A/N: Heeey! I'm so thrilled you guys like the twist! I never liked the fact that in the book, we never know the real reason Rebecca married Maxim. All we get is that she was an evil woman and that was that. And for those of you who now officially hate Luciana… wait for what happens next in this chapter! Don't forget to review!

Chapter 25

Erik ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes to get a handle of these old memories that were resurfacing. I waited patiently for him to continue and he then resumed his narrative.

"I saw little choice but to accept the terms of her conditions. She knew how much Manderley meant to me and I wanted it to thrive… and damn her… I knew she could do it. But while we shook on this deal, I had my first impulse to kill her right there at that very second. All I had to do was push her off the cliff or strangle her and then toss her over into the sea below. It would have been so easy too. No one was around to hear her cries and no one would have suspected a happy husband. It would be an accident, a very unfortunate accident, but I was a coward. I lost the nerve to do it and I paid dearly for what happened in our years together.

"Luciana did live up to her part of the bargain and brought fame and order to Manderley. It wasn't long before we had visitors from around the world coming to see the gardens and the sea. We even had various members of the royal family come to spend a night or two. And since she fulfilled her promise, I did the same and played the role of the ever loving and doting husband. I showered her with lavish gifts and affectionate attention, even composing music for her. Yet… every word of endearment, every gift, every kiss, and every caress was my way of cursing her for manipulating me into this unbearable falsehood. She knew what I meant and how she would laugh every time I flattered her.

"She enjoyed this cruel torture I had to endure and would tell her friends how lucky she was to have a husband who always had an endless amount of compliments. As for my publishing music… yes, Luciana did insist I do it. It was the right thing for a wife to encourage her husband, especially one with the musical inclination. Of course, my music was probably the only thing that Luciana actually loved about me if you could call it love. Her encouragement was the realest emotion that she expressed that was authentic and sincere. I had a talent unlike any musician she had ever heard and she knew I was blessed with such gifts. That was something I should not hide and… it would her further her image. It was her dream that with my music and her voice we could win over other families of wealth and status. Manderley will never be forgotten not if music should be synonymous with our name. However, I could not let her have her way when it came to this and I adamantly refused to publish.

"Of course, that would not keep Luciana from having the final word. When she had the right audience present, she revealed to her friends that she wanted me to publish my music and how I was being unfair not to share with the world. It was well-played and executed to gain their sympathies and when one suggested I publish under a pseudonym… well, Luciana seized that opportunity and told me I should if I was worried about criticism. Now, that was the last thing on my mind and I never gave a damn what other people thought about my music. Yet, she already created the vision that I was a talented but timid musician who needed the right push. And then she played her last card that sealed my fate…"

xXx

"You must admit it is a tragedy that my husband cannot share his music… at least not to a larger audience because of his mask. Do not be upset my darling for I know that is the truth! You care far more what people think about you rather than your wife's opinion! Those terrible people have been speaking rumors for years that I know you have grown to believe them and I will not allow that to continue anymore! As of now, you should not have to hide from the world. Let them hear your genius and they will decide what they think of you! If it still bothers you… well, we will make up a name that no one will know it is really you unless you wish to tell them. And I happen to have the perfect name! You should be called the 'Phantom.' It is quite mysterious and it will keep people guessing your identity while we will laugh at their expense. Think about it Erik! Your music being adored by everyone and you will not have to worry about anyone speaking ill of you ever again. For they will never know it is you!"

xxXXxx

"I had very little choice in the matter but to accept her idea, and once more, everyone was happy to see how supportive we were to one another. She had turned to me and gave me a knowing look and patronizing grin. She had won once again and I found myself publishing my music and becoming the 'Phantom' much to her delight. Like she predicted, people would flock to concerts to listen to my music and when we had parties… well, she could not help herself and tell everyone that it was I who was the Phantom and she would be praised for her contributions to have me share my music. She received all the credit and made sure that it was she that was the mastermind and I could not say a word.

"So while to the rest of the world we were the perfect married couple, in the inside I hated her with a growing passion for making a mockery out of me and taunting me with what I could never have. How she loved to remind me what she really thought of me. Calling me all sorts of deplorable names and I having to take the abuse! And if I didn't behave in a certain way she would threaten to harm me with her lies. Once I tried to call her bluff and when she began screaming for help and rape; I offered forgiveness and promises not to do it again. When Mrs. Danvers entered, Luciana smiled in her sweet, devilish way and told her it was a nightmare and her gallant husband saved her from the horrible monster that was going to do harm to her. And in that single look… I knew I was at the mercy of her power and the next time I would not be as quickly forgiven.

