Night came and went, the rain continuing throughout the morning. I expected to wake and find Erik walking through the door or preparing breakfast, but when I woke, our home was completely silent.

"Erik?" I called his name as I searched our home for him. After checking the time and seeing that it was after nine, I decided to dress and head for the park to search for him myself.

I let myself in through the same iron gate I had met Erik at the night before, dodging the terrible rain as much as I possibly could. I passed several attractions, and eventually came across one that was only a third of the way built. It was tall, and made of wood. The attraction reminded me of the other coaster that the park had on the other side of the property, only this one was already just as tall and nowhere near finished.

"Erik?" I called out his name as I walked around the length of it, searching endlessly for him.

"What are you doing!"

Finally, I heard a voice angrily yelling at me, only to turn and find a large, muscular man headed towards me.

"I'm looking for my husband." I said. "He works here and didn't come home this morning."

The man was covered in tattoos and his angry face finally relaxed.

"And who is your husband?" he asked.

"His name is Erik." I said. "He wears a mask."

"Follow me." the man replied.

I sighed in relief and followed him through the park, not knowing where he was taking me. Finally, we arrived at a white tent on the other end of the park.

"He's in there." he said, pointing to the entrance.

I thanked him, believing that I was going to walk in and find Erik, but instead, Icame face to face with a row of cots. I gasped as I spotted performers and workers lying in them with broken limbs and other injuries. This was not a tent for performers, it was a makeshift infirmary. I passed at least six cots before finally finding Erik. The moment I spotted his mask, I ran to his side. From what I could see his head was pressed against a towel of some sort and it was covered in blood. He was also groaning in pain as he lay there in the clothes I had last seen him in before we parted.

"Erik, what happened?"

I leaned over him and gently removed his dark wig, finding that he was gushing blood from the exposed part of his skull.

"And what is this?"

When I heard a voice from behind me, I turned to find the owner of the park standing there with his whip in hand.

"What happened?" I cried. "Why hasn't he been taken to a hospital?"

"Anything that happens in my park stays in my park, Madame." he replied. "Take a look around you. This monster isn't the only one here who has had an accident."

"Accident?" I cried.

"He fell last night as he was building my new coaster." he paused. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met. I am the owner of this park, Mister Tillyou."

"Erik is my husband."

"You're joking, Madame. Why would a beautiful woman such as yourself want to be married to a misshapen demon like Erik?"

"He is not!" I cried. "The only monster here is you for not getting him help."

"And if you are truly his wife, then you would know that by becoming my employee, he has signed a contract stating that everything that occurs within my park is confidential. Even so, medical help for the monsters of this island is scarce; nonexistent."

I sat Erik up and worked on applying pressure to his head to stop the bleeding.

"I'm taking him home." I said. "And he won't be back."

"Your husband signed a two-year contract with me. Anyone who breaks my contract is forced to pay."

"Pay with what?" I cried.

"The two years' worth of salary, of course. Failure to pay will result in other forms of payment."

I wasn't sure what Mister Tillyou was talking about, but when I spotted the strong man standing a short distance away, I knew what he meant. He meant that they would pay with their life.

I pressed the towel against Erik's head as I held onto him. I wasn't sure how we made it home, but once we did, I laid Erik down on our bed and began to tend to his bleeding skull. I wasn't sure what to do, but remembered that alcohol had stopped his bleeding when I had patched his bullet wounds at Christmas. After pouring the substance over his head, I pressed a towel gently against it, making sure not to harm any of his exposed veins or arteries. After wrapping his wound, I peeled away his dirty clothes and dressed him in his black robe, before removing his mask.

For the remainder of the day, I watched over Erik, waiting for the moment he would wake, but he never did. That evening, as the rain continued to pour, I fell asleep in Erik's armchair, only waking, when I heard him groaning my name.

"Erik?"

I approached his bedside to find him partially awake and in a tremendous amount of pain. I took a seat beside him and interlaced my fingers with his own.

"Chr..Christine?"

"I'm here, Erik." I softly said.

"Oh, Christine."

Erik's voice sounded like a prayer as he fell back to sleep. Not wanting to leave his side, I laid down beside him and fell asleep in his arms. When I awoke, I expected to still have him beside me, but he was nowhere to be found. I sat up and sighed in relief when I saw Erik standing over the sink that we had in the kitchen. His head was unwrapped, and I saw him dabbing his wounds with a damp rag.

"Erik, you shouldn't be out of bed." I said as I approached him.

"You shouldn't have to look at me like this."

"I don't understand." I replied.

Finally, Erik stood up from the sink and turned to face me, his face and head exposed for me to see.

"This," he said, motioning to his marred face and exposed skull. "This is an embarrassment. You shouldn't have to see me like this."

"I am your wife." I said.

"Why, Christine?" Erik cried as he grabbed my shoulders. "Why do you submit yourself to this wretched body? If I cannot bear to look at it, how can I expect you to do the same?"

