Hey, sorry for the long wait between updates. I've been really busy and also have had some writer's block. Hopefully, this chapter will make up for it, I think you are going to like it. I've had the idea for a while and I was happy I was finally on this chapter. Now, on with the story.

Christine clustered with the other girls, nervously waiting backstage. It was mere minutes before the performance and she was nervous beyond belief. She stood next to Ida, who was also too nervous to make conversation. While at first Christine had been disappointed that she would not actually be singing alone, now she was thrilled that Ida would be singing with her, it was nice to know she wasn't the only one who was nervous right now. As they walked on stage Christine sternly told herself to calm down and took a deep breath.

Tonight Christine was wearing a simple pink sundress. Her attire matched the other soloists while the rest of the chorus was dressed in green. They were standing on the stage in their pre-set pattern. The lights turned on, momentarily blinding Christine. The way the lights focused on the stage made it harder to see the audience, a fact Christine was very happy for. The first song did not feature her solo and Christine let herself fall into the comfortable rhythm. Whenever she had talked to Erik about her nerves, he'd told her she had nothing to worry about, and she hoped he was right. But, moreover, what he had made her recognize was that worrying was not going to help her. As she sang the first song she focused on letting her nerves melt away before her upcoming solo in the next song.

The opening song came to a close and it was time for Christine's solo. Taking a deep breath, Christine tried to clear her mind of everything but her notes. The beginning of the song was just Ida and her, and she forced herself to start singing. Soon the chorus joined them, and the rest of the song flowed smoothly. Christine was shocked at how easy it all felt when she was actually singing. The music melted all her nerves away, and after the song was over she felt an intoxicating joy. The rest of the concert flew by and before she knew it Christine was bowing with the other performers and walking off of the stage.

After the performance, Christine headed out to celebrate with Raoul and Meg. They ended up at a bar, all enjoying a drink.

"You were great, Christine. I always knew you could do it," Meg praised.

Raoul slung his arm around Christine's shoulder and gave her a kiss on the lips. "You were great, babe."

"Thanks. I'm glad we were able to celebrate together. I feel like I barely see you anymore, you're so busy with work." Christine said, unable to keep her tone from sounding slightly accusing. Part of her felt bad for the jab, especially when they were meant to be celebrating, but he really hadn't been around much. They still went out at least once a week, but it was far from the amount of time they spent together earlier in the relationship. Outside of these scheduled dates, Raoul always seemed to be too busy for her. It didn't exactly help the doubts that Christine already had about the relationship.

"I know, I'm sorry babe," Raoul said, sounding guilty. "I know I need to make more time for you. Don't think you are not important to me."

Christine smiled, wanting to believe him, and leaned into his body "It's okay, I know you can't help it. Plus, we have time together now, and you made it to my performance."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Raoul said.

The tension didn't completely fade, but Christine was happy enough to let Meg change the topic to something more cheery, and the three of them spent the rest of the night happily joking and chatting with each other.

When Christine got home that night she checked her phone for any messages and noticed a text from Erik.

"Hey, you were amazing tonight. I knew you could do it. I'll see you at our next lesson."

Christine smiled as she read it, touched. "Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you 😊," she texted back. Erik's words stayed with her as she got ready for bed, and she fell asleep smiling.

The next evening after Christine finished her shift at work, she picked up two orders of takeout and headed over to Raoul's place to surprise him with dinner. She'd thought more about it since their conversation last night, and the more she'd thought, the more she'd felt she was being unfair to Raoul. Raoul wasn't the only one who would need to make an effort if this relationship was going to work. So she'd decided to attempt a gesture tonight, figuring that since he often worked from home, she should be able to catch him there even if he was busy.

Christine pulled up to Raoul's apartment complex and took the elevator up to his floor. When she knocked on the door there was no answer, and after a minute she tried the door and found it unlocked. She was not prepared for the scene that greeted her: Raoul was on the couch over a half-naked girl that Christine had never seen before, kissing her passionately. And from what it looked like, they weren't planning on stopping. Christine stood there frozen for a full minute before Raoul finally noticed her.

When he did, he scrambled up off of the couch. "Christine, wait! I can explain."

"Don't bother," Christine spat at him, storming out of his apartment.

Raoul followed her down the hallway and to the stairs and elevator. Christine was going to take the elevator, but seeing Raoul following behind her, she reached for the handle to the stairwell.

"Christine, please listen," Raoul pleaded.

"Listen to what?! Your 'explanation'? It was pretty clear what was happening, Raoul. I don't need you to 'explain' anything."

"Christine, please. I love you. That has to count for something."

"If that's what your love is, then I don't want it. Goodbye, Raoul. We're done!"

"Christine, that's not fair. Please, let's try to work this out. You're being selfish," Raoul said, anger replacing his previously guilty tone.

"I'm being selfish?! You're the one who's cheating on me!"

"Christine, come on. Be reasonable. It's not like you were willing to perform in that area, and I didn't want to pressure you." Raoul said this like he was doing her a favor, and Christine felt a mixture of anger and hurt threatening to blur her vision.

"Okay, so because I wasn't willing to sleep with you it's okay for you to cheat on me. God, Raoul! I can't believe I dated you for as long as I did! How long has this been going on?"

"That's not what's important. I'll end things with Rosie. Please give us another chance. I love you."

"I don't believe you," Christine told him, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "And I know that, even if I tried to give you another chance, I would never be able to trust you again. We are done, Raoul. Goodbye."

Knowing that she couldn't keep her voice firm any longer, she didn't wait for a reply before turning and taking off down the stairs. She barely noticed the many flights as she flew down them all, fueled by anger. When she exited the stairwell she made a beeline for the exit, feeling the last of her composure slipping away. By the time she made it out of the building, she was sobbing.

End of chapter. So what do you think? Glad Christine's finally not with Raoul anymore? Thank you all for reading, and please review. - K