With One Look

To the naked eye, Raoul and Christine De Chaney couple appeared to be the vision of perfection. The dashing young Vicomte, with his long blonde hair and striking attire, would be considered the ideal man. Not only did he have wealth and fortune, but he also had a charm about him that would leave countless ladies swooning and wishing upon stars they would find a man quite like him. The Vicomtess, Christine, was a dashing beauty that left many men breathless. She had long, flawless brown curls, and her facial features were that of an angel. Her eyes seemed like endless pools of wonder, and one could get lost in them if they weren't careful. Her lips were full and beckoning, and she just had a glow about her that never seemed to fade. All in all, the De Chaneys were people of wealth, power, and beauty. There was not one person in all of France that longed to live their extravagant lifestyle.

Mind you, however, that beauty is only skin deep.

On the inside, the beautiful young Vicomtess was screaming, wanting desperately out of the life she was given. It wasn't as if the Vicomte treated her poorly; that was entirely not the issue. Raoul did whatever was in his power to make his wife content, such as purchasing a mansion, servants that obeyed her every command, and of course the latest and most extravagant French fashions. But lately Christine had become distant, almost reclusive. Something was troubling her, but whenever Raoul inquired about it, she merely shook it off as a mere headache or indigestion. But Raoul knew better. He would often find his beloved on the balcony, in the dead of night, humming random melodies or phrases, her eyes distant but somehow at peace. That spark inside of her that Raoul adored also seemed to be dying, leaving nothing but a cold and empty shell.

It had not always been like this, however. At first Christine and Raoul's love had been pure bliss. There wedding had been nothing short of a fairy tale. Christine was the most beautiful bride, and Raoul had never felt more happiness in his entire life. Their first couple months of marriage seemed like a dream, and nothing could bring them down to Earth. But there was always that one thing that separated the two lovers, and no matter how hard Raoul tried, he could never bring them fully together. And no matter how much he Raoul denied it, he could not deny the simple truth.

Part of Christine's heart would always belong to another.

"The phantom," Raoul thought bitterly. He loathed the man, and that was putting it lightly. That man, that thing, that had stolen Christine's soul, obsessed over her, and ultimately scarring her for eternity. It was true, he had taught her to sing, sculpted her voice into such a perfection that even shocked Raoul at times. He hid in the shadows, and somehow in his twisted ways, convinced Christine he was sent by her deceased father. But he was not an angel at all. He was just a sick, vile creature with an obsession. His memory would forever haunt Raoul's nightmares. And that kiss! Oh, that kiss, so full of passion and longing! Christine never kissed Raoul this way. Even though she insisted it was just to save Raoul's life, he knew better. He always knew...he just wanted the best for her...

"Raoul? Darling, you have barely touched your breakfast." Christine's soft voice broke Raoul from this thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh its nothing Christine, I just have many things on my mind." Christine nodded slightly, for she was used to the lack of communication. Oh, how she longed for fire and passion, nothing that Raoul could never offer. How she longed for...him.

Christine mentally scolded herself, for she was now a married woman. There was no turning back now, those wedding vows had been the point of no return. But oh, why did her thoughts always lead back to him? No matter what the subject was, even the weather, she would always find herself yearning for his touch, his voice, his burning passion...everything. He had shaped her angelic voice, made her who she was. Even if he was cold and menacing on the outside, Christine had seen what lie underneath. She saw it emerge fully after she kissed him. Those endless tears running down his face, and those eyes! Those broken, painful eyes, so full of despair and hopelessness...how Christine longed to kiss away all his tears, all his loneliness. And then those four words, so simple and yet so full of meaning...

"Christine, I love you."

Christine would never forget the look on his face until her dying day. That flicker of hope when she started back to him, and then the utter look of heartbreak when she gave him back his ring. He was trying to stay strong, she knew, but she didn't miss those two solitary tears which ran down his face. It took every ounce of strength she had not to run back into his arms, hold him, whisper words of undying love into his ear...but she didn't. She left him there to die.

"Oh how could I have been such a monster..? That's the only one word to describe me after what I did to him. If only..." God help her, she was thinking of him again!

"No Christine," she told herself firmly. "You are a married woman, a Vicomtess no less, you must put an end to these hopeless thoughts..."

The De Chaneys finished their breakfast in silence that day.