Raoul sat in the graveyard staring at Christine's headstone and the ringed rose that lay beside it. He knew, though he knew not how he knew, but he did know, that Christine was finally with her beloved Angel again. Some may say she had made the right choice in the vaults of the Opera Populaire by picking him over the Phantom, but, as far as Raoul was concerned, they were wrong.
Not that theirs had been an unhappy marriage. They were the best of friends, but the love wasn't there. At least not the forever kind you get married for. They had both mistaken their true feelings for this type, but really they were more like brother and sister then lovers.
In fact, after the birth of their twins, Christine's second pregnancy, they hadn't even been lovers. Christine had asked him not to come to her room, telling him it was to weird to make love to a guy she saw as a brother. He had agreed with her and they had had separate rooms for the rest of their marriage.
For, despite the fact that they didn't love each other, they had remained married. Christine had refused to involve the de Chagny name in the sort of scandal a divorce would cause. She had almost forced him to agree to keep mistresses, something that society to many degrees accepted, but he had never kept that promise. The only one he never kept to her in all their years together. He figured he was forgiven for breaking that promise by virtue of the fact that he was obeying a higher law. He had never found his "true love," but the only thing he regretted was keeping Christine from hers. She knew with whom she was supposed to spend her life. She had even made that choice at one time, only to be pushed into his arms.
They had been ecstatically happy for a time, but as the years passed and they realized their true feelings, it settled to more of a contented happiness. After all, they had much to be happy about: neither had a spouse who was abusive, or rude, or just utterly unsuitable; they had a comfortable home on the de Chagny estate as well as a sizeable income from said estate; and four of the most beautiful children around.
Raoul had long suspected that part of why Christine refused to leave him was fear she would never see their children again. He privately thought that to be a ridiculous notion, but as he had no burning desire to marry another he was quite content with their arrangement. He knew Christine had felt a particularly special affection for their second set of twins, the supposedly impossible set. After their first set, Andrew and Martin, had been born the doctor told her she was incapable of bearing more children. Christine had been very upset at this news as she wanted a larger family, but she had been grateful for the two children they had been blessed with. Raoul smiled as he remembered how happy Christine had been when she found out she was pregnant again. When Christopher and Emma had been born her joy had been almost tangible.
Soon afterward was when she approached him about not sleeping together anymore. He had been willing to agree for two reasons. He agreed with her reasons, and he wanted her to stay as happy as she was.
He couldn't remember to well what happened the night he realized who she did love, he had been exhausted beyond belief. But he did remember that instead of anger he felt sadness. At the time he though it was because Christine, who was so sick with the influenza, was calling for her Angel of Music in her delirium, but afterwards, when he was able to really reflect on it, he knew it was because he was the one who had kept her from true happiness. He remembered his fruitless search for her Angel in an attempt to right the wrong he felt he had done her. But it was to no avail; the Phantom of the Opera was not to be found.
As they had gotten old Christine had liked to talk about her Angel and her time at the Opera house. Raoul found that he also enjoyed reminiscing about those days long gone. It was because of those talks that he had gone to the auction. He hadn't known what he would find, but he was glad he had gone. He had been able to find the perfect last gift to give his best friend: the music box her love had made.
As he realized that her love had given an even greater gift, himself, he felt only joy. Christine would at last have the perfect happiness she deserved. With a small salute to the rose and a wave to them both Raoul turned his chair and left them. Together as they always should have been.