"I knew she was evil, but this evil was not like I imagined. I did not want to believe she could destroy me like she claimed she could do, but after that incident… I would be a fool to tempt fate again. It was beneficial for me to keep my lips sealed and I did while she had her way. Day after day, my contempt for her grew and I plotted out in my head the various ways I could torture and kill her. My fantasies sustained me and when I smiled in her direction I would imagine I was squeezing the life out of her. But that was not all. Luciana was power hungry and she was tempted to test a certain lioness in our acquaintance."

xXx

"Why Giles! You are so witty!" Luciana giggled, her lashes batting at my flustered brother-in-law. "I do love to hear your stories about being in the service. Sometimes I wish I was a man so I could join the army and take part in the risky missions to protect our lovely England. I think I would make a dashing and fearless Major like you!"

"Well, I… thank you Luciana," Giles said reaching for his glass of wine. "But I do not deserve such high praises. My men are the fearless ones. All I did was give the order."

"Nonsense!" Luciana shook her head. "You are brave Giles Lacy. I do not believe for a second that you sat around in a tent like most of those spoiled military brats while the soldiers fought for our freedom. No… You were out there and risking your life for your countrymen."

A heat of color covered behind his ears and it was clear he wanted this conversation to end. Giles is a good man and a great leader; however, the War was something he did not like to speak about and he did not like to share his experiences about the battlefield. It was a fact that his wife and even myself grew to respect. We never asked him to share details and it was something that Luciana had followed too until that evening.

But it did not end. Luciana continued sneaking glances at him and over exaggerating her admiration for him. Even after dinner when we retired to the parlor room… she would not leave Giles alone and when Ayesha was not looking… Luciana put her hand on Giles' arm and gave him a smothering look that left little to the imagination what she wanted from him.

I was appalled and wanted to say something, but I could not rescue my brother-in-law from her clutches. I could only hope that Ayesha would take notice and I was surprised she had not said anything during dinner, especially since my sister has sharp, feline eyes. But when she saw my wife lay her hand on her husband… well, Ayesha broke her silence.

"My dear Luciana… I fear you have confused my husband as yours! Be so kind as to unhand poor Giles."

While Ayesha's voice was patient… there was no mistaken the fire that was burning in her eyes. Even Luciana saw she had gone too far and immediately left Giles alone for the rest of the evening. She assured my sister that she did not mean anything by it and that she had too much wine at dinner.

"Forgive me Ayesha for you are the sister I have never had. I would never do something as deplorable as to embarrass your husband or mine! I do not know what I was thinking and I feared I was completely out of my senses. Do not be angry, please. It was an accident and it will never happen again."

"Be sure that it doesn't Luciana," Ayesha said. "I would hate to hear how my sister flirts shamelessly with her brother in front of their respective spouses."

xxXXxx

"After that evening, Luciana remained on her best behavior whenever they would visit for I believed she was terrified of my sister. If she lost favor in Ayesha's eyes… well, her plan for me would be ruined. She needed my sister to fuel the sham we had going on and if she jeopardized it because she wanted to have some fun… you can imagine the setbacks and disgrace that would occur.

"While it was a tiny victory unknowingly done on Ayesha's part, she was worried for me and she came to me privately to discuss Luciana's flirting. She knew it was harmless since I was not bothered by it, but she didn't like that she had been making eyes at her husband in front of us. Giles was too embarrassed by the situation and he would have preferred it would be forgotten altogether. Her fear was that Luciana would do it again and it would bring shame to our name. 'You need to rein her in Erik,' Ayesha advised. 'I know how hypocritical it sounds from me, but I know there's a difference between being your own woman and being stupid. Luciana cannot behave like this, especially with married men. Listen carefully, brother, and do what you must or else Luciana will ruin Manderley and everyone within it.'

"After that conversation, I knew Ayesha did not like Luciana. I strongly suspected that she never liked her from the beginning, but did not voice it because I was so adamant and boisterous in my feelings. For my sake, my dear sister kept her comments to herself for she wanted me to find the same happiness she had found with Giles. But I could not tell her how right she was about Luciana's character. I could not tell my sister the truth of her villainy because of my own shame and guilt. The same with Nadir. My friend was not aware of my unhappiness and I knew he was half in love with Luciana. Of course, Nadir is too good to do anything and it was my luck that Luciana did not find him attractive. However, it did not stop her from having Nadir do things for her, like running errands or posing for her when she attempted to paint. She played Nadir the same way she played me, but she was careful on what she said and did.

