Hazel gasped the moment Mia walked into her room. "Are you alright Madame?" she asked. "What happened?"

Mia touched the bruise on her face. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"Did…did Monsieur….?"

"No!" Mia shouted. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. "No," she said much more softly. "Gaston did not, would not, hurt me. I…I tripped."

The maid helped her undress and put on her nightgown. "Did you have a good trip to London?"

"Actually I didn't go to London with Gaston," Mia admitted before shifting to the same lie she had fed her husband. "I went to visit Raoul."

"But Martin said…"

She whirled around to face Hazel. Mia knew that Martin was Hazel's husband and the head of the staff downstairs. If Martin knew otherwise and was telling the servants so, it would be soon enough before Gaston found out. "What did Martin say?" she demanded.

"Well, he said that Raoul came here looking for you while you were gone."

Mia felt her heart stop. She had been caught in her lie already. "Can you bring him here please?"

"Madame?"

"Please Hazel, it will only take a moment."

Her maid's eyes grew wide. "Madame, please…"

"He's not in any trouble," Mia assured her. "I just need to ask him a question about Raoul's visit." Hazel stared at her uncertainly for a moment, before lowering her head and leaving the room to go find her husband. Mia couldn't blame her. Hazel and Martin married just a few months after Mia had married Gaston, and the two seemed genuinely in love. She couldn't ever admit it, but Mia was jealous of their relationship. But she had to know if the entire household knew about Raoul's visit and if her lie was going to crumble around her, so she could pick up the pieces if needed.

A few minutes later, the door opened and the couple hesitantly walked in. "Hazel said you asked to see me," Martin said quietly.

"Martin I'm going to ask you a question and I need you to answer it honestly."

He nodded. "Of course."

"Who else knows Raoul was here?"

"I'm not sure what you're asking…"

"Hazel said that you told her Raoul came here while Gaston and I were gone. Who else knows he was here?" Mia demanded.

"No…no one," Martin stammered. "He never even came in the door. The only reason I even mentioned it to Hazel was because he was acting so strange."

Mia let out a sigh of relief. She trusted Hazel and Martin. She could still salvage her lie. "Listen to me, I'm going to be honest with the both of you. I didn't go to London with Gaston, and I didn't visit Raoul like I told him I did. I was invited to spend some time with an old friend from school. I knew Gaston wouldn't like it so I didn't tell him I was going. Please, I beg of you, don't let him find out."

The couple nodded. "Of course Madame," Martin replied.

"Thank you, you can go now," Mia said with a wave of her hand. After Martin left, Mia turned to Hazel. "He's a good man. You're a lucky woman."

The maid's face flushed as she smiled. "And I never forget it." Hazel started to help Mia prepare for bed. If she noticed Mia's hair was down around her shoulders already, practically a crime for a high society woman, Hazel was wise by choosing not to mention it. But when she saw Mia's fresh scars, her eyes grew wide. "Was your trip alright?" Hazel asked cautiously.

"It was fine," Mia lied.

"Madame, if there's something wrong, I'm sure your husband would…"

"Gaston doesn't care. And besides, I'm fine."

Hazel sighed softly. "If you'd just…"

"Just drop it Hazel," Mia ordered, her tone coming out far harsher than she intended. She looked at her maid with pleading eyes as a waver crept into her voice. "Please." Hazel reluctantly nodded, knowing it wasn't her place to argue. Mia immediately felt a rush of guilt. Hazel put up with a lot from her. After all, it was Hazel, the new maid, a girl barely any older than Mia herself, that discovered a teenage Mia bleeding to death all those years ago, it was Hazel that Amelia came after with a razor, it was Hazel who had been paid handsomely, far more than the average servant, by first her mother and now Gaston to keep quiet about the scars, and it was Hazel who stayed loyal and never complained despite everything Mia and Amelia put her through. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…" The rest of Mia's sentence trailed off as the door burst open and Gaston stormed in.

"You," he snapped, pointing at Hazel. "Out." Hazel curtsied, and quickly scurried out of the room, her head lowered, avoiding eye contact with the clearly angry man. Once the maid was gone, he turned to Mia. "What were you doing at the Populaire?"

"I had been hearing whispers, rumors, for weeks," Mia lied. "That you were having an affair with the prima donna. Finally I had enough and went to go find out for myself."

He glared at her. She could tell that he was trying to figure out if she knew for sure about the affair or if she had just heard gossip. "Who told you those lies?" he finally asked through clenched teeth.

