Chapter 15
I woke up the next morning and looked over at Erik who was still asleep. He looked so peaceful when he was a sleep, like a baby. Lucky for him he wasn't woken in the middle of the night by bad dreams. I had dreamt that Meg had pushed Gustave off the side of the boat because he can't swim and I also dreamt that Raoul had kept him at our old place, locked in the cellar with little food and water and that when I got there he killed him in front of me.
I started to cry at the memory and that's when Erik woke up. His eye lids fluttered slightly and then shot open when he saw me crying.
"Why do I always wake up to something bad?" He asked pulling me into a hug. "Bad dreams?" he asked.
"Yes." I said nodding.
"All about Gustave?"
I nodded again and he kissed me forehead. "It's okay. I'm sure he's fine. Raoul wanted him too badly to hurt him."
All I could do was nod. "But what about Meg? She's tried to hurt him before."
"If Raoul was paying her enough she wouldn't hurt him."
I nodded and suddenly it hit me. "We're broke."
"Pardon?" He said.
"We- no, Raoul is broke. That's why we came here, to get the money you were giving us. He isn't paying her for this at all unless he's…" I trailed off when I realized what he was doing. "Oh my god." I said.
"What? What's wrong?" Erik asked as I sat up.
"He's sleeping with her."
"Excuse me?" He asked sitting up.
"Raoul slept with Meg to get her to do this."
"Look Christine, I don't think she's that desperate." He said and I let out a light laugh.
"But if he blackmailed her into it. No one pressed charges against her after the shooting. Technically we're still married so, say he told her he was going to go to the police and tell them that she tried to kill his wife, she'd been in jail quicker than I could say Opera Ghost."
"Haha, very funny." He said putting his hand on my back. "But that is clever. You're very smart darling." He said kissing me.
We dressed and had breakfast in silence. After breakfast, Erik went back to his place to get some cloths and a fresh mask. A few minutes after he was gone, I started to clean up the breakfast stuff.
As I put the milk back in the fridge I saw the orange juice and started to cry again. I hope they buy him some juice and cookies so he isn't so scared and I hope they let him play and write music to. It was the worst feeling knowing that they could mistreat him or tell him things about me that weren't true to try and turn him against me.
I wanted to take a look in his room, just to see what kind of mess he had left it in, and to get away from the noise of the fair grounds was making that you could hear from the living room and kitchen.
I walked into his room and picked up his teddy. I had given it to him on his first birthday and he took it everywhere with him. I sat on his bed and held the teddy close to me and started to cry. The realization hit me that I might never see my son again. My son, the only thing that kept me from hurting myself after Erik left. His smile was the only thing keeping me alive. If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't be here now, with the man I truly love.
I stayed there and cried when I heard the door open. I didn't care who it was. I crossed my legs on the bed like a little girl again. That's all I was, when I had Gustave. I was a 16 year old girl who was very naïve and didn't understand. The only reason I thought I loved Raoul was because it was easy. I had known him for so long that I knew almost everything about him. He had an easy life and could give me anything I wanted. I never had to tell him I loved him because he always said it for me, he always told me how perfect I was, what a wonderful singer I was. I never thought my heart could belong to someone else. But it did and always had done.
"Christine?" Erik said as he walked into Gustave's room and saw me sitting crossed legged on his bed, holding his teddy crying.
He walked over to me and pulled me into his arms.
"Shh. It will be alright. We'll get him back. I promise." He said rocking me till I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.