"While she was holding some restraint when it came to the people important to me, I still had to endure her love affairs. She would dangle those men in front of me, laughing, because she could get away with her adultery and I had no say. It disgusted me how she turned my home into her grounds for her debauchery. She brought married and single men to her bed and then would insult me afterwards about their skills. Then she would kiss them! Right in front of my face! But would they breathe a word of this? Of course not! They were all in love with Luciana. They would do anything for her, even keeping their affairs silent so their wives or lovers would not know. There were some women who suspected their spouses of infidelity and who came to me, beseeching me to tell them the truth. They saw how shamelessly Luciana flirted with their husbands and had to know if something was going on.

"To my shame and regret, I told them nothing was going on and let the subject drop. A few did not believe me, and they had the right not to, and removed themselves from our circle to sever the affair. They were rumors, of course, of Luciana being unfaithful but it could never be proven. Not from the guilty parties and certainly not from the jilted spouses. People dismissed it as slanderous gossip for they witnessed our happy nuptials and knew it could not be truth. That image protected her as did I. It loathed me to deny those women what they suspected. I only hoped I could reveal some truth with my gestures and tone… but people will see what they want to see.

"As it were, the affairs I could look the other way. Those men never lasted because Luciana would grow bored of them. But there was only one man who remained constant in her eyes and that was her dearest cousin. That's right, Christine. Luciana and Raoul de Chagny were lovers. Since my suspicions about them were proven correct, I also observed that no one knew about them. For some odd reason, Luciana kept their relationship a secret that not even Mrs. Danvers, her trusted maid, knew about their romance. But they had no qualms in flaunting it in front of me. Eventually, I could not stand it anymore."

xXx

"I don't ever want that man here at Manderley anymore!" I shouted after catching Luciana and her cousin in flagrante for the last time. "I put up with your loose morals and lifestyle and kept a blind eye to what goes on in your room. I put up with it with a far better patience than any man. But him?! No more Luciana. You can carry on with your affairs, but I refuse to have that philistine under my roof. I know you despise me as much as I do you, but at least show some respect to Manderley. I have done all that you have asked and all I ask is this one request for myself. Do not invite Raoul de Chagny here ever again."

Luciana, tears in her eyes, pouted and for the longest time she pondered my demand. To my surprise, she accepted. But like always with Luciana… there were conditions.

Her conditions.

"I will grant you this Erik for being such a good boy in our marriage, but I cannot promise I would stop seeing my cousin when I want to. I will not have him come around in the house, but I do wish to have some space of my own to entertain. Then you would not have to witness my fun."

I knew of the perfect place to give her. "Done."

xxXXxx

"I gave Luciana the little cottage that we are in now. At the time, it was used for storage for the sailing boat, and it became a new project for her to convert it into another home. I could not have asked for a better distraction. I did not have to see Luciana every day since she spent all her time in fixing the shack up. I was able to have Manderley all to myself and it was like the good old days when I was single. It was freedom and I savored each second. I could not be touched by the black poison that was brought here after I married her. And when it was done, Luciana continued her torrid affairs in the indiscretion within these walls.

"It was a small victory on my part. But it was like winning the war. I defeated her on her terms and I was able to regain some self-respect for myself. Unlike most wars, I'm sad to say, the peace time did not last long.

"Luciana became demanding more than ever. This time it was about my music again. While I was publishing compositions, I had stopped composing songs specifically for her like I did during our courtship after our third year of marriage. She was becoming worried how that would appear to her friends when she did not have any new songs to share. Bad enough I had to put up with her singing, especially when she ruined my compositions. So she wanted something grand, something unlike the world has never seen or heard before. She wanted an opera. And she wanted my Don Juan Triumphant.

