Like a fire burning out of control my fury overtook me, and I allowed it. Better to be consumed by anger than allow Christine's most recent betrayal to hurt me. She would not hurt me again, and the only thought in my mind was to hurt her as badly as she had hurt me.
I pulled her roughly behind me down once more to the lake, to the darkness that had been my life for so long. She did not struggle, just allowed herself to be pulled along, sobbing quietly. The noise was beginning to grate on me.
"Stop your sniffling, child. Do you not know that that sniffling is not becoming for a lady? Oh, but neither is lying, and yet you do that quite well, do you not?" I said coldly. We reached the boat and I all but shoved her into it. She cowered at the front of the boat, looking back at me fearfully.
"But Erik," she whispered.
"No. No, Christine. Please spare me your pathetic excuses. I do not want to hear it," I said bitterly as I pushed the boat from the dock.
Christine was sobbing and shaking, looking around frantically and for a moment I thought she would leap over the edge of the boat and into the water.
"I would not do that," I said icily. "I am not in the mood to fish you out of the water, and I rather think you would be wise not to anger me further."
She did not reply, merely flinched away from the fury in my voice.
When we reached the other side of the lake I stepped lithely out of the boat. I roughly pulled Christine out after me and pushed her ahead of me into my chambers.
"Come, Christine," I said, leading her into her bedroom. She followed me meekly, still trembling. Her fear only served to annoy me further.
I walked into the centre of the room and opened up the wardrobe. I removed the gauzy white wedding dress and held it out to her.
Her face paled and she backed up, her green eyes wide and fearful. "Wh-what are you doing?" she asked.
"Put this on," I snarled. "And I would not do anything foolish if I were you, my dear."
She took the dress reluctantly, looking down at the white lace in horror.
"I think you will find everything you need," I said, waving a hand towards the dressing table as I left the room. Christine was still sobbing, looking horrified. "And be quick about it," I added as I stepped out the door.
"Why are you doing this?" I heard her whisper as I shut the door firmly behind me.
I paced the chamber like a caged tiger. My heart was racing and I felt myself sliding deeper into the madness that had overtaken me.
A few moments later the bedroom door opened. Christine walked out wearing the exquisite wedding dress. It was cut in the most recent Parisian fashion, made of the finest silk and lace. It complemented her beauty and elegance, and my heart skipped a beat as I looked at her. Until I looked at her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her face was so pale that it blended into the neckline of the dress. She was holding the veil and bouquet. Her eyes held a thousand emotions. Fear, confusion, hurt and anger.
I grabbed her arm and pulled her with me to the centre of the room. I pushed her in front of me and she stumbled and fell to the ground.
"Have you satisfied your craving for blood?" she asked scathingly, her eyes flashing with anger. She stared up at me accusingly. "Or am I now to be prey to your lust for flesh?"
I gave her a sardonic smile. "My fate which condemns me to the darkness has also denied me the joys of the flesh," I said coldly. I was beyond reason, beyond control, and my only thought was that I had to have Christine, no matter what the cost. I was through playing games, through trying to be patient.
"My face, Christine, it is only my face that poisons our love," I said. I stooped down and picked up the veil which had fallen to the floor. I stepped towards her and she cowered on the floor. "My mother feared me, loathed me, Christine, all because of my face. I did not ask to be born, and yet I have been condemned for my entire life because of that unfortunate event. Do you know what the only gift was that I received from my mother?" I asked Christine as I pulled her roughly to her feet. "A mask. My only gift from her, my first scrap of clothing. She told me she had to make a mask so she could even bear to hold me. She was a beautiful woman, Christine, very beautiful. I daresay that she could hardly bear the thought that something as hideous as me could have come from her."
Christine's eyes filled with tears.
"How would you have liked to have been locked in a cage, like some kind of monster? How would you have liked to have spent your life being mocked and ridiculed? You have no idea what it is like, Christine," I said scathingly. "You are beautiful. What do you know of hatred and cruelty? You have never had to live in the darkness; you have never had to live in fear of the day."
Christine just looked at me, her eyes full of pity, which only angered me. I placed the veil on her head. "Pity comes too late, Christine." I said angrily. "Turn around, face your fate. An eternity of this before your eyes," I said, turning her to face me. I leaned towards her with the disfigured side of my face, expecting her to flinch away from me, but she just looked at me evenly, a tear sliding down her cheek. I handed her a bouquet of white silk flowers tied with a white satin ribbon and she took them reluctantly.
"Your face holds no horror for me, Erik," Christine whispered sadly, her face mere inches from mine. Then her eyes flashed with anger and fear. "It is in your soul that your true distortion lies," she said scornfully.
We stood, staring at each other and I could feel that I was perilously close to the edge, holding onto sanity by a thin thread. I felt my madness eating at me and I willingly embraced it. I was beyond reason and beyond caring.
