Some parts of this chapter are making me cringe so hard 😢. But it's still enjoyable (hopefully).

* * * * *

Marinette winced.

Adrien looked at her worriedly. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" He asked loosening his grip on her. Marinette had insisted that she did not want to stay at neither of Nathaniel's mansions, so they were now staying at a hotel. They would be heading back to France soon, where Nathaniel would be presented to the upper heads and all hell would break loose.

"H-He," Marinette stuttered, memories of Nathaniel looking at her menacingly flashed before her eyes. She sat on the bed and placed her shaking hands onto her lap.

"Mari, calm down," Adrien stooped in front of her and took her hands into his. "Breathe, Marinette."

Marinette did what Adrien said and took a deep breath. "He carved his initials into my skin earlier." Her voice was low, small. Adrien almost didn't hear what she said, but he did and he was furious.

"He did what?!" Adrien was shaking from anger. "I'm going to kill him!"

Marinette gripped Adrien's hands as he begun to stand. "No, Adrien," She pleaded to him. "If you harm him anymore than you already have, you might be executed!"

"Me? Executed? Marinette, look what he did to you! He shouldn't even be living right now! I should have killed him when I had that knife pressed to his neck," Adrien growled and it sent a shiver through Marinette. Even though he was threatening to kill someone, he still sounded hot as hell. "You don't know how much it hurt me to know that he had been hurting you over and over while I sat back and did nothing, Mari. I should've gotten to you earlier. I wasted so much time doing what? Absolutely nothing! I just know he hurt you in indescribable ways and it pains my heart. I could've done something. I should've done something."

"You did do something, Adrien. I never stopped praying that you'd take me away from him and you did. You took me away from him and he'll pay for what he did and you'll make sure of it. But if you kill him, you'll die, Adrien! I don't want you to die," Tears rolled down her cheeks and Adrien used his thumb to wipe them away. "I know you were doing so much to make sure you found me. Nino told me that you barely ate, you barely slept, though that makes me upset, I'm grateful because you found me, Adrien. You did what you had to do, Adrien and now I'm safe."

Adrien peppered her face with light kisses causing her to giggle. "I missed you so much." He rested his forehead against hers, gazing into her eyes.

"I missed you too," Marinette whispered, pressing a kiss onto his lips.

"Can I see it?" Adrien suddenly asked, starting Marinette.

She lifted her shirt and an angry looking bruise met Adrien's emerald green eyes. The cuts were red, but stitched well.

"Juleka will give me something to put on it later," Marinette stated softly. "I'm tired, Adrien. Can we just go to sleep?"

Adrien nodded and Marinette crawled into bed, him following her slowly. He wrapped his arm around her waist carefully and pulled her close to him.

This was what they wanted. Just being in each other's arms put their worlds back intact.

* * *

"Marinette!" Alya screamed, abandoning her suitcase so she could give her best friend a hug. Alya flung her arms around Marinette's neck and Marinette wrapped hers around her waist, burying her face into her neck.

When they separated, big grins were present on their faces.

"I missed you so much, Alya!" Marinette exclaimed, looking at her best friend. She had gotten slimmer, but otherwise from that she was the same. "You haven't changed much in these past few months."

"I missed you too," Alya smiled. Marinette had lost a lot of weight. Her arms were skinnier than before and her waist was tinier. Her face was covered in bruises. Some looked old while others looked new. No wonder Adrien had been so upset since they got to the airport. "You have changed a lot, Mari."

"In what way?"

Alya hesitated. "You've lost a lot of weight."

"Maybe that's a good thing," Marinette tried to smile. Alya was right. She had gotten so much thinner than before that it's not even funny. She felt disgusting in her own skin. Marinette then tried to change the topic from herself. "You know who else has changed during these few months?"

"Who?" Alya felt she knew who Marinette was talking about, but she chose to play along with a smirk.

"Adrien!" Marinette grinned, grabbing onto Alya's hand. They both then looked over to Adrien who was talking to a guard. He looked so serious, not a trace of a smile seemed to be on his face. "He has gotten buffer and his voice so much deeper. He got taller too..."

"He was training like hell. Each day, when he wasn't working on a plan to find you, he'd be in the training room demolishing the punching bag with his bare fists," Alya said, her eyes widening for emphasis. "You've gotten taller too. Well, kinda."

Marinette smacked Alya's arm, frowning playfully, and looked at Adrien who slowly turned his head to meet her eyes with his. He gave her a smile and shot her a wink before turning back to the guard. Marinette felt her cheeks warm up as she quickly turned back to a smirking Alya. "Stop looking at me like that!"

Alya laughed and led Marinette into the jet, pulling her own suitcase behind her.

* * *

Adrien took a seat beside Marinette and put on his seatbelt. The pilot's voice filled the jet, notifying them that they will be taking off in five minutes.

"Adrien?"

"Yes, princess?"

"Have I gotten too thin?" She asked, twirling the ring around her finger nervously.

"You have lost some weight, but you aren't too thin. You're just fine," Adrien smiled. She had gotten thinner than the last time he saw her, but that isn't the end of the world. Food could fix that.

"Oh," She muttered, still playing with her ring.

"He took everything else away from you, but he didn't take the ring. Why?" Adrien asked curiously. Why didn't Nathaniel take the ring?

"I sort of hid it everytime he came around. It was the only thing I had left that would remind me of you and I couldn't let him take it," She said, and the jet started to move. Soon they were in the air and they took off the seatbelts. She blushed and looked down. Why did I say that?!

Adrien grinned and tilted her head up so he could connect his lips with hers. "I hope these questions aren't making you uncomfortable."

"Not at all. Ask away," She replied quickly, though she was afraid of what his reaction would be to some of her answers.

"When- When he carved his initials into you, what did he say? Why did he do it?" Adrien didn't know why he asked that question. He was scared to see her reaction.

"I had bit him and he was upset. He slapped me and said he would teach me a lesson. He also said he would mark me so everyone could see who I belonged to. He said that I was his and some other things," Marinette muttered. With each word, anger and pain was more pronounced in her face. "When he dug the knife into my skin and I screamed, he'd tell me to 'be quiet' like what he was doing didn't hurt me. He makes me so angry!" Angry tears developed in her eyes, but she roughly wiped them away.

Adrien gripped her hands and pulled her to him until she was on his lap. Marinette gave in and let her tears fall freely. She buried her face in his chest and bawled. Adrien gently held her waist and buried his face in her hair. It pained him to see her like this. She had been through so much during these past few months and he'll make sure that she forgets this horrible experience so she could go back to the bubbly girl she was, but he knew it wasn't that easy.

"I hate him so much," She croaked out, gripping weakly onto his jacket.

"He'll pay for what he did, Marinette," He placed a kiss onto her forehead. "I'll make sure of it."

And she believed him.

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Whooo! Finally.

Author Notes are gonna be getting shorter and shorter each chapter, guys 😢.

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, until next chapter,

Bye bye little butterflies🦋🦋🦋.