The next morning, Erik and Veronique were exhausted. They had stayed up all night, and yet their clothing was not found in a pile on the floor. It had stayed on their bodies, for all they had done was talked and shared deep, dark secrets. Veronique had asked Erik what his deepest, darkest secret was, and he immediately knew he could not share it for his plot would be shattered and she would love him no longer.
He simply replied, "I never really let go of Christine... I awaken every morning, praying that she will be by my side... But my day gets better for I see that it is you here with me, sharing in my solitude." Veronique had never heard such beautiful words, except for those written for her in his song.
As dawn broke, they only began to fall asleep. But they were soon awoken by loud crashes. These noises were so loud that they shook the entire cavern. The lake rippled constantly, as though a great unknown force were swimming through it. Erik quickly escaped to his gondola and made his way to the sunlight to see what was causing such a commotion. But Veronique slept through the thunderous crashing.
She only awoke to find a note on the pillow next to her.
My dear Veronique,
I am sorry that I could not be with you when you awake, for that is when I find you are the most beautiful. I have some business to attend to, and I shall return before the sun sets. Wait for me, as I shall have a surprise for you when I return.
I remain your faithful lover.
Erik
She was puzzled by the 'business to attend to', but she found the note to be so beautiful. She read it again and again until the parchment was stained with tears. She wiped the tears from her eyes and glanced at the sun. It appeared to be around midday. She decided that she would surprise Erik with something as well.
She scampered to the piano in her dressing gown and played a few chords. She would write him the most beautiful aria on the face of the earth, then perform it for him. She was sure that would be the way to his heart. But she didn't know whether there would be something stopping her from entering the most beloved part of his soul...