"All of Paris knows!" Mia shouted, trying to shift the focus away from her. If she could get Gaston defensive, he wouldn't keep questioning her. "How could you do this to me?"

Gaston's face turned purple. "I didn't do anything!"

"Even if you haven't been having an affair with the prima donna, I saw you with that ballerina!"

"You didn't…"

"I saw you with my own eyes Gaston!" she screamed.

Her husband began to shout back, but Mia was only hearing every few words, as the room began to spin. She could feel her self-control slipping away. Most of the time when Amelia took over, she just blacked out, but every so often, Mia could tell Amelia was trying and she could try to fight it. It almost never worked, but she knew if Amelia took control, she'd tell Gaston all about Erik and Mia would never have anyone help her regain any sanity. "Listen to me when I'm talking to you!" Gaston suddenly roared.

Mia felt her knees threaten to give. "Gaston, please, I don't feel well."

He shoved her aside. "Fine, but this conversation isn't over," he snapped before slamming the door shut behind him. As soon as he was gone, Mia locked the door and collapsed.

There was a frantic knocking on the door, which she ignored. "Mia," she heard someone call. "Mia, open the door please." She looked up and realized that only two people in the entire world called her that. "Mia, it's Raoul. Open the door!" Mia reluctantly unlocked the door and opened it, knowing he wouldn't go away until she did. Immediately she was enveloped in a completely unexpected hug.

"Raoul? What are you doing here?"

"Hazel sent word that you and Gaston returned from London." Mia couldn't help but feel grateful that Hazel was helping her keep her lie going. "I came to talk to you, but they told me you've locked yourself away. Hazel said you haven't eaten in days. She said you won't come out and you won't let anyone in."

"I let you in didn't I?" she pointed out.

"What's going on Mia? Why are you doing this to yourself?"

She couldn't meet his eyes. "I haven't been feeling well."

"That's it?" Raoul asked in disbelief. "You haven't been feeling well? Mia, you could have sent for a doctor. Locking yourself away like this, it isn't healthy. You need to eat, you can't starve yourself."

"You're not the boss of me, I'm older than you," Mia reminded him. "And I will do as I see fit."

"But I'm still your brother, and I still care about you," Raoul protested. "I can't stand the thought of you doing this to yourself. Why? What on earth would possess you to do this?"

Mia could feel tears burning her eyes, but she couldn't let them fall. Tell him! a voice in the back of her head screamed. Tell him about the Phantom! Send the gens d'armes after the man who kidnapped you! "You…you don't understand," Mia stammered.

"Then help me understand."

She shook her head. "You…you can't….you couldn't possibly understand."

"It's Gaston, isn't it?"

"What?"

"You're doing this because of Gaston aren't you?"

"No!" Mia cried.

Raoul's eyes grew wide. "I knew it! What has he done now? I told you that marrying him was a bad idea. You shouldn't have settled for anyone you didn't love. Despite what Mother and Father say, your happiness does matter too."

Mia pressed her hand over her mouth, trying to force back sobs. Tell him! the voice in her head screamed. The Phantom is a liar and a murderer and he needs to be brought down! "Gaston has nothing to do with this," she snapped, trying to keep ahold of herself.

"Are you alright?" Raoul asked. "Mia, you've gone white as a sheet."

Take the Phantom down once and for all! "Raoul you have to go."

Her brother gave her a confused look. "What?"

"You have to leave. Now."

"I…I don't understand."

She pushed him out of her room. "Goodbye Raoul," she said closing the door in his face and locking it.

"Mia!" Raoul shouted, pounding on the door. "Mia open the door!" Take the Phantom down! He's a murderer! He kidnapped you and tried to kill your brother! Mia closed her eyes and clamped her hands over her ears, trying to block out the noise. "Mia!" She staggered to the bathroom, desperate for something sharp and to put the shouting to an end.

Erik looked around the corner carefully. Ever since he released Mia last week, he had been expecting the gensd'armes to come after him. Maybe not right away, but he knew the moment Amelia took control, she'd send them after him. As a result, he was constantly on guard and was spending very little time in his lair in case they went there first.

When he decided the coast was clear, Erik slipped into Box Five to watch the rehearsal. Now that Mia was gone, he needed to resume his duties as Phantom. After all, he couldn't have his opera house be anything less than the best. But Erik froze when he realized there was someone sitting in his favorite seat.

Mia looked to him with dark circles under her eyes and Erik could see relatively fresh cuts on her arms. "Erik, you have to help me," she begged.