Christine stood on the stage. The music began playing. Her heart raced. This was the moment where she had to choose between her husband and her mentor. How could she make such an impossible decision? She loved both men with all her heart, and she was being torn in two. When her cue came, she missed it, shaking her head. She couldn't take it any more. She yelled for the orchestra to stop playing.
The theater was quiet. All eyes were on Ms. Daaé. She took a deep breath and looked at both the Phantom and Raoul. With a shaky, hesitant voice, she said, "I can't choose."
Both of the men who loved her looked at her in shock and confusion. Christine said, "I love you both. I can't choose between you two." Her voice and demeanor became more confident. "I have a condition of my own. Either I can have you both, or neither. I'll sing the song for the sake of the people who came to see me tonight. During that time, you may think about my offer." With that, Christine sang Love Never Dies, the song the Phantom had composed for her. She sang of her love for her husband, who had been her friend since childhood, and of her Angel of Music. Her love for them inspired her to give the best performance of her life. The audience got over their confusion of her announcement once she sang, and by the end, the theater roared with deafening applause. Christine bowed, feeling alive again, while the Phantom and Raoul both scrambled to think of what to do.
Christine went to her dressing room after the performance, and the two men that loved her followed her, frantically.