The only sound was from the faint movement of the lake's water. The two men stared at each other. Nadir studied Erik's body language, as his eyes showed only disapproval.

"Are you just going to stand there like a fool, daroga?", Erik asked, his voice sounding impatient.

"You can't be serious.", was all Nadir could say.

"Do I look like I am kidding for you?"

Nadir shook his head.

"You can't possibly believe what you just told me."

"What is so hard to believe? Christine loves me! She loves me for who I am! You thought this impossible?"

"Yes!", Nadir shouted, before he could think of his words.

Maybe it wasn't impossible. Erik had a beautiful voice and an undeniable talent, a few traits that a young singer could find admirable. Still, to think that a young, beautiful woman like Christine DaaƩ would willingly follow a man like him to the cellars... that was too much for Nadir to picture.

"Well, you were wrong.", Erik whispered. "She loves me, and we will be very happy together. And you, old friend, should stop putting your nose where you're not called."

"Erik, you-"

"Leave, Nadir!", Erik shouted.

It was the first time in years that Nadir heard his name being spoke aloud. He felt a shiver running through his spine. Erik would not let himself be convinced otherwise about this girl. It worried Nadir to no end. If Erik was right, if Christine did love him- and he seemed to really believe she did, and in his defense Nadir never saw anything that proved otherwise- then this was really good news. Maybe he could even hope she could make Erik stop his wicked ways forever.

But Nadir knew Erik, knew how unstable he was, knew the ugliness he hid behind his mask and all the blood that stained his hands. If the poor girl did not love Erik, if this was only an illusion of his troubled mind or if he was forcing her to pretend, one way or another, then it could only end in tragedy. Not only for her, but for everyone.

Nadir turned away and started walking, but turned back to Erik one last time.

"Does she even know anything about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did she ever see you? The real you?"

"It does not matter! Our love is beyond such mundane things."

"But surely she knows what you do for a living. Or where you come from. If she loves you so much, she must know everything there is to know about you, right?"

Erik did not reply. Nadir knew he was threading a dangerous territory, but he hoped to make Erik see reason. It was better to make him realize on his own what Christine's real feelings were as soon as possible, than to allow this madness to go any further.

"If she loves you, she probably already confessed it in beautiful words, right?"

"Leave! I don't want to see you near my home ever again!", Erik shouted, before his own figure disappeared. Nadir sighed.

He had a terrible feeling about this.

Christine walked around the drawing room, as if searching for something. Erik arrived silently, going unnoticed until he was just a few steps from Christine.

"You arrived.", she said, calming her breathe.

"Is something wrong?", Erik asked.

"You were not here when I woke up so I was looking for something to do. Books, perhaps."

"Books.", Erik nodded. "Just a minute."

Christine watched as he left the living room. By now she should already be used by how silently and fast he moved, seeming to appear and disappear to nowhere, but she couldn't help but be scared when she saw him behind her when she believed to be alone.

Soon Erik was back, carrying a couple of books.

"I don't have many romances, so I thought you would like some poetry.", he said, handing the books to Christine. She accepted them with a smile.

"Thank you."

Christine took the books and sat down on a couch. Erik took a seat by his piano. Christine expected to hear his beautiful melodies, but they didn't come. She lifted her eyes from the pages and saw that he just stared at the keys.

"Erik?", she asked, her voice showing some worry.

Erik suddenly stood up, so abruptly that his stool fell making a loud noise. Christine flinched.

"I don't get it.", Erik said, his voice low.

"What?", Christine asked, careful. She placed the book aside, wanting to show her full attention was on him.

"You!", he took a few steps in her direction. "I don't understand. I did everything I could for you. Everything you could ask for, I gave you. I made your dreams come true. I made you the best singer of all Paris, maybe of all Europe! I showered you in gifts! How come that after all of this, after all that I did for you, you still don't love me?"

Christine felt a shiver. Erik's voice was still relatively calm, but his hands trembled, as if he was holding himself back. From what, she dared not think.

Erik never spoke that way with her before. He had confessed his love, but never asked for her to love him back. He gave her gifts, but never asked for anything in return. Christine was scared. Did he reach the limit of his patience?

Erik saw the fear in her eyes. He took a step back.

"I just... I want to understand.", he said, in a softer tone. "I want to do this right. You know how I feel about you, don't you?"

"Of course I do.", Christine whispered.

Erik fell to his knees.

"What do I have to do for you to feel the same for me?"

"You can't just make someone love you, Erik."

"Just a little bit, Christine. I just need a little bit. I just want you to feel something for me. Something that is not horror, or pity... or hate. Anything. Can't you feel anything good for your poor Erik?"

He was crying. Christine could tell, even if she could not see it very well. She knew the way his voice cracked, the way his shoulders shook. She closed her eyes.

"I can't."

"Why not? Because you have seen me? Because you know my hideous face? Is that why, Christine?", his voice raised.

Christine shook her head, her own tears threatening to fall.

"No."

"Don't lie to me, Christine! I know how I look, I know it very well. You can't stand it. Even if I cover it, you can still see it, right? I can see it too. Even if I never see my reflection ever again, I still can always see it, every time I close my eyes."

"It's not because of your face!", it was Christine's turn to raise her voice. "I could get used to it. I could get used to this place. I could even forgive your lies. But..."