"I refused. This was my Magnus opus and I did not want her lecherous hands anywhere near my score. But, Luciana always wins. That's the point of her games. She wins no matter what. To my disgrace, I had to change my beloved opera to fit with her ideas. The storyline was rewritten and the costume designs were her own artwork, except for Aminta's gown in Act 3. That was my own, and my luck, Luciana loved that one the best. The lyrics to my music also underwent changes until it became Luciana's opera. I had very little to claim as mine and Luciana finally found the way to crush my soul. She took my music away and molded it into her own warped whims. I was absolutely livid that Firmin and Andre wanted to produce it. The opera was garbage! But they saw it as genius! And how Luciana rubbed that in my face as well.

"It became the last straw for me. She took my manhood, my confidence, my desire, and now she had to take my music. I could not stand for this injustice to continue. I found the nerve after that last Masquerade when she came as Aminta in my gown. It was the final nail in my coffin. I resolved to do what I should have done in Monte Carlo. I was not a coward anymore. I would carry this deed out. All I needed was the perfect opportunity and it so happened… Luciana provided it for me."

xXx

When I discovered Luciana insisting Mrs. Danvers take some time off to see her sister, I could not believe my fortune! That woman was a hawk when it came to Luciana, always in the background, always looking out for her dear lady. Then my second stroke of luck came when the storm was brewing out over the ocean.

Luciana enjoyed sailing at these times for the risk was too much of a pleasure. As a good husband ought to do, I had pleaded to her not to do this, but I was thrilled she would. God had not taken her yet and I saw all of this as a sign that the time was near for Luciana. I just had to hold faith and not waste a moment for I knew not when the time would arise again.

She left the house at half past nine and I waited ten minutes before I followed her out. I had my pistol in the band of my trousers and a long coat on to conceal the weapon. All I kept thinking was soon this will be over. I will be free from her devilry. Of course, it never once crossed my mind how I would hide the body. Who could think of that when I all I wanted was to end this sham of a marriage?

It was already raining by the time I reached the cottage. I saw the light was on and the sailing boat was still tied to the dock. Luciana had not left, and again, another sign that this was in my favor.

I flung open the door, hoping to startle her, but to my astonishment, Luciana was sitting on the very settee that you are sitting on, her hair down and over her shoulders, and she wore a simple white dress and shawl. She appeared as if she was going out for a party, but from the way she was sitting there, all serene like, it was like she was expecting me all along.

Her violet eyes sparkled upon settling on me and her bright red lips were pulled back in a smile. "Hello Erik," she greeted. "Did you come to sail too?"

"Luciana," I growled. "I'm done. I held up my part of the bargain for these last ten years and I'm through being your plaything and your tool in high society. You took my masterpiece… my life's work and turned it into your shrine of your depravity. You have belittled, emasculated, and mocked me with your lovers and selfish greed. You took everything I love and blackened it with your claws. And the worst of it… was I did love you once. But now the only feeling I have in my heart for you is hate. You're not a lady. You're nothing more than a common whore.

"After listing your offenses, I am now informing you madam, that this marriage is over and I will declare it null and void."

"That is indeed serious," she replied indifferently.

My ire was rising. Once again, she was making this into a joke and I felt like she believed I was not being serious.

To prove this was no joke, I removed my pistol and held it out. "You have ruled my life for too long Luciana. You cannot persuade me anymore with your use of lies to ruin me. What I have in mind requires no speaking on your part. Ever."

The sight of the gun caused Luciana to clap her hands and giggle. "Excellent Erik! Such finality! I guess you do possess some courage after all. Yet… the joke is on you, my loving husband. I know you despise me with all your heart and you curse every second of every breathe I draw. As you may know, I feel and do the same for you. God has given you ugly features and you have to bear your inadequacies… but the tables have turned. How do you feel about an heir?"

At this startling revelation, my countenance wavered. "H-heir?" I repeated.

She rose and her hand went to rub her belly. "Yes. An heir," she said casually. "Think about it Erik. A child to pass Manderley on to. What an incredible legacy to follow! For generations to come, Manderley will continue to be owned by the de Winter name. Forever and ever."

xxXXxx

"Of course, the news of a child was incredible. Especially since I knew for a fact that I was not the father. My expression revealed the horror that while this unborn babe will bear my name it was not a de Winter by blood. My home… will be in the hands of a bastard and for later tainted generations. This was unacceptable. I could not allow such a thing to pass. I only agreed to Luciana's terms because of my love for Manderley. Everything I did was for Manderley! And to betray that love and protection with a false heir… it would break me for good.

