her mother deeply think over everything and gather her words. The teen couldn't help but mess with the bottom of her shirt as her mother sat next to her quietly.

   The silence was unnerving and increased Emma's anxiety the longer they sat there saying nothing. Emma wished her mother would hurry and just say something!

"Emma..."

The young bluenette nearly had a heart attack and immediately perked up, feeling cold sweat on her forehead.

"Y-Yeah," Emma squeaked out a stutter. Anticipation bubbles within her stomach and knotted in with the everlasting forming nerves.

"I think..." Marinette hesitated for a moment, trying to see if there were any other options or if she could back out while she could. But, it wasn't fair to Emma. She has to eventually know at some point. It was now or never.

   With a swallow and re-situating herself, Marinette continued in a steady, serious tone, "I think it's time that I tell you about your father."

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   Nathaniel had never been more relieved or angry all at the same time than at that very moment. He and Marc were both standing, giving the blonde teenager sitting on the couch glares. Charlotte wasn't able to look up, finding her twiddling fingers interesting at the moment.

   "Charlotte Eclair Kurtzberg, you are grounded," Nathaniel declared, breaking through the tense silence that filled the air. Charlotte's head shot up, disbelief molded on her petite face. The shimmer that was once in her eyes, dulled slightly more.

"W-What?" The blonde stuttered, not believing the words that came out of her father's mouth.

"Charlotte," Marc began to explain, sitting next to his step-daughter, "We're really worried. First, you're not telling us anything. Then pretended to be sick before suddenly disappearing from your room. You scared us pretty bad when we couldn't find you."

Charlotte's eyes averted to the floor, staring at the tips of her shoes. Knots in her stomach tightened in remorse a bit for both of her fathers' worries. She should have thought of the consequences of her actions before starting a ruckus. Instead, she leaped over the fence before thinking of what was on the other side.

"S-Sorry, I...I didn't mean to worry you guys. I should've...just..." Charlotte trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

She didn't want to talk about her "mom issues" anymore. The teen was getting sick and tired of waiting for her mother's return. That rope of hope that Charlotte held onto broke a long time ago. It was all a lost cause.

Now, she was just realizing that she had been falling for a long time because of the silly idea that her mom would come home.

But, she didn't need her mom.

Charlotte looked up at the two men, who carefully watched her with worry. They were both with her through thick and thin this whole time while her mother abandoned them, her family. Sure, her family was small and broken.

But, in her eyes, it was always perfect.

She had a family. If her mom didn't want any part of it, then it was her loss. Charlotte wasn't going to hurt anyone less because of her petty feeling for her mom.

   She was going to move on.

   Blue eyes misted with unshed tears as Charlotte sniffled while standing up from the couch. She swiftly walked over to her father and tightly wrapped her arms around his torso.

   "I accept the punishment but I hope you can forgive me for my silly mistakes," Charlotte spoke. She felt her father's arms wrap around her small figure.

"It's alright, just don't do it again," the redheaded man spoke in a soft tone. Marc fondly smiled at the two with adoration. Charlotte snuggled into her father, feeling the overbearing weight on her shoulders being lifted off.

She felt lighter at that moment.

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Adrien stared at the slip of paper Alya had given him before she left the cafe. On the slip, a phone number and the name first of his ex-fiancée. The blonde wondered what he was going to say to Marinette once she answered what she thinks is a random number.

His palms were slightly sweaty and could feel his throat dry up. Adrien was a nervous wreck without a doubt.

Once the model put the number into his phone and dubbed it Marinette's number, he wasn't able to go any further than that. He was completely clueless about what he was going to do.

Should he text her?

"No," the blonde thought, shaking his head, "I need to call her but what would I say?"

So, he continued to sit there and stare at the phone. He continued to subconsciously debate in his head what to do and didn't realize he accidentally hit the call button.

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Marinette has had a rough life ever since her wedding day.

She had felt so broken and torn after the rejection of her fiancée as he left her at the altar. She could still picture the same scene repeatedly in her mind. The angry in his eyes, the way he stormed back down the aisle, and the heartbreak she felt afterward.

   Every time she saw it, the hurt merely grew until finally, numbness took over her body.

Now, she was a shell of her former self.

Marinette was never able to fulfill her lifelong dream to become a designer. She didn't have the time or money since she was going to have a child. So, the bluenette did multiple jobs in those treacherous eight months after the failed wedding while pregnant.

   The small life within her seemed as if it were a burden and slowly was growing to hate it.

Her parents offered to help but she declined it and put on a fake smile to reassure them. Tom and Sabine weren't very convinced by their daughter's smiles and lies. Yet, they still tried to help as much as they possibly could.

After Emma was born, Marinette thought her world was about to fall even more apart until holding her beloved child in her arms.

   Marinette instantly became a believer in falling in love at first sight and felt everything within her balance out. She couldn't quite describe the feeling but the slow-growing hatred that burned for her baby diminished into nothing within a split second.

   She loved Emma with all her heart.

   The woman wanted to protect her precious daughter from all evil, help Emma stand when she would fall, and be someone she could look up to.

Suddenly, her purpose in life changed from becoming a famous designer to raising her beautiful baby girl. She finally realized that the past few months were all for her baby girl instead of her own survival.

   Marinette didn't admit it, but she was scared. She stayed strong for Emma though. It was all for her.

   The road was rough but the two leaned on each other for support. They found life's rhythm and continued the beat.

   They were doing okay.

   Then, after a little over a decade later, Marinette saw him again.

   Her fiancée, Adrien Agreste.

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