Veronique had fled the ruins of the Opera Populaire in such a fit of rage that she remembered only later that she was, once again, homeless and hungry. She hated her life at that moment, for letting herself fall for such a monster so quickly without getting to know his terrible side. She didn't even look back to see Erik crying, kneeling at the feet of the beautiful angel statue that graced the once beautiful opera house.
Erik wept for another young love lost to his jealousy and anger. He was too overwhelmed by his emotions to do anything else, not even to go back to his lair to cry in privacy. He did not care if anybody saw him, the loathsome gargoyle clashing with the statues of heavenly creatures. His long black cloak, which billowed in the harsh winter wind, was not enough to keep him warm in the biting cold. He prayed, for the first time in years, that Veronique was safe from the terrible weather and that she would find the path of righteousness.
Self-pity is such a burdenous load, and Erik had plenty of it to carry on his shoulders. The weight of the world pressed down on him, yet he felt as though he was not on the ground. He only wished that he could have told her in a gentler way, that she would not have taken it so harshly and ran away from the truth.
Veronique once again wandered the lonely and cold streets of Paris. So many thoughts ran through her head, but they kept returning to the last kiss she shared with Erik and the romantic way he proposed to her. She felt so stupid for turning him down, for she knew she could love him even if he kept such horrible secrets to himself.
But the song that kept playing in her mind was her composition for Erik. She couldn't get his voice out of her head, and the way he played the piano so gracefully for such a beautiful song. She then remembered that she left the sheet music on his piano. It occured to her that she could sing it on the streets and become discovered by the new owners of the Opera Populaire, or she could start singing it in the pubs to earn enough money for a warm place to sleep and food to eat.
Veronique knew at that moment that she had to go back to the Opera Populaire, back to Erik, one last time... She had to take her last chance at happiness and brave the flood... The road laid down in front of her was laden with many dangers, toils, and snares, but she was ready to face them one last time. Taking her first step, she followed the path that would lead her down once more...