"So I didn't have a choice. Not anymore. I wanted to kill Luciana and to hear from her own lips how far her vileness went… I felt more justified than ever. As my body shook from outrage and anger, I raised the pistol… and Luciana… she continued to stand there, gloating and laughing. 'I won Erik. I told you countless times I always win. No matter what you do, I will always be there to watch you. Manderley will have its true owner and you cannot stop it from happening. And we will be the happiest family in all of England.'

"While she smiled, I pulled the trigger. And as I watched her fall… she died while smiling. Funny… I forgot that when a person is shot… there is a lot of blood."

Erik stopped his narrative, his eyes fixated on the ground where Luciana's body had fallen, her blood pooling all around her. The memory was evident in his eyes and his clenched fists shook as the overwhelming emotions washed over him. Then Erik looked at me, seeing me with such clarity in this tragic revelation.

"When I realized what I had done… the reality of the situation rushed me and there was a body. I had to do something. I had to hide this. While I was happy that I didn't have to worry about her threats anymore, I knew her last words would come to fruition if I was caught. So I lifted her lifeless body and carried her out to the sailing boat. In my mind all of this was clicking and a story was coming together… 'Luciana went sailing out in the storm like she always did… I have warned her not to but she never listened… the storm sank the boat and she didn't survive.' I carried her into the cabin and laid her on the floor. Then I went back inside the cottage and found a hammer and some spikes and went back. The wind was picking up and the rains were coming harder so I knew I had to act quickly before this goes to Hell. I untied the boat and lowered the sails, and soon we were off drifting into the sea. I have not much experience when it came to sailing, but the winds were strong and carried us with little aid from myself.

"I went back down below to the cabin and began using the hammer and spikes to let in the water. As the sea started to fill up the room, I went back out and bolted the door behind me. I feared the holes would not be enough to sink the boat faster so I went over to these knobs and began to twist them so to let in more water. I ran across the deck to the small dinghy and lowered it and myself to the ocean. Taking the paddles, I rowed myself away from the sailing boat just as it was sinking. I did not stop until I reached the life-buoy, and by then, the boat had drifted further out into the sea and it was taking on water faster now… as it sank deeper to the depths. I watched until the sailing boat was no longer in sight. My heart could beat again as it was officially over now. Luciana was under the sea now and I was a free man. I would not have to worry about her coming to land. But my task was not over. I still had her blood to clean and I had to make it back to Manderley before someone noticed I was gone.

"I left the dinghy by the buoy, which was something she has done many a time if she felt daring enough to leave it behind from what I have witnessed, and went back into the cottage. Using the sea water, I cleaned up the blood and made some wet tracks, which she would have left with all the rain if she went back and forth to prepare the sailing boat, and when that was finished… I headed back up to the house. I went straight to my room and changed my clothes and waited for someone to tell me of Luciana's disappearance. It was not until the next morning that the alarm was sounded. After that… I feared it was a matter of time before someone discovered I had something to do with her vanishing.

"For days, I locked myself in my room, pacing the floors with frantic energy. I was restless and fretful that someone would find the sail boat and the body and they would know. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. I lost a lot of weight. My sister and Nadir… God bless them… were concerned for my well-being, believing I was mad with grief over my missing wife. If they only knew! I might have been a nervous wreck to the world, but within, I was dancing and shouting for joy. I defeated Luciana. I outsmarted her. I beat her at her game. She lost. I won. I won."

With that quiet echo, Erik closed his eyes and exhaled. "I was able to sleep peacefully for the first time. I no longer felt like I was burdened, despite the sin I committed. However, peace was not meant to last long for me and I should have known it would not last.

"When a body was found in Edgecoombe, I feared Luciana returned and they would know what I did to her. To my relief… the body, while female, was so unrecognizable and there was no way a positive identity could have been made that it wasn't Luciana… that I told the authorities it was my wife and I had her buried in the family crypt. I was certain in my answer that it was she that they did not investigate it and took my word for it. It was declared it was an accidental drowning and at last… Luciana was out of my life for good. No longer would I have to worry and I could allow my mind to be at ease once more.

"But Luciana found a way to curse me. I could not get her out of my head. Every night she would return to me, in her white dress with the bloodstains from the gun… and she would warn me that she would have her revenge one day. It was too much and when Nadir suggested I travel abroad… well, I had to seize the distraction and left Manderley and Luciana behind. I went to Monte Carlo to escape and it was there I met you, Christine."

