"Marinette- is lying to me. And I don't know why. Is it me? I've always believed that she had the biggest crush on me, even has been in love with me. Perhaps since we first fixed disagreement when I arrived at the school. But then she does things- little things- that either I've just never noticed before or simply never cared to, and they add up to be..... She not lying... She isn't trusting me." Adrien was ranting to Plagg as he walked around the room.

"Oh, I wonder why?" Plagg said in his sarcastic tone as he ate his cheese.

"Don't rub it in," Adrien scolded.

"Oo the rich kid is mad. It's not my fault you can't choose one girl," Plagg responded.

Adrien ignored Plagg as he walked around more. He just wanted to think for a moment of all the events and all the fights he had been getting into with Marinette. "Mari..... What am I doing to you...." Adrien said as he looked down to his phone to see an image of her. And soon he received a text message from her to meet up.

Marinette knows that waiting any longer will just make things worse between them - not better. It's already been three months. Her jealousy over Adrien's attachment to her alter ego won't fade as she gets more nightmares of different scenarios of telling him the truth. Marinette is determined to set the record straight, she knows that this deception can not go any longer.

Adrien arrives at her house to find her waiting for him and is he a little shocked when she invites him into the balcony when he arrives in her room, "Hey, Mari, what's this all about?"

"Do you love me?" She asked as she looks at him.

Adrien chuckled, "Of course Mari." He approached her as he got her hands. He leans down to kiss her and then smiled.

Marinette looks at him and smiled. She then bit her lip as she stepped back, "Your lips would tell me you love me but now your eyes rejected mine."

"What?" Adrien responds with confusion.

"And this is why I no longer trust you," Marinette sighed as she stepped back, "I have something really important to tell you, Adrien, and it's something... something I know you're not going to like if tell you."

His eyebrows lifted in surprise, "What going on?"

"It doesn't matter about it being a secret. You need to know," Marinette says as she plays with her bracelet made from the lucky charm he gave her.

"I'm listening," Adrien says in a soothing tone of support.

"Do you trust me, Adrien?" Marinette asked.

"Of course," Adrien says and thought back to his earlier conversation with Plagg.

"I want you to promise something first - that no matter what I have to say you'll at least hear me out, that you won't go storming off or condemn me for it; that you'll let me explain," Marinette begged.

"Sweetheart, you're starting to worry me." Adrien chuckled worriedly.

"Just promise me," she requested again.

"I promise."

Marinette took a deep breath, straightening her shoulders, Marinette braced herself for his reaction. "I am Ladybug."

Silence descended in the room as Adrien stared at her and then he chuckled, "Very funny."

"I'm not joking." Lifting one hand to the red earrings, she looked him squarely in the eye and spoke loud enough for him to hear. "Spots on."

There was a brief flicker in her appearance before the suit covered her completely, shifting her from Marinette - into Ladybug. Letting her hand drop, she waited silently for Adrien's reaction, her heart racing as it leaped into her throat. He was staring at her, an unreadable look on his face. Something flickered to life in his eyes and it was then she noted the clenching of his jaw.

"So my Marinette is Ladybug? That my dependable, honest girlfriend, has been lying to me as two different women for almost 3 months?" His tone started to rise in volume.

"It's not like that, I-"

"Not like what?" He cut in before she could explain. "You used me, Marinette! You used me! You've made a fool of me, played me like an old instrument."

"Adrien!"

"I hate deception and can't abide liars - and you know it!"

"Then you must hate yourself then, Adrien Agreste !" She tossed back at him angrily, incensed by his insensitivity. "You've been lying to me - both of me - since Ladybug kissed you on the yacht!"

"She - you kissed me!"

"And I tried to tell you why but we got interrupted! Not that it's stopped you; you've taken every opportunity to kiss Ladybug since!" Marinette scolded.

"As if you tried to stop me!" Adrien defended himself.

"You sure didn't try very hard."

Adrien contradicted realizing he made mistakes as well."You played me for a fool, Marinette - Ladybug... Who are you anyway?"

