Author's Note: Thanks to all who have reviewed! Enjoy this chapter!

Torn

Christine toyed with the idea of trying to find Erik in the south-west wing, but decided against it. She needed time alone, time to think about what she was going to do. Instead, she made her way to the stables.

'A night ride will be just what I need to calm my thoughts,' she thought. 'I'll follow the creek this time, too. Maybe the water will inspire me.'

She woke Nacre, who was slightly ruffled at being woken up so late at night. After being appeased with soothing words and an apple, though, the mare was fine and stood patiently while Christine got her ready to ride.

She made her way out of the barn and trotted towards the woods, not wanting to be seen by any of the staff. She located the creek and walked Nacre along it. Christine was not really leading Nacre, instead letting her follow the appropriate path. She was too absorbed in her own thoughts to concentrate on where she was going.

'This is a disaster,' she thought. 'I haven't spoken to Erik in days, Raoul is here, and I'm so confused. It would have been better if I had never come.'

'Or would it?' piped the devil's advocate on her shoulder. 'If I had not come, I never would have really met Erik, and he would have haunted my thoughts forever. And, look at how Raoul is behaving! I certainly did not know about this side of him. If I never came here, I never would have seen this side of him. I saw how he was flirting with that receptionist. And he got so angry earlier today. Do I really want to marry that?'

And that was indeed Christine's conflict. 'Do I still want to marry him? He is a pretty decent guy. And look what he's done for me! I should be grateful for the support and friendship he's given me.'

'But my gratitude does not have to be in the form of marriage. And our relationship has never really been that spectacular. That "spark" never was really there,' Christine rationalized. 'What it boils down is: do I love him?'

Christine furrowed her brow at the question and pulled on the reins a bit, stopping Nacre. She dismounted and hitched the mare to a branch, leaving the reins loose enough so that she could graze easily. Christine sat down against a tree and looked into the creek for an answer.

The river reflected no reply. Instead, she saw a reflection of the night sky through the dark canopy of trees above her. The moon was out and only a few of its silver rays made their way through the thick limbs. The soft light played atop the ever-moving water, dancing in response to the quiet babbling of the creek and the occasional chirp of the crickets. The light was free to do as it pleased. No rules confined it to one area of the water or told it what leaves it could land on. The water was free to run, the crickets to chirp.

'That is what I want,' Christine thought. 'I just want to be free.'

The freedom she felt at the château was unlike anything she had experienced in the United States. She wanted to do as she pleased, to sing when she wanted. She wanted to express the passion pent up inside her. She did not want to be controlled, like how Raoul was attempting to control her.

'Do I love him?' she silently asked herself.

Christine smiled and quietly said aloud, "No, not him. I don't love him."

Her smile turned to one of radiance as she realized which man could give her the freedom and the passion for which she yearned.

She looked up and whispered into the night, "Erik".

Abruptly, her thoughts came to a screeching halt. A gloved hand clasped itself around her mouth as she was pulled hard up against the tree. Christine started to struggle and writhe about, wetting the bottoms of her pants in the creek and smearing mud up and down her legs. Frightened by the commotion, Nacre reared and pulled free of her hold and ran off. Flashes of what happened when she was coming back from Rennes occurred before her eyes, which now filled with tears as she thought of what might happen.

'I have no chance of escape now. I only hope they can find my body in these woods,' she thought, positive that this was her doom.

A harsh whisper came from the tree. No, the being behind the tree. "Get out of here, Ms. Daaé. Or should I say Mrs.?" However mutilated the voice was by malice, Christine recognized it instantaneously.

'Erik,' she thought. 'I have to get loose. I have to talk to him. He doesn't understand.'

"Leave here, Christine," his malicious voice said once more. "Never return. You are not worthy of a place of such beauty."

She heard his voice crack a bit, thinking about how awful this must be for him. She had hurt him deeply, and he was right; she did not deserve this place.

'But I'll be damned if I'm going to go without a fight,' she thought.

Christine stopped struggling, hoping she would confuse Erik and perhaps calm him enough to listen to her speak.

"Leave," he said one last time, tightening his grip, making the bark of the tree dig into her back.

He suddenly released her. She gasped for breath and pushed herself away from the tree. She called out pitifully for him.

"Erik. Erik, please. Listen to me, please. Erik…" She stumbled to her feet and scrabbled around in the dark, looking for any trace of him. He did not respond. Hopeless now, her eyes filled with hot tears. She broke down, crying for herself and for Erik on the dirt ground of the forest.

XOX

Erik hated to do it, but he needed to scare her. He needed her to leave. Her mere presence caused him pain. He experienced a great deal of anguish in his life, but never anything close to this. He knew he was emotionally hurt, but what he did not expect to hurt physically as well. His heart felt like it had been ripped in two, physically sore.

He whispered his threats to Christine from behind a tree, knowing she would recognize his voice. She went limp against his hand, which Erik took as his clue to leave. One last threat and he was gone, but not far. He hid behind a large boulder a few yards from Christine.

Erik heard Christine calling out for him and heard her fall to the ground crying. A part of him wanted to listen to her and to comfort her, to take her small body in his arms and hold her like he wanted to. He wanted to forgive her.

'No,' he thought, vehemently scolding himself. 'She has betrayed me. She deserves no compassion.'

He quietly stalked away, Christine's quiet sobs still echoing in his head. His heart was being ripped into fourths now, his pain doubling as he increased his distance from her.