Christine stopped. Her hands trembled, and she gripped the fabric that covered the couch to hide it.

"But what? Tell me! What is it that I lack, that makes me unworthy of any affection from you?"

Christine took a deep breath.

"I can't take this. I can't take feeling trapped, like a prisoner."

"A prisoner?", Erik raised his head. "You are not a prisoner. Don't I allow you to go and come as you wish? Didn't I swear to protect you, to not do you any harm? By your wish, I do not hear from your dressing room anymore. Did I ever break any of my promises? I even allow you to meet that boy."

"See, that's the problem!", Christine did not know where she took the courage to say such things from, but now that she started, she could not stop. "'Allow'? Why do you need to allow me to anything? I should not need your permission. I do not belong to you!" Her hand unconsciously touched the ring she wore, that Erik made her wear. For her, it felt heavier than any chains.

Erik's eyes followed her hand to the ring. His tears stopped, as he silently stared at it. It bothered Christine, she could not see his expression, she could not tell what he was thinking. She did not know if she should be afraid, or if she should just keep quiet at once, or if he even was giving her words any consideration.

"You... you never considered my feelings." She expected him to retort, to reaffirm all the great things he did for her, but Erik remained silent. "I know you did a lot for me, and I don't want to seem unthankful. But... but I never asked for any of it! If I knew that it came with so high a price, I would never have accepted any of it! It's unfair, that you offered it to me without any warning, and now you demand things from me."

Erik still didn't express any reaction, and Christine felt tired. He would never understand. He did whatever he wanted, with no limits or restrains, not even the ones from the law. He would never understand what it felt like to have your freedom taken from you.

Her tears started falling, and she let out a defeated sigh.

"I can't even talk to my friends, without fearing what you will think, what you will do.", she said in a low voice, sure that now she was speaking only to herself. "I have never felt so alone in my whole life, not even when father-", she interrupted herself, not wanting her voice to sound as broken as she felt. "I would gladly give up singing forever, if it meant I could have the rest of my life back."

"Christine!", Erik shouted.

So that he heard. Christine stood up, turning her back to him.

"I am serious, Erik.", she said, before running to her room.

She closed the door and fell to the floor, sobbing loudly. What possessed her to say such things? There went any chances she had of getting on Erik's good side, and with it any chances of getting her freedom. Would he even let her leave his house after this outburst?

She heard the loud sound of something breaking. Together with it, whatever it was, broke all hopes she had of seeing the daylight again.

Christine wasn't sure of how long passed. She dozed off for a moment or two. She heard some more breaking and crashing from the other room, but it was quiet now. Her tears were already dry, but she still feared her next encounter with Erik.

Three knocks on the door, too soon for her taste. She raised her head from where it rested, on her legs, but did not feel like standing up.

"Christine?", Erik called. "Are you in there?"

"Yes.", she replied.

A few moments of silence.

"The moment you go back up there, you will run into his arms, won't you?", he asked, his voice soft, but cold. "You will run away with him."

"Does it matter?" Christine did sound as tired as she was. Too tired to fight, too tired to hide how she felt. "Do I only deserve my freedom if I do with it what you desire?"

No reply. She realized that his answer to anything unpleasant to him was to just ignore it. What an easy life.

"May I open the door?", he asked.

"Just a minute."

Christine stood up, hoping she didn't look so pitiful. She put her hands on her hair, trying to fix it. Then, she opened the door herself.

Erik reached his hand out. Christine just stared at it.

"Hand.", he simply said.

Slowly, Christine put her hand over his. He slid the ring out of her finger, and put it into his pocket, quickly letting go of her hand.

"What-", Christine started, confused.

"You won't need it anymore.", Erik explained. "Come, I will take you back up."

Could this be true, or was she only dreaming? Was it really happening, or was it another cruel trick? Christine wondered and wondered as she followed Erik, both of them walking silent by the dark tunnels.

They finally arrived at the passage behind the mirror, and for the first time Christine saw Erik using the switch that opened it. She stepped inside the dressing room, but he stayed in the dark passage.

She stared at him, waiting for him to state his conditions any moment.

Instead, he put a small object in her hand. A key.

"I will not bother you anymore. You may forget that I exist, if you wish so.", Erik whispered. His voice was cold, like she never heard from him before.

Christine looked at the key in her hand.

"It opens the passage from Rue Scribe.", he explained. "You may give it to the managers, to the police, I don't care."

She was confused for a moment, before she understood what it meant. It was a proof he was giving her that she could trust him to leave her alone. Christine looked up at him, unbelieving.

"Do whatever will make you happy, Christine. Goodbye."

Before she could say anything, Erik took a step behind and closed the mirror. Christine stared at her own reflection, her eyes still red, her eyebrows raised and her mouth open.

Erik ran, until he arrived at a point from where he knew she could not hear him anymore, and then he ran some more just to be safe. Then, he let his body fall to the ground and cried, cried all he could.

This was the hardest decision in all his life, but maybe the only one that was good. Yes, he did not care what Christine would do with the key to his lair or with all the secrets she knew, because without her he was a dead man already. Still, how could he keep killing her? How could he force an angel to keep visiting hell, beside a demon like himself? No, he was cruel, but not this cruel. Christine may not love him, but he loved her with all of his being, and he never wanted to see her breaking down like she did earlier.

Even if it meant he was to die alone in the cellars.