Ellie arrived at the dance studio and opened the door, quickly closing it so that no one else would disturb them. 

If Gerard was even there. 

But he had promised to be there, and she trusted him, so she called out his name and looked around for any signs of him.

A few moments passed with no answer or sound, so she called out again. 

Nothing.

Ellie sighed and rolled her eyes, chiding herself for thinking such foolish thoughts. 

Of course he wouldn't be there. 

He was filming a freaking movie! 

There was no way he would make time for her and her complaints.

Disappointed, she turned to walk away, but the sound of rapid footsteps made her stop and face in the direction it was coming from. 

In a blur of movement, Gerard came running in and slid to a stop on the sleek wooden floor.

"Hello, Ellie," he waved, leaning over to catch his breath. 

She smirked from her amusement of his energy. 

He didn't seem like the kind of person that sat down and read a book for hours.

Once he could speak, Gerard asked, "How may I be of assistance?"

Ellie chuckled a bit and was about to answer when she noticed how different his face looked. 

She furrowed her brows and stepped over to him. 

"What happened to your face?" she asked softly, resisting the urge to touch it.

"Oh, it's nothing," he assured her. "This is only makeup. It's the Phantom's deformity."

He still looked gorgeous either way, but her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a touch of red on his lips. 

"Are you bleeding?"

Gerard was confused for a moment, but then, he noticed Ellie was staring at his mouth, so he wiped it with his fingers and chuckled. 

"Lipstick. I should've known."

"Lipstick?" she asked, feeling her body deflate.

"From Emmy," he confirmed, wiping the rest of it off with his hand. "I'll have to ask her to warn me about it next time."

Ellie's heart shattered into a million jagged pieces. 

He was having an affair with Emmy, and she should've seen it coming all along. 

How could Gerard ever have feelings for someone like her when he had a beautiful young woman at his side all of the time?

The answer was simple: a celebrity didn't fall in love with some designer that was barely making it on her own.

Ellie held back tears and ran away, ignoring Gerard's calls of confusion. 

She was not going to feel the pain any longer.

She arrived at her hotel after telling Joel that she hadn't been feeling great, which was actually true. 

Her stomach was painfully coiled into a thousand knots, she was light-headed, and her nausea was dreadful. 

He understood and sent Ellie back, telling her to take as much time as she needed. 

Joel had to be one of the nicest people she had ever known in her lifetime, and she was grateful for his friendship.

Ellie pressed the key to her hotel door, and it unlocked with a click. 

She walked in and headed straight for the bed, not bothering to change as she face-planted into the comfy sheets. 

What a great day, she sarcastically thought, rolling her eyes under her eyelids. Maybe I won't go back tomorrow.

But Ellie immediately scrambled the thought and shook her head. 

She had to go back, whether she wanted to or not. 

This was her job, no matter what Charlotte thought of Ellie, and she was going to be the best member on the team.

She fell asleep with a fire in her soul, and she was determined to keep fighting until her wishes came true. 

Ellie's eyes closed, and her night was filled with dreams of putting Charlotte into the ground and burying her deep, right where she belonged.