A/N

I've seen some confusion in the reviews on what is exactly is going on.

I hope after this chapter it will be clear.

(Thank you very much for those who posted reviews)

Chapter 14: Shattered pieces

Chat leaped across the rooftops making his way to the Eiffel Tower. The route so familiar, his body moving without thought, useful when his mind was a million miles away. He couldn't figure out how things got so bad. He didn't feel good about himself, more upset with himself than Marinette.

He landed at their usual spot on the tower and found his lady sitting against a beam, curled up in on herself.

"Ladybug?" Chat asked, worry in his voice.

Ladybug looked up, displaying her red eyes, tears dripping down her face.

"Chat!" she wailed, hopped to her feet and ran to him, wrapping her arms around him and digging her face into his chest. "Chat. I'm so glad you're here."

Chat held her in his arms not sure what to say. He's never seen her distraught, always being the strong one. Something awful must have happened.

"What's wrong?"

Ladybug only cried more. After a while, some words came out between sobs.

"I can't," she sobbed. "I can't do this. It hurts too much. What did I do wrong? Why did he do it?" She collapsed into him crying louder.

Chat caressed her hair making soothing noises until she calmed down.

"Now take a deep breath and tell me what happened."

Ladybug did as instructed. "How did you deal with it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"My boyfriend, he cheated on me."

"What? When did this happen?"

"This girl been after him for a while and wouldn't get it through her head he was with me. He complained to me about her asking how to let her down without losing the friendship. Now I find out the slut managed to seduce him."

"That's terrible. How could he do that to you?"

"Exactly what I thought. I didn't believe it at first, he wouldn't behave that way. But she posted a selfie with his face lip locked with hers."

"I'm sorry," Chat said and pulled her back into a hug.

"How did you handle it? Her cheating on you."

Chat was silent for some time, debating how honest he should be. He needed to face the truth of his actions and who better than his partner.

"I don't think I handled it very well. I'm kind of embarrassed by it."

"It's okay Chat, I know you were upset. You needn't be embarrassed for breaking down. Look at me," her lips rose in half a smile, "I'm a mess."

"It's not that," Chat gathered courage, "it's what I did. I don't think I dealt with it correctly. I was upset. Really upset. She made me feel terrible. I wanted her to know how it feels. I wasn't thinking and … and ... I messed up."

She pulled back studying his face.

"How?"

He looked away. His Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed.

"I cheated on her."

"Oh," was the only sound she made.

"There's this other girl. She's been pursuing me for some time but I wasn't interested. I went to her. I didn't know why at the time. I stood at the door saying nothing. Then she said I should come in, so I did. I don't think I said anything the whole time I was there.

"On top of everything, now Kaga...em... this girl thinks I want her. I'm sorry for leading her on, because I'm not interested. I wasn't thinking straight, I still love Mari...em...my girlfriend. I just flipped when she cheated and... and …"

Chat shuffled his feet. She just kept staring at him. He kept looking at her and away, not able to stand her accusing gaze.

"I'm sorry, okay. It was stupid, but she started it. Her and Luka. I'm going to kill him."

A gasp escaped from Ladybug. Her hand was covering her mouth, eyes saucers. Her lips moved no sound coming out. She was making him nervous.

"Ladybug?" What did he say that made her jump like that? "It's a figure of speech, I'm not really going to kill him."

"This girlfriend of yours," she said slowly, as if searching for the right words, "how do you know she cheated on you?"

"I know."

"You saw them? Caught them together? A photo?"

"I just know"

"Humor me. What makes you say she cheated on you? Based on what?"

Chat started to feel threatened by Ladybug. Was she interrogating him? It felt that way.

"They were together"

"And ….?"

"Alone," Chat shook his head at her. Why wasn't she getting it?

"Yeh…?"

What did she want from him? Marinette was the cheater. She's been straying for some time.

"She was with him, okay! Only the two of them for hours at his place. She ignored my calls while she was with him. Seriously! I know you see the good in people, but even to you it must be obvious what they were up to."

Ladybug clenched her teeth. Was she angry with him?

"How often have you been alone with Chloe?"

"What? Chloe?" What a strange question? This was an interrogation. "Why mentioned Chloe?"

"You spend time with her, no? I left you there with her a few times."

"Yes em, you have. so?"

"Let us pretend you know Chloe in your civilian life, and she really likes you and wants to go out with you. Can you image that?"

Chat was getting uncomfortable with this line of questioning.

"Em… okay."

"Let's imagine she's a close friend of yours and you spend time with her, alone."

He didn't need to pretend. It would surprise Ladybug how close she was to reality.

"Okay."

"So… have cheated on your girlfriend with Chloe?"

Chat jumped back in surprise. Where did that come from?

"No. Of course not."

"Why not?"

"Why? Why! I don't want to."

"But you were alone together."

Chat froze. He studied Ladybug. He wasn't paying enough attention before, missed clues she was angry with him. He could see the anger boiling beneath the surface. He understood. Ladybug was also a girl, she felt the need to defend Marinette.

"It isn't the same, I'm not attracted to Chloe. You didn't see Mari, she was all over him. I had to pry her off him when I was there. You can imagine how she was with him when only her friends were there. I told her to stay away, she wouldn't listen, complaining I was trying to control her. I was trying to stop this from happening. It was inevitable, she didn't stay away, she went to him by herself. Now she cheated."

Ladybug stared at him, shaking her head. Her eyes were blazing he couldn't help but take a step back.

"You Asshole," she did not scream or shout. She pronounced each syllable in a shaky voice. Chat felt as if an akuma just smashed him in the face. "I cannot believe this," she looked away giving Chat some relief. "And I thought she was a seducing slut, but it comes out you were the problem all along. For years I considered you as this kind, caring person, who only thinks of others," Ladybug was now ranting, he struggled to follow her chain of thought. "All this time you talk about this 'your girlfriend'," she added air quotes for some unfathomable reason, "and I imagined this bitch playing with your emotions. Doing all these horrible things to you. I hated her, you know? How could someone do that to my Chat. Little did I know that it was all in your flipping head!"

"My head?" Chat was lost, "what's in my head?"

"I gave you my heart," she ignored him. "I gave you my life, and this is how you treat me. I have always been loyal to you, even before we started going out. You've been chasing Ladybug as Chat Noir but I pushed Chat away because I loved you. My loyalty to you drove me to suppressed any feelings I had for Chat. Eventually, I got the courage to ask you out - you said yes. My dream come true. I was yours and only yours. I told you this many times. But in your messed up mind you couldn't see it. You had me - all of me. You even had Ladybug that you wanted. Everything. I never cheated on you. You were the only one on my mind. I talked to Nath, I still thought the world of you. While I kissed Kim, I wished it was you on stage kissing me. And Luka is a dear friend of mine, I like him. He's a good friend - no more. I loved you Adrien. It was always you and only you."

Chat stood dumbfounded. Ladybug said so many things that did not make any sense. She was talking about stuff that never happened, not with Ladybug. She spoke about Ladybug and Chat Noir as if they were other people not them. But she was the Ladybug who pushed Chat away. Because she loved him? What did she mean by that? Wait, she mentioned Kim and Luka and …

"You called me Adrien. How?" It took a few more seconds. "Oh!"

"I see you're following at last."

"I...You...We…Mari?" Chat hung his head. "What have I done?"

"I loved you, Adrien, with all my body and soul. Did you catch the tense? You are sick Adrien, and I am sick of you."

Ladybug turned her back to him and propelled away, leaving a shocked Chat as all the pieces clicked into place with deathly sound of a shutting crypt.

Next chapter: Third time's the charm