Chapter 9 Cracks in the Mirror

Maurice Blanchet – POV

I didn't answer Sophie's voice.

I couldn't, because if I stepped through that studio door, I might see something I couldn't unsee. Hear something that would split me straight down the middle gain.

I leaned my head against the wall outside the studio and closed my eyes. The rain had stopped, but everything inside me still stormed, How had it come to this?

Rosalie, Korex, the baby, our dead mother's ghost in a photograph... and now Marc and Sophie-alone together in the one place I thought was sacred. The only place left that hadn't been touched by lies.

And suddenly, I hated it all. I turned around and walked away. I didn't want an explanation. Not yet. Let them stew in whatever truths they were cooking up in there. I needed to breathe. I ended up on the rooftop of our old apartment-Belleville's half-broken crown. It still smelled like stale rain and weed and cheap beer. But it was quiet. And I needed quiet.

From up here, the world didn't feel like it was falling apart. Just far away. I lit a cigarette, something I hadn't done in years. But tonight, I didn't care. Not about lungs. Not about reputations. Not about headlines. Just about not collapsing.

I took a long drag and let the smoke fill my lungs like courage.

Then my phone vibrated again, Marc.I ignored it, Then again,nd again, and then Sophie, I picked up. Her voice came through, trembling. "Maurice-where are you?" "Why?" I asked. "Because we need to talk." "About what?" I asked, already knowing. Silence.

"I didn't know he'd be here," she whispered. "Marc just... showed up."

I exhaled hard. "And you thought the studio was the best place for that conversation?" "No. It wasn't. But that's where he found me. I swear, Maurice-I wasn't hiding anything."

"Weren't you?" I asked, my voice colder than I intended. She didn't answer. I ended the call.

Marc POV

"I think she's lying." That's what I told Sophie after Maurice disappeared down the alley like a ghost. I didn't chase him. I couldn't. All I could do was stare at the keyboard in the corner-the same one we used to share, back when music was love and not survival.

"Rosalie?" Sophie asked. "You think she's lying about the baby?" I nodded slowly. "There's too much missing time. Too many stories with half-truths." "And you still love her?" I looked up at Sophie. "What does that matter?" Her eyes dropped to the floor. "It matters." I didn't press.

Because deep down, I already knew what she wanted to say.

She wasn't just here to help me unravel Rosalie's past. She was here because we had unfinished business too. And in that moment, something in the air shifted-an old tension returning, dressed in guilt and what-ifs. But before either of us could say anything, I got a message.

Unknown Number: Your brother's not the only one with cracks. Better check your mirror before it shatters.BAttached was an image. Blurry. Black and white. A photo of me and Sophie-outside a hotel. Arms linked. Faces close. Taken two years ago.

Back when Maurice and Sophie weren't official. But still. It was enough to burn.

Maurice POV

I found Rosalie sitting at the kitchen counter when I returned to the apartment. A cup of untouched tea sat in front of her, still steaming.

She looked up, startled. "Maurice..."

I tossed my jacket onto the couch and leaned against the fridge. "I need answers," I said. "Now."She swallowed. "About?"

"The week you disappeared last winter. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about."

She closed her eyes. "I wasn't cheating. Not in the way you think."

I frowned. "Not in the way? What way then?" She stood up, nerves all over her. "I found out I was pregnant. I panicked. I didn't know if it was Marc's or... someone else's." "Someone else?" My voice broke. "Who?" "Just one time. Months before Marc and I were official. We weren't serious then."

"Who?" She hesitated"Korex." It felt like the room fell away beneath me.

"I thought it was over," she rushed on. "I cut him off. But when I missed my period and the tests came back- I went away to get a DNA test done privately."

"And?" I asked, jaw clenched.

"It was inconclusive." "So you came back and let Marc believe-"

"I was going to tell him!" she shouted. "But then things got better between us. And then the album came out. And then the video scandal hit. And I kept waiting for the right time-until there wasn't one."

I sat down slowly. Nothing felt real anymore. Not Rosalie. Not my brother. Not even myself.

Marc POV

That night, I waited outside the old café we used to hit after shows-me, Maurice, Sophie, Rosalie. Back when fame hadn't fractured us. I thought maybe Maurice would come here, he didn't, But I wasn't alone. Korex appeared out of the fog like a nightmare with a swagger. "You still chasing ghosts, Marc?"

I stood up. "What do you want now?"

He smiled. "To say congratulations."

"For what?" "For being the biggest fool in Paris. You, your brother, your girl. It's like a soap opera-except the ending's gonna suck." I stepped closer. "What do you know?" He leaned in. "Everything."

I grabbed his collar. "Say it." but he didn't.

He just laughed, and whispered, "Check the camera." Then he walked away, I looked up. A security camera above the café door blinked with a red light.

Maurice POV

The next morning, we met at the rooftop again. Marc. Rosalie. Me. Sophie, No words at first. Just four broken people in one broken place. "I saw the photo," I told Marc. He nodded, "I didn't plan that night."

"I know." "Do you?" I looked at Sophie. She looked away. "We can't keep doing this," I said. "No," Rosalie whispered. "We can't."

Then Marc spoke. "Let's end this. All of it." I raised an eyebrow. "How?" "We give the press what they want. A full story. From us. Not through leaks. No edits. No spin. Just the truth." Sophie blinked, "You want to go public?"

"We can't heal in hiding," Marc said. "Let them see it. The pain. The cracks. The fight." Rosalie exhaled. "You sure?"

Marc looked me in the eye. "No. But I'm done running." We stood in silence, Then my phone buzzed, A new message. From a blocked number. "Tell them the truth. Or I will. Signed-Your Father."