Erik stood outside the de Chagny house listening intently through th living room wall. He seemed very familiar with his surroundings, which gives you the impression that this was not the first time that he had stood outside that house. So they were finally telling their daughter the story of what had happened in the opera house all those years ago. Erik was pleased. He had known that they would have to tell her someday. He looked inside the window at the family sitting by the fire, together. How he longed for that. That sense of family. But yet he did not know how to achieve it. He gazed at Christine. Though she had of course grown older, none of her beauty had faded. Not in her voice or her appearance. He still did not understand how she could have betrayed him this way. He had been her teacher, he had inspired her voice. Erik's gaze fell on Raoul, and he knew why Christine had betrayed him. That silly boy, the vicomte. But though Erik couldn't stand Raoul, it was very clear that Raoul loved Christine with all of his heart, and that Christine loved him in return. They obviously were deeply in love, and they loved those children with all their hearts. This realization had hit him rather hard all those years ago down in his lair beneath the opera house. When Raoul had been willing to give up his life to save Christine, and Christine had been willing to stay with Erik in order to save Raoul's life. That was indeed a sign of true love. So Erik had let the two of them go. But he was still angry. Erik had indeed learned some compassion after that night, but he often felt his old anger and violence coming out. Did he want revenge? His feelings were so complicated. He gazed inside the window once more as his gaze fell upon Marie Claire. How much she looked and sounded like her mother. Perhaps she would be the link to getting revenge upon Christine and Raoul, if that was indeed what Erik decided that he wanted. But could he hurt Christine? He could never decide on this issue. He had no qualms about hurting Raoul, except that that would hurt Christine. Erik shook his head, his thoughts overwhelming him. He took one last glance inside before he retreated up the street, back to the opera house, where he had of course, taken up refuge in the vaults. And as much as he tried to control his anger, the more he walked, the more it welled up inside him, making revenge seem more and more appealing.
"You will curse the day you did not do all that the Phantom asked of you..."
