I kneeled in front of the released floorboards trying to gain strength to tell Erik what I had to. I was so afraid that he would somehow blame this all on me. The thought of him rejecting our child made me shake. I'm not sure if he was the kind of person that would want to be a father. He probably hated children. I could just picture him turning his face from our child in annoyance. Erik simply doesn't have the patience to be a father.

I sat in my desk chair and slouched. I couldn't do it. I had no idea how I was going to tell him.

I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them tears were released from my eyelids. I began so heave miserably. I wanted this child to come into the world. I had no home to support it. I had no money to clothe this child. If Andre and Firum knew I was pregnant they would surely fire me. They couldn't risk that type of embarrassment. I would have to walk the streets as an outcast. They would point and call me a whore.

All of a sudden I began hearing a faint tune in the distance. It was so uplifting and joyful. I sniffed and stopped crying to hear the tune. It was an organ, but surely it couldn't be Eric. He wouldn't play such a happy tune. I walked down the steps to his layer drawn to the music. It lifted my spirits. I began to feel as if I was soaring among birds. The music became louder and louder as I drew closer and the organ's tune echoed of the walls. I began to hear that familiar sound of dripping water. The back of Erik's head came into view. He was once again wearing his wig and he was fully dressed in a black coat and pants that shined red in the candlelight. He wore a white undershirt underneath and I could see his gloved hands gracing the organ's keys. No doubt he was also wearing his mask. All of his clothes hugged his body tightly revealing the outlines of his many muscles.

I stood a few inches from him and listened. I didn't want him to turn around. I wanted him to keep on playing. I closed my eyes and let the music fill my soul. Then the music stopped. Erik scribbled the notes on a piece of paper and turned around to meet me. I was surprised but he wasn't. I hadn't even made a sound. How did he know I was here?

"Where were you last night?" He asked. I tried to find a certain emotion in that tone but he remained mysterious.

"I was exhausted and fell asleep," I said then sucked in my lips.

"I've written an opera for you Addie," he said turning and gesturing a hand to his mess of paper on the organ. He turned back around and smiled at me. His formal figure sent chills down my spine. I gripped my arm harshly to resist tearing at him passionately. I knew what would become of the child inside me if I were to mess around with Erik. I had no idea how I was going to survive nine months without sleeping with him.

Erik stepped closer to me and stared at my eyes. I suddenly remembered I had been crying. They were probably all puffy and red. I sniffed as he cupped my face in his large hands. I looked up at him. This couldn't be Erik. He was being way too kind. I expected him to make his transformation at any moment, but he only began looking concerned for me.

"You've changed Erik." I said in-between hiccups. My head began burning with a fierce migraine.

"You make me feel," He said and ruffled his eyebrow on search for the right words. "You make me happy Addie." He said. I just stared at him and listened to his voice. His voice was both frightening and soothing. Right now I felt simply light-footed by his tone. I even forgot I was standing.

"Before I was in the opera house, I was in a gypsy circus. My parents had willingly sold me to that mad house," he said. His voice slightly broke at the end but he sucked in a large breath and continued. "They had beaten me every night. They would show my face to the audience. The audience would simply point and laugh as I was beat with such inhumanity I could barely breathe. They had called me things such as the Devils child or the living corpse." He said. He now was crying but he smiled at me behind his tears.

A glimmer reflected off the golden ring with two hearts connecting that was on his neck. He had not taken it off.

"You have shown me more kindness then I've every received," he whispered.

"Erik, do you think I pity you? Do you think my love is simply charity?" I asked and grabbed his face to maintain his focus on me.

"You have shown me a world I never knew. You enchanted me with your music. I love everything about you." I said so silently I wondered if he even heard. I could barely breathe as I started crying as well. I didn't know how I was going to tell him.

Eric smiled at me and wiped off the tears with the side of his hand not caring that the tears stained his outfit. He began unbuttoning my dress, but I laid my hand on his and closed my eyes to stop him. I backed away then opened my eyes to see Erik's confused face.

I broke down. Tears once again went soaring down my eyelashes.

"Erik you don't understand," I responded. I began shaking.

Erik took a step towards me but I stepped back. He appeared slightly more confused.

"Erik, I'm…" I managed to choke. "I'm pregnant."