"Release her, Monsieur."
The dark voice echoed throughout Raoul's chambers, sending a cold fear through him. Raoul looked around, searching for its owner, but saw nothing. He recognized that voice, but it was one he never thought to hear again. Christine thrashed beneath him a final time, finally breaking free of Raoul's grasp. She scooted away from him onto the bed, a dark look in her eyes as she coughed and gasped for breath.
"It can't be," Raoul muttered.
The door to his chambers slammed shut, the lock sliding home. Raoul whirled to face whoever stood there, but startled when he saw only empty space by the door. It fueled his rage, and he faced Christine with renewed resolve in his eyes.
"Your silly tricks won't work. I know that monster burned to death in the Opera."
Christine stared at him, her lip curling with dark humor. "I don't think you're so certain of that anymore, Raoul."
He sputtered and took a step towards her, his hands clenching into fists over and over again. "You've gone mad, woman. The doctor told me everything. How you muttered like a lunatic with fever right in front of him. Even Louis has heard you talking to yourself! That deformed monster is dead! And may he rot in Hell," he spat.
"Louis is dead."
Raoul's expression sank into shock as he stared at her. "What did you say?"
"You heard me," Christine snapped. "He won't be able to help you with your little schemes anymore."
"Schemes?"
She gestured to Madeleine, who hadn't moved from the corner near the windows. "Her. You, spying on me. Imprisoning me. No more, Raoul. This all ends today."
Madeleine let out a terrified scream, her eyes fixed on something behind Raoul. Before he could react, a thick rope came down over his head and cinched tight around his neck. He thrashed and tried to spin and face his attacker, but the noose held him in place. Hot breath cascaded over his ear. Raoul pulled at the noose to try and take a full breath, but it was no use. Panic began to set in.
"Good evening, my dear Vicomte," a voice seethed in his ear.
Raoul knew who it belonged to. He struggled tenfold, but his vain attempts to kick or punch the figure behind him only met thin air. "...monster," he squeaked.
"A monster?" Christine repeated. "Him? Oh no. No no no, Raoul. You have no right to call him a monster. Not after all you've done to me. And all you planned to do to me." She climbed off the bed, straightening her clothes as she stood to give him a look of pure hatred.
The rope loosened just enough to allow him to speak. "Christine... I love you."
"No you don't. Loving husbands don't force themselves upon their wives every night. They don't shun their wives when children aren't possible. And they certainly don't imprison their wives while fucking some town whore in their beds."
"I'm not a whore..."
"Be quiet," Christine snapped at Madeleine.
Raoul struggled for more air, his anger morphing into contrition. "I... just wanted a family. With you," he added. "We could have been happy—"
"If I wasn't broken," she finished for him.
"No! No, I... Christine," he protested. "I only did what Louis said to. To protect the family name."
Christine took a step towards him. The iciness in her eyes made Raoul recoil the smallest amount, but she took notice. With one hand, she reached out to touch his face, her fingertips lightly caressing the curves of his cheeks and brow. "I always told Meg I thought you were the most beautiful man I had ever seen. I would tell her how much I wished to rekindle our friendship and, maybe someday, strike up a romantic affair with the sweet boy who had grown up to become a dashing Vicomte."
Raoul couldn't stop a shiver from rushing through his body. It had been an eternity since she touched him like this; it was easy to lose himself in it, despite the rope around his neck. Christine took a violent grip of his chin, her fingernails digging into the flesh of his jawline. It drew a whimper from his chest, much to his embarrassment.
"What a foolish child I was," she sneered. "It's rather theatrical, isn't it? The boy with the beautiful face is the true monster."
Raoul started to respond when he realized she wasn't speaking to him anymore. Her eyes remained fixed on his captor over his shoulder, and he fought to turn to get a look at him. He could barely turn his head to see, but what did meet his gaze horrified him. Twisted scars littering a deformed face filled his view, and Raoul began to scream.
"Hello, Vicomte," Erik seethed through gritted teeth. He jerked the noose, cutting off Raoul's cries. "Shall we revisit an old discussion with our lovely Ms. Daae?"
Christine smirked and let go of Raoul's chin. "What was that choice you offered me?" she asked Erik.
"Choose me and he lives. Reject me and he dies."
She cocked her head in amusement. "May I make a third choice?"
Raoul's eyes flashed with terror and he thrashed in Erik's arms.
"I choose you," she told Erik. "And he dies."
A guttural scream erupted from Raoul's throat, even as Erik cinched the noose impossibly tight across it. Christine watched as his face turned crimson, his eyes bulging with broken vessels. And yet his scream continued. The sound fractured into several screams, each one a different tone and volume. Christine blinked and reached out to touch Raoul's forehead, but her hand met emptiness.
A jolt jerked her body, and she sat up with a violent start.
"...what?"