I looked into his mismatched eyes, noticing how different he looked without his mask and wig.

"The way you look each morning when you leave for work; that's not you. The way you are now, that's the real you, Erik."

I pulled him to the full mirror we had near our bedroom and stood him before it.

"Why must you do this to yourself every day?" I asked. "Yes, you wear your mask and wig to give yourself some normalcy, but why must you do that with me?"

Erik looked at himself in the mirror and turned away from his reflection.

"I am only half a man, Christine, and that is only because half of my face is normal. My other half and the rest of my body is a disgrace."

"Not to me." I said. "You are more of a man than most in this entire city."

My eyes averted to Erik's hand, for it looked inflamed.

"Splinters." Erik said. "When I slipped, I tried to grab onto the board I was standing on."

I went for my needle and tweezers, pulling him to our kitchen table so that I could remove the splinters that were lodged in his hand. Erik couldn't even look at me as I worked on him, for he seemed so ashamed over his appearance. Not only that, but he still seemed as though he were in a lot of pain.

"We could have a real doctor check you out, Erik."

"I think I will just rest, Christine, thank you." he replied.

How badly I wanted to argue with Erik, but I knew he wasn't going to listen to me. It was as if his heart was breaking, and there was nothing I could do to mend it. I needed to do something, otherwise, I knew that things were only going to become worse for us. I waited for Erik to fall asleep before I stepped out. I headed back towards the boardwalk, knowing that I needed to talk to Erik's boss.

There had to be something I could do to better our situation, all while giving the evil owner what he wanted. Once more, I entered the crowded park, searching for Tillyou while my mind raced for the right words to say.

"What do you want now?" the angry man snapped as I approached him. "I told you that your husband signed a two-year contract with me, and he best be back at work first thing tomorrow morning."

"Erik is in no shape to continue repairing attractions for you, Monsieur." I said. "He nearly died yesterday, and even if he heals properly, I will not allow him to continue risking his life for a man who could care less about him."

Mister Tillyou shook his head. "Well, then I guess you will be paying me the twenty-four-month salary I gave your husband in advance for signing my contract."

"Tell me, Monsieur, what is it that you wanted out of my husband?" I curiously questioned.

"To be honest, I wanted to hire him for my side show. He would have been my top selling act. Of course, he refused and wooed me with his other talent. He was indeed a fine repairman."

"That's not all he can do, Monsieur."

Mister Tillyou raised a curious brow. "You've sparked my interest, young lady."

"I used to be the leading lady at a famous opera house."

Mister Tillyou began to laugh, which angered me.

"What?" I angrily snapped. "I am telling the truth."

"You? Sing? Oh, come now. I am finished wasting my time with you."

Mister Tillyou turned to walk away, when I began to sing a song that quickly popped into my head, one that I had sung for the opera house. The moment my voice filled the area, Mister Tillyou immediately turned around, completely astonished by my voice. I continued to sing the entire song, and when I was finished, I was left staring at Mister Tillyou who was absolutely amazed by me.

"Where did you learn to sing?" he asked.

"My husband perfected my voice, Monsieur. He taught me everything I know. He is a master of music, and I know that he can assist you in ways other than repairing your attractions."

"How?" he questioned.

I finally had his attention, and this was something I was not going to allow to slip by.

"In more ways than one."

"We should step into my office then."

I agreed and followed Mister Tillyou to the other side of the park where a brick building was located. I followed him inside and into a small room that was lined with shelves of liquor and had a wooden desk located near the window.

"I've noticed music halls seem to be very popular around the city." I began. "Though, one place I have not seen one is in your park or on the boardwalk. I was thinking, perhaps you could purchase a building and make it into a music hall. It would bring you a lot of business."

"You do realize that those facilities cost a ton of money? I know nothing about music and would have to hire not only a composer, but a man of business who is familiar with running such a place."

"You're in luck." I said. "Erik has many many years of experience with running an opera house, and he wrote many of the songs the performers sang. If you agree to open a music hall, I am sure Erik would gladly operate it for you."

This intrigued Mister Tillyou's interest, but I was not done negotiating with him.

"For a price, of course."

"His price would be to fulfill the two-year contract, Madam."

"Yes, but what about after those two years? What if he decided to leave after that? Where would that leave your music hall? If you open this music hall, besides his two-year salary, I believe Erik is entitled to a percentage of the ticket sales."

Mister Tillyou angrily sighed. "How much are we talking?"

"Thirty percent."

"Thirty!" he snapped. "You are out of your mind, woman! Thirty percent!"

"It's thirty or after the two years, my husband walks."

I turned around, pretending as though I was going to leave, when Mister Tillyou called out for me.

"Twenty-five, and that is my final offer."

"Twenty-five for the first five years, then it goes up a percentage every year until it hits thirty."

"You drive a hard bargain, Christine."