Just then I heard a noise coming from behind us. I turned around and saw Raoul stagger up and grab the bars of the gate that blocked him from my chambers. He was in his shirtsleeves; wet, dirty and disheveled, he looked nothing like the arrogant slave of fashion that he normally was. He was clearly furious and he rattled the gate.
"I think, my dear, that we have a guest!" I said. I turned and sat gracefully in my throne chair. I leaned back casually. "Sir, this is indeed an unparalleled delight! I had rather hoped that you would come," I said with mocking politeness. "And now my wish comes true! You have truly made my night!"
Christine was watching me, seemingly frozen. She still clutched the bouquet and though she had stopped crying she was still trembling. She had not looked at the Vicomte yet.
"Free her!" Raoul shouted. "Do whatever you want with me, but let Christine go! Have you no pity?"
"Your lover makes a passionate plea," I said dryly to Christine, who stared at me angrily before she turned and threw the flowers aside and ran to the gate. She reached through to take Raoul's hands through the gate while I watched her with narrowed eyes.
"Please, Raoul. It is useless!" she sobbed.
"I love her! Does that not mean anything to you? Show some compassion!" Raoul cried passionately.
I leapt out of the chair and whirled on Raoul, who stared impassively at me. Christine shrank back as I stepped towards them. "The world has shown me no compassion!" I snarled angrily.
"Christine!" Raoul said. "Let me see her!"
"Be my guest, sir," I said mockingly. I walked to the gate and touched a hidden lever and the gate creaked upwards. I gestured Raoul through as if he were a favored guest at a party. He scrambled underneath it and scooped Christine into his arms. Another wave of icy fury crashed over me as I watched them cling to each other.
"Monsieur, I would like to bid you welcome!" I said with a sardonic smile. "Did you actually think that I would harm her? Why, may I ask, should I make her pay for your sins?" I asked. With a lightning fast flick of my wrist a thin length of rope snapped from beneath my cloak. The Punjab lasso wrapped itself around Raoul's neck and I flipped the other end around a beam and tied the end down. It was not tight enough to kill him. Yet.
"What I would like to know, Monsieur le Vicomte, is how you found your way to my chambers?" I said, walking lazily towards him.
Raoul struggled at the end of the noose while Christine frantically tried to remove the noose, to no avail.
Raoul glared at me. "It would seem you choose your confidante's unwisely. Madame Giry was told by an old friend of yours how to reach your chambers."
I forced myself to appear calm, though I was enraged. "Is that so?"
"Indeed. And she is gathering a group to come down here to find you. You will be held accountable for the murders." Raoul said. "You will not escape this time, even if you kill me."
Charles, I thought bitterly. He must have told Madame Giry more than she had let on that night he was here, drunk. And he had betrayed me, despite how well I had compensated him for his services.
My mind worked frantically. I was not sure how much time I would have before they would find us.
"Nothing can save you, Monsieur, except perhaps Christine," I said.
Christine stared at me in confusion.
"Start a new life with me, Christine. Buy his freedom with the promise of your love," I said, staring into Christine's wide eyes. "Refuse me and you will send your lover to his death." I waved my hand carelessly at Raoul, who was choking and sputtering, his eyes horrified. "That is your choice, my dear. This is the point of no return!"
Christine turned from Raoul and walked slowly towards me and her expression hardened. She stopped directly in front of me and lifted her chin and met my eyes. "I may have pitied you, Erik. But any tears I might have shed for you and your dark fate have grown cold. Any tears I shed for you now will be tears of hate!" she said, her voice harsh, unforgiving.
I stared at her as her words sank in and I felt something inside of me crumble, but I ruthlessly forced the feeling back.
"Oh, Christine, forgive me! Please, forgive me! I did it all for you, and it was all for nothing!" Raoul cried, his voice strained.
Christine continued to hold my gaze, her expression unreadable.
"You have shattered so many of my illusions," she said softly.
"It is too late for turning back now," I snapped, my eyes flashing dangerously. "It is too late for useless pity."
"Say you love him and my life is over," Raoul choked. "Either way you choose, you cannot win!"
"So, Christine, do you end your days with me, or do you sent him to his grave?" I asked loudly while Christine stood, her face growing paler, her hands shaking.
"Why make her lie to you to save me?" Raoul asked, still struggling. "For pity's sake, say no! Do not throw your life away for my sake, Christine! I could not bear it!"
"His life is the prize which you must earn, Christine," I said. "You have past the point of no return."
"Erik, you were my Angel of Music. You deceived me! I blindly gave you my mind, my life! And it was all lies, Erik! All the murders; Buquet, Piangi and who knows how many more….and for what, Erik? Why, why did you do it?"
I walked towards Christine and look into her eyes and see her hurt and confusion, but most of all I see her anger, which I matched with anger of my own. She talked of deception after all she had done to me! She had revealed me in front of the entire Paris Opera House. The only thought in my mind was revenge, to make her pay.
"You try my patience," I said coldly, glaring at her. "Make your choice."