Erik's POV

"…Why did we leave mama, Mister E? We just got there…"

I was burning, burning deep within. Christine had hurt me, so much, that I didn't want to live any longer.

"Mister E?"

I tugged on his arm as we ventured to Nadir's home. I expected the man to be at work, but when I knocked upon the door, he was there.

"Erik? Dropping him off already?"

Fresh tears burned as they ran down my cheek.

"Erik?"

Nadir reached for my arm, but I jerked away.

"No! Take the boy…Just take him. I have work…"

Nadir handed the boy to Marisha and came chasing after me.

"Erik, stop…What's wrong?"

"Everything," I growled, those fresh tears now streaming down my cheeks. "The boy…I thought he was mine. He…He can play music and he…he has the same birth mark as I do. Oh, Nadir, I was a fool! A fool…I confronted Christine about this and she simply went mad on me. He's not my son…"

"Erik, please, stop and talk to me."

Once again, the man reached for my arm, but I jerked away.

"Go away, Nadir…I don't need your pity."

With that being said, I stormed off to the restaurant. My shift was a horrible one, for I couldn't concentrate on music. No, I couldn't play, nor could I concentrate on the notes that were supposed to be being played. All I could think about was death, and how sweet it would be for me to leave this lonely earth.

"Erik…Man, what has gotten into you?"

I stopped playing when I spotted Doctor Gangle standing in front of me.

"You're sweating, and your flesh has gone pale. Are you sick?"

"Perhaps," I croaked. "I'm not feeling so well…"

"Erik, you have to pull yourself together, man. Christine has been absent and you've been a complete mess here. You either need to pull it together or I'm going to have to fire you. I want you to go home and tomorrow, I want you to come to work with a better attitude."

I stood from the piano, nearly stumbling over as I exited the restaurant. My heart ached with every step I took. When I was finally home, I entered my bedroom and slammed the door closed. This was it…I was going to end my life…After collapsing on my bed, I reached for the knife I kept in my night table and gazed at its sharp blade. I pressed it up against my wrist and began to press down, a few drops of blood emerging from my arm. Yes, I should have stopped, but I didn't want to…No, I wanted to die. Nobody loved me, and I didn't even have a son…No, I was alone, alone and tired of being that way. When my left wrist was sliced and bleeding, I switched to my right wrist….With blood gushing out of each wrist, I lay back against my pillow and stared up at the ceiling. Soon, I would be dead, and then, I would be at peace at last. I was cold, and becoming exhausted. Soon, I would be dead…soon…

Nadir's POV

"Nadir, I think you should go talk to Erik…"

I was lying in bed next to my wife, when I heard her pleading for me to speak to Erik.

"Erik is stubborn," I said. "He can take care of himself."

"And you know that's a lie…Nadir, he didn't even come to get Gustave when his shift was over at work. Don't you think that is a red flag?"

"No, as I've said before, Erik is a very stubborn man."

"He needs you," Marisha replied. "You should at least go over to his apartment just to check on him. He should have come for Gustave, and he didn't…"

Knowing that I wasn't going to get any sleep until I saw Erik, I groaned and stood up from bed.

"Marisha, I love you more than anything in the world, but you're driving your husband mad! You think you know Erik like I do, but you don't. He had a fight with Christine this morning and that's why he didn't come for Gustave tonight. I think he's been believing that Gustave was his son…To be honest, I thought so too. They look so alike…"

"You never told me that Christine and Erik…That they…They…"

"Yes, they did, Marisha, long ago, before I met you. I guess it's partly my fault why he's been thinking that Gustave was his son, but Christine told him that he isn't. It broke his heart… And that is why Erik hasn't come for the boy."

"Nadir, please just go over to his home and check on the man. You know how he is…It would take the world off my shoulders."

I threw on my cloak and bent down to press a kiss against her cheek.

"All right…I will go check on the man, but it's a waste of time, because I'll go over there only to be yelled at."

"Just make sure that he's all right…"

"Anything for you, my love," I sarcastically replied.

After leaving the apartment, I set out to Erik's hoping to be back home in an hour. When I arrived, his home was pitch black, which was unusual, for Erik was always up during the night. Even if his place was in darkness, there was always a candle burning…But not tonight. No, his home seemed as if he weren't even there.

I climbed the stairs of his fire escape and peeked into his bedroom window. The room was dark, too dark to see a thing. The window was unlocked, and I crawled through the open space, squeezing my body through the small crevice.

"Erik? Erik, are you here?"

When I didn't get a reply, I reached for his small lamp that he kept on the windowsill and turned it on. When the room was illuminated, what I saw stopped my heart…There, lying on the bed was Erik! He was lifeless and there was blood everywhere.

"Erik…" I ran to his side, taking notice to his slit wrists. "Erik…Erik, answer me!"

