Christine went carefully down to the underground, to the place where she felt so good, so happy and could forget about everything and everyone. She knew the way very well, because since the day she was here for the first time, she had come a few more times without telling anyone, so she knew all Erik's plans and even more than Madame Giry, but Christine did not know his past. That was the only one Erik's secret that had not yet been brought to light. Christine often wondered about that, too, because she wasn't really sure if she even wanted to know, but if she ever wanted to be with her Angel of Music, then she had to know everything, absolutely everything. Going down to Erik, this was one of the reasons Christine wanted to know, but mostly, she wanted to know if, after meeting Raoul, he was all right, if Raoul hadn't done anything to him. When she finally got to the Erik's lair, she heard a beautiful music playing and as she walked on, she saw Erik sitting at the piano and she realized from where these beautiful sounds were coming from. Christine slowly approached him and as far as she could see, he was fine, so Raoul hadn't hurt him. This calmed Christine down a little, but she wanted to know everything that had happened, so she hoped that Erik would tell her everything. She arrived, Christine slowly put her small delicate hands on his strong shoulders and with her right hand patted his, behind the mask, hidden face side. Erik was not frightened, because, first of all, he knew that Christine would come here and secondly, he liked her touch so much. Every time she touched him he felt so happy and calm because Christine was with him - his muse, his inspiration, but above all, his love. Erik finished playing, stood up, walked over to Christine, held her to his strong chest and hugged her tightly. Every time this happened, Christine felt safe and protected from everything, and that's why she loved it. Then Christine lifted her face to Erik's and the two again indulged in a passionate kiss, after which both would gladly have devoted themselves for the next step but dared not, for though Erik was much older than Christine, he was a gentleman, and did not want to do anything to his sweetheart, while Christine did not want anything hurry, for after all they still had to deal with everything that was going on here at the opera, and above all, already with Raoul. After the passionate kiss, Christine remembered why she had come here and said:
"Erik, I came because I wanted to know what happened between you and Raoul when you disappeared. I was so worried about you, I was afraid he was going to hurt you."
Erik smiled and felt glad that Christine was worried and afraid for him, because it just proved once again that Christine loved him. He looked at Christine and said:
"As you can see, everything is fine with me. That boy didn't do anything to me, although he looked very furious and it was obvious that he was ready to kill me, but before we could to start fighting, Madame Giry appeared and took Raoul away. I am very grateful to her for that, because for the second time she saved me."
Christine was surprised by these last words, because she did not understand them, but only that it had something to do with Erik's past. She said:
"I am so glad that you are all right, that Raoul did not do anything to you, because he was just as furious when he came into my room. I thought he was going to do something to me, but he just asked me an answer to the question he asked me in the masquerade ball."
Erik felt jealousy and anger appearing as he seemed to guess what the question was. He said:
"It is good that he did nothing to you, but what question did he ask you? Did he ask you to marry him?"
Christine understood that Erik was jealous and she liked that, but the main thing was not to let him go too far in his jealousy. She said with a smile:
"Yes, he proposed to me and had hoped to be able to announce our engagement that evening, so
everyone would to congratulate us, but I refused him because I could not be with him if I loved you. I told him I can only offer friendship and he knows that very well."
Now Erik felt relieved and calm, but he understood that since that moment he needed to very hard
watch Raoul - watch his every move, listen to his every word, because he knew very well that now
Christine was really in danger, and not only her, but Erik himself. But Christine was still tormented by curiosity about Erik's past and she said:
"Erik, what did you mean when you said that Madame Giry saved you for the second time? It has to do with your past, doesn't it? I don't want to intrude, but I would love to know. We know everything about each other, but this is the only secret of yours that I don't know. Please, Erik, tell me."
Erik knew that this moment would come and he also knew that Christine was right about everything she said and so he reluctantly began to tell her, fearing that the story would drive them apart. He told them:
"I have never had an easy life, neither as a child nor now. I'm like this, with disfigured one face side since birth. I didn't know my parents, all I know is that my mother thought I was beautiful before she died in childbirth. Then my father took over my upbringing, but brought me up until I was five years old, when one day the gypsies came to town with shows. My father took me there but as I was still a child, I didn't understand what he was doing. He gave me to someone to a horrible and rather stern gypsy, who put me in a cage and made me wear a bag with two holes for my eyes. I didn't have a mask then. So I went for five years with him and for five years he showed me off to the whole of France. Finally, when I was 10 years old, I got fed up with it, I couldn't take it anymore and I had already decided what to do when one time we were here in Paris and a young Madame Giry came to one of these performances with her ballet troupe. When the performance was over, I took one of the ropes I had right next to me and I... killed him... Madame Giry saw it, and one of the
the guards too and raised the alarm. Everybody was running, shouting, screaming, and soon Madame Giry and I heard the voices of the gendarmes and immediately she helped me out of the cage and took me away and brought me here, to the Paris Opera, where she hid me and so I have lived here for 25 years. And for 25 years everybody thinks I'm the Phantom of the Opera, because I don't give them any peace, scared and tyrannized all the time, but only until you appeared, because with your appearance my whole life changed. Yes, for all these 16 years I was your Angel of Music, as if sent by your father, but I did it only because I was afraid of losing you. At first I was afraid of losing your friendship, but now your love. That is all, Christine, now you know everything. I will understand if you don't want to see me anymore."
Listening to the whole story, Christine felt so sorry for Erik, so sorry that fate had been so against him and yet she didn't think of giving him up. She loves him in spite of his unpleasant past and did not want to lose Erik, his music and above all his love, because that is what he deserved - he deserved a wonderful and beautiful life with her, just as she had deserved that too.
Christine hugged Erik tightly and said:
"Although your past is not so pleasant, I am so sorry that you had to go through all that and
I think we both deserve a happy life together. We have to try to be together in spite of everything and everyone. We will fight for that, darling. And Erik, I will continue to want you see
and I'll love you anyway. Nothing and no one can change that. I can promise you that. Keep being my Angel of Music, I love it."
Erik felt as relieved and happy as he had ever felt and they fell back into a passionate kiss. Then Erik said:
"Now your Angel of Music wants you to start practicing and rehearsing for the new opera, because
the premiere will be very soon. Come, my love, I'll help you!"
Christine let Erik teach her and sat down at the piano, Erik gave her the sheet music, started to play
and Christine began to sing...