Don't Cry Out Loud
I am very excited to present not only my first novel-length fic, but also my first attempt at a modern Phantom. After numerous attempts and six months of work, it is finally ready.
A huge thanks must go to my Beta. She did a wonderful job editing my story and keeping my characters real.
I do not own The Phantom of the Opera. No infringement is intended.
PROLOGUE
1890
Christine, the Comtesse de Chagny allowed her husband of nine years to assist her into their automobile following an evening at the theatre in the small town they had lived ever since their marriage. She smiled softly in the darkness as Raoul settled a rug across her lap to ward off the cool night air. She stared out the window at the passing traffic as they left the centre of the city behind and returned home to their house on the outskirts of town.
Tears slipped down Christine's cheeks as she thought of the life she had given up to become a Comtesse. She was thankful for the luxury she now lived in; it was such a contrast to her childhood. She loved her three children – Alphonse, Astrid and little Jacqueline – dearly and could not imagine her life without them or Raoul.
Yet, she was filled with a sense of emptiness, as though she had not achieved all she was supposed to. The emptiness grew every time she and Raoul would go to the theatre or the opera or the ballet.
She missed dancing until she was exhausted and singing until she was hoarse. She had not seen Meg since she left Paris, and was unable to attend her wedding to the Baron.
She was longing for the life she left behind.