But I didn't get anything out of him. I knew he had done this to himself, for he always did things like this when he was angry. Quickly, I ran to get help, knowing that he wouldn't survive much longer if I didn't get him to the hospital.

Christine's POV

For days, I had gone in and out of consciousness. How could I possibly stay awake when I had medicine running through my veins? Luckily, I would be going home today…Home… Where would my home be now that Raoul was nowhere to be found? I sat up and opened my eyes to find Nadir sitting at my side. He seemed upset, and I couldn't fathom why the man was sitting at my bedside… Where was Erik? Where was Gustave? I knew I had hurt Erik, but what worried me now was the fact that both of them were nowhere to be found.

"Nadir?" I groaned. "Where is Erik?"

"Erik?" he curiously questioned. "I have no idea why you would be asking me about him…You don't care about him."

"Of course I do…" I replied. "He has my son. Where is he?"

Nadir sat up and ran his fingers through his dark hair. The man seemed as though he had not slept the entire night. What was wrong?

"Erik," he stiffly replied "Is dead, Christine."

My heart stopped beating the moment Nadir said those exact words. Dead? How was Erik dead?! Had Raoul possibly gotten to him? No, Erik couldn't be dead… Raoul would never do such a thing to anyone. Yes, he was capable of many things, but murder wasn't one of them.

"Well," he continued. "Aren't you going to say anything? He's dead, Christine. You broke his heart and the man murdered himself."

"What? I didn't do anything to him…"

"Yes, you did!" Nadir barked. "You lied to him and you broke his heart. He confronted you with a serious subject and you lied to him…I know you did."

"What are you talking about?!" I had fresh tears falling down my cheeks now. Erik was dead…I couldn't get the words out of my head. Dead… No, he couldn't be dead, he just couldn't be. Erik took his own life. But why? Had my words really been all that horrible? Had I truly stomped upon his heart?

"Erik came to me yesterday after visiting you. He handed Gustave off to me and then, he went on to confess that he's been believing Gustave was his own flesh and blood. Even I believed this, Christine. I put the idea into his head weeks ago when I first got glance at the boy. The child looks just like Erik…And his eyes…The boy's eyes belong to him. Well, Erik went on to tell me that you told him that Gustave wasn't his…That you yelled at him for even thinking such a thing. Well, I guess the weight of it all just crushed him to pieces and that's why he went home last night and slit his wrists. I tried to save him, Christine, truly, I did. I rushed him here to the hospital, but it was too late."

I buried my face into my knees. No…This couldn't be it. I couldn't have broken Erik's heart with the lie I had told him. I just wasn't ready to confess the truth…I wasn't ready to tell him that he had a child…That our one night of passion had led to a baby. But now, I would never get to tell him, because he was gone…If only I could turn back time and make everything right.

"You know, Christine, I never understood why Erik loved you so much. You treated him cruelly, you called him horrible names, and above all things, you never took the time to get used to seeing his face. I guess Erik was just filled with desperation…He wanted to be loved so much, that he was hoping to find it in you. Erik might have been many things, Christine, but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't have suspected Gustave to be his son, if it weren't a strong possibility. But, now that he's gone, I think we both deserve to hear the truth from your very lips."

"Nadir…"

"No, Christine…I need to know. Is Gustave Erik's flesh and blood? And don't lie to me. I've spent many years studying others and I know when someone is lying…I can smell it."

I took a breath before answering Nadir. It didn't make sense to lie now, for Raoul was gone and I was alone. Erik was dead…My angel of music was dead and now, the truth could come out.

"I didn't mean to lie to Erik," I began. "I just wasn't ready to tell him that he had a son."

"I knew it! I knew that Gustave belonged to Erik. Oh, those mismatched tones of blue belonged to Erik, and Erik only. And the way the boy walked and spoke…It was all Erik. You broke his heart, Christine."

"I know…I didn't mean to…Oh, Nadir, if only I could turn back time and make everything right."

Nadir grabbed my hand and dragged me out of bed. I tried to pull away from his grasp, but I couldn't, for he was too strong. I wasn't sure where he was taking me, but I followed without a single word. We stopped in front of a closed door, one that would lead me into another room.

"Nadir, what's going on? Why are we here?"

"You're going to go in there and make things right…"

"Is Erik's body in there?" I cried. "Don't make me look at his body, Nadir. I can't bear to look at his lifeless body. It's not how I wish to remember him."

"Erik didn't die last night, Christine…"

Once more, my heart stopped beating…He didn't die? He didn't die?!

"Erik survived, but he's in critical condition. You're going to go in there and make things right again…"

"Nadir, how could you?!"

"I needed to hear the truth, Christine… And now, you're going to tell this to Erik."

"So, I could have lied after all… You wouldn't have known."

"Of course I would have known," Nadir scoffed. "To you, Erik was dead…There was no reason to lie anymore…"

Good move on Nadir's part, eh? Anyway, please review! Thanks again, everyone!