Mister Tillyou pulled another contract out of his desk and I smiled, for my plan had worked.

"But I'm not finished yet. With every music hall comes performers, and I don't need just any performer, I need you."

"Me?" I questioned.

"I will agree to your terms if you also sign a contract, one that ensures me that you will agree to be my leading diva for the next five years."

Mister Tillyou slipped me a contract that stated I would be making ten thousand dollars a year if I agreed to become his leading diva. As much as I didn't want to work for this evil man, I knew between the money Erik was going to make and the money I was being offered, we would live a comfortable life. Therefore, I signed my name.

"My husband is going to need a few weeks to recover from his injuries." I said.

"Return to me the first of next month and I should have a venue by then."

The first thing I wanted to do with some of the money I had gotten from Mister Tillyou was purchase Erik a wedding band. I wanted our marriage to feel like any other marriage, and the first step in achieving that was to give Erik the one thing he didn't have as a symbol of our union, which was a ring.

It had to be something unique, for I knew that Erik had very unique taste when it came to his clothes and his jewelry. He always wore a ring on his right hand, one that was gold with a black stone. He once told me that it had belonged to his father, but I left it at that and never questioned him about it. There was a store on the other end of the island that sold strange trinkets and things that only freaks would buy. I felt odd walking into such a place, but as soon as I approached the counter and spotted the silver band that was engraved to look like the tiny bones in one's finger, I knew that it was the perfect ring and that Erik would love it.

After purchasing the item, I raced home, ready to present Erik with his ring and the wonderful news about his job. Though, when I arrived, Erik was seated at his piano, his mask missing, wig removed, and seeming as though he were very uncomfortable. His fingers glided across the keys, though, he would stop every few moments as if something was causing him discomfort.

"Erik?"

When he heard my voice, Erik ceased from playing and turned to face me. He looked so different without his mask and wig, and I couldn't help but find him strangely attractive.

"I apologize, Christine." Erik replied. "I'm afraid I'm not feeling myself today."

I got closer and noticed that the wisps of hair that I could see on his nearly bald head were almost white, and not the dark color that his wig was made out to be.

"Your hair," I said. "It's so light."

"If this bothers you, I will cover it. I know my appearance is not one that anyone would want to gawk at."

Without his permission, I placed my hand against his marred cheek, causing him to gasp.

"Christine, please don't." Erik said in a sad tone of voice, his hand reaching up to gently move mine away.

"And why not?" I questioned. "Do you not like the way it feels?"

"As if you do."

"Erik…"

Erik held his hand up to silence me. "Christine, please, stop."

Silence filled the room and I pulled out the tiny ring box that held the gift that I had purchased Erik.

"You may believe that I am unhappy with our situation or that I despise living with you, but I don't."

I placed the ring box beside his hand that was resting on the piano, his icy blue eyes glancing at it with a confused expression.

"What's this?"

"Something that I've been wanting to do for a while."

Erik slowly opened the box, and the moment the flash of silver caught his eye, he turned away, as if he couldn't even stomach the thought of it.

"Why would you do this?" he cried, his voice filled with all the sadness in the world.

"Because you are my husband and you should have a ring of your own."

"Enough!"

Erik stood from his bench, his height overpowering my own.

"I am your husband, Christine? Do you even know the meaning? Do you even know what that word means?"

There were tears streaming down his cheeks, his hands motioning the length of my body as he spoke, but they never dared to touch me.

"If I were truly your husband, our relationship would be more than…than…than this!"

"More than what?" I cried.

"We would act like a married couple would act with one another, Christine. Holding hands, touching one another, kissing…and…."

"And what?"

"You call yourself my wife, and yet, you slept with the Viscount when he was nothing more than a suitor. We're legally bound to one another on paper and you won't even think of me in such a way."

I was silent, for I didn't know what to say to him. Erik reached over for the ring box and handed it to me.

"It was a kind gesture, Christine, but I cannot live a lie."

"Then let us change that."

Erik seemed surprised over my response.

"What are you saying?"

"I purchased this ring because I wanted a change. I thought we could be more than what we have become."

"Do you truly mean that?"

I nodded. "Maybe when we first became husband and wife, I wasn't happy, but that's because it was a strange environment for me. I've become used to it, I've become used to you, and your appearance. I may have even come to admire you. I bought you that ring as a peace offering, and as a promise that I will love you the way a wife should love their husband."

I held out the box to Erik once more, but he closed my fingers around it.

"I cannot wear this, Christine; not yet. I want you to hold onto that, just for a while."

"For how long?"

"If you truly meant what you said, Christine, then prove it to me." He said. "I will accept your ring once we have shared our first kiss."

"Fair enough." I replied.

"And I will only wear it once we are truly husband and wife; after we have consummated our marriage."

The very suggestion sent chills down my spine, but for the first time since knowing Erik, it wasn't out of fear.