At this part of his tale, I saw all the pieces of the puzzle coming together. Now it all made perfect sense. All those times when Erik lost his temper and appeared distant… it was because he was haunted by his crime done to Luciana. He became a free man, but it came at a cost.

A soft smile played across his lips. "You were the one I waited for, the one I was meant to fall in love with. You were so good, so pure. You were not tainted by any darkness and you gave me life. I didn't know how to live until I met you. You were the angel of my dreams. And after our first meeting… I couldn't stop thinking about you and then I found it in me to rewrite Don Juan. I knew I couldn't let you go. When you came to me to tell me you were leaving for New York… I thought I would die. My heart could not take it if you were to leave me for good. You agreeing to become my wife, to hear your love for me… it was more than I could ask for. This was bliss. Real bliss. Something I did not experience with Luciana. I thought that the nightmare would be over. With you as my wife… I could not be bothered by ghosts.

"But I feared I was mistaken. And this time… the nightmare was far worse than I could imagine. I would dream that you found out what I did to Luciana… that you confronted me and while I was begging for your forgiveness, Luciana would appear and tear off my mask, exposing my face to you. You screamed and left me alone while Luciana laughed in her hideous way, telling me you would never love me. And I couldn't bear it! I wanted to believe you loved me and I would call out to you, telling you that I loved you in hopes you would return to me. But you didn't."

Erik drew in a shaky breath. "Now you know Christine. That is the truth. You know what kind of man I am, what I am capable of doing. Luciana's blood is on my hands and soul. I have sinned greatly and this is why I cannot be your Angel of Music. How could I? How could you accept that image of me now? You couldn't and I do not fault you for that. I understand if you do not want to remain as my wife. I married you under false pretenses, which is the very same thing Luciana done to ensnare me and Manderley. I will be willing to grant you an annulment if you desired it. I only hope that you would understand my motive and why I did what I had to do."

"Oh Erik…" I sighed. How this poor man had suffered! "Of course, I understand! How could I not when you laid it all out? Luciana was a truly evil woman and you were a victim of her evil deeds! As for an annulment, I would never consider it! I love you Erik. I told you before and I will say it again if I must to convince you… I love you. I will not leave you. I will not!"

"I hear you but I wish I could believe them!" Erik exclaimed. "Luciana's body has been found. They will know that I had lied and identified the wrong body. They will know that her death was no accident, but a homicide! It wouldn't take much to lead it back to me Christine. Everyone will know that I am Luciana's murderer."

"No they won't," I said defiantly. "And as for the misidentification… why, you were under a great amount of stress! You were upset for your missing wife that you were desperate to find her and it so happened that this body appeared to be hers at the time. You didn't know. How could you? They cannot arrest you for burying the wrong body."

"Yes but who else would have a reason for wanting Luciana dead other than her husband? She was adored by all! They would remember the rumors of her affairs and they would believe it was jealousy that drove me to it!"

"You were Luciana's enemy, but having one also means she could have many," I replied confidence growing. "You said it so yourself. She angered other women for what she did and I'm certain she angered one of her lovers as well. Who cannot say that a jilted lover returned to have his revenge and left after? Don't you see Erik? They will never know it was you. Not when you were the grieving husband during that time. Even Mrs. Danvers believes your mourning was due to the loss of your loving wife. She would testify that you were in love with Luciana and her disappearance drove you to despair. That much could be real!"

I was certain of these facts. There wasn't a possible chance that Erik could be linked to her death. Not when no one knew he had left the house after Luciana did… and everyone believed their charade of being a happy, wedded couple.

Yes!

Erik was still safe from his crime and no one… except for us… knew the real truth. It would work. I bet my life on it.

While I was confident in our defense, Erik was not at all convinced.

"I want to believe you Christine… I do. But there is so much at stake here. And what if you changed your mind? Could you spend the rest of your life with a murderer? With a monster who hides behind a mask?"

"Erik… I have sat and listened to your story. Do I look disgusted to you? Do I look terrified that my husband has taken a life with his hands? No! You are not a monster not when you had a good reason for killing Luciana. She treated you abhorrently and rubbed your flaws in your face. She intended all along to destroy you and she thought she could… but you bested her. You stopped her from taking Manderley from you. And she will not take me from you either."

"How can you be so certain that your feelings will not change?"

I stood to my full height and gazing into my husband's face… I said:

"Take off your mask Erik. Let me see the real you and you will see that my feelings will not change."

TBC…