"Spots off." Ladybug suit faded away leaving Marinette in her place. "I'm the same person I've been, Adrien. I'm Marinette Duplain Cheng. The one you gave your umbrella to and survive school. I'm also Ladybug, a hero who has to stop Akuma attacks. Who does what she can to make this world a better place with her partner."

"You've deceived me deliberately, Marinette!" As Adrien gets a reality check that he is Chat Noir.

"She's the deception, Adrien. Ladybug is," Marinette argues to make her point.

"I've had enough of this."

"You promised me you'd listen!" Marinette lunged for him. "You promised Adrien!"

"I made a promise to someone I believed was as honest - you're not the person I thought you were." Adrien sighs in his confused thoughts.

"Well neither are you, Adrien you've been cheating on me with Ladybug!"

"I haven't done anything!"

"You kiss her, you hold her and you model with her!" Tears welled in Marinette's eyes. "I am Ladybug! I know the conversations, I know the emotions. The way you felt for her was not even comparable to me. You like her better, you like the deception better than you like me - me! - your girlfriend! I was sick of hearing about Ladybug on who she was!"

"Then you deserved it." Adrien's tone was angry. "You created this deception, however, you do it, and misuse your power to do it!"

"Adrien, no, please, try to understand. I didn't want to lie to you; I never meant to, I tried to tell you who I was!" His hands folded around hers and pulled but Marinette had laced her fingers together and wouldn't budge. "You can't possibly hate me more than I hate myself right now, Adrien."

Silence descended in the room - but Adrien didn't storm off as he'd been about to. He didn't move, didn't budge, but his hands remained clenched at his sides and his back remained to her. Marinette closed her eyes and ducked her head; letting her hair fall forward to hide her face from Adrien should he choose to turn.

"Mari this is hitting me hard. More than you know... I think its best if I go."

"Nope, I have something to say." Tikki came out in front of Adrien. "I told her not to tell you."

Adrien's eyes pop at how similar she looked like Plagg," She didn't have to tell me. She could have ended it, that is fine but she deceived me."

"Did she deceive you because you were too blind to see the truth or because you wished to be deceived?

"She didn't admit to it either or break it off." He argued.

"No, but it...." Tikki was about to continue before being cut off.

"Tikki!" Marinette orders her to stop arguing.

"Yes, Marinette?"

"It was my plan; I did what I did knowingly. That doesn't make it your fault; that makes it mine. You were only stopping me but I didn't listen."

"Your intentions were never to deceive, Adrien," Tikki replied.

"Only because I didn't think about Adrien's reaction," Marinette looked back at Adrien"I had plenty of time after he kissed Ladybug and I didn't!"

"Ladybug was the one who kissed Adrien - and he tried to stop her for fear of hurting you. You are the one who continued to pursue him in both identities," Tikki added.

Marinette blushed, her anger draining away at Tikki's observation. "I know I did, didn't I?"

"You did." Adrien's dry response was accompanied by Tikki. "Is what she said true?"

"It is. I'm sorry Adrien, I really did try to tell you. By the time I did despite my intentions; I never wanted to hurt you."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"I tried, at first, and then everything kept interfering and there was never a moment - some moments I didn't want to spoil because they were for just you and me, whoever I was." She dropped to the chair. Marinette sighed, folding her hands in her lap, and stared at them, unable to look Adrien's way. "All anyone ever talked about was Ladybug this and Ladybug that. I thought about telling you then, but what was the point? Ladybug could fade away and you would never need to know who she was or where she came from. It wasn't until today that I realized you weren't going to forget her and I... I was scared I'd lose you."

"It would serve you right if I never spoke with you again, Marinette," Adrien said softly.

"I know." She closed her eyes against the sting of tears.

"Your secret safe with me trust me. But I have to go and think." Adrien says as walked to the exit of the balcony.

"Ok," he left with a heavy chest of mixed emotion.

Marinette then looked at her phone to see the images of Adrien as she watches him enter his car and leave.