chapter 40

T his room without windows or time held cold differently than my beautiful underworld beneath the opera. Empty and unfeeling in its touch.

Cold were the rough stones against my back. Ice where I lay my weary head.

The growl of an empty belly could be heard as far as the Americas. Pain with every reminder of how little the swine threw scraps at my feet.

However, no amount of hunger could override the continued anguish my soul endured without her presence.

Time eludes and does not give way as to how long it has been since I was blessed to set eyes upon my cherub's face.

If not for the repeated beatings, sleep would never have found me. Rest was haunted by my friend's death. Possibilities of what has happened to my Angel, worse and more creative with every vivid hallucination.

Why I was being kept alive was a wonder. Guards only taunted and mocked, never giving hint at any intended end.

How regret ate at me every moment for not having gone home with her. Pride took hold and now everything was lost.

Even the Ghost had gone silent. Perhaps too weak to help any further.

Soft glowing light reflected from the metal that tethered us together. Weakly I stared, trying to find her face. Wherever she was, on my life, I begged she was safe.

I have tried and tried, my love. I fear the worst has come.

From the darkest corner of my cage, a sound so small drew tired eyes. Slinking from the shadows into the dim light of the torch from across the room, a robust rat scurried along the base of the wall.

"You should not be in here," I whispered faintly. The hunger growled louder at sight of the moving meal.

Bony fingers stretched out weakly towards the rodent. "You have anywhere in this world you could be, and you choose here. You should leave while you have the chance. While I'm too weak to catch you."

My ring slid past the knuckle, threatening to come off. A small burst of strength allowed me to catch it, missing the opportunity to ensnare my furry friend.

The cold band barely fit with the weight lost. If before I did not resemble a walking corpse, I was the definition now.

"Does talking to vermin make you feel more at home, Ghost?" Philippe said, snidely through the cell bars.

Finally, after so long, my captor had come to show his face once more.

"I will show you what I do to vermin," I said.

A rage I had not felt in some time bolted through this dying body. Just enough to bring to life a strength I no longer had. With trouble, I pushed myself onto my feet.

The last thing I would give the Rat King was a sign I had been truly beaten. The world dizzied at this height. Each step as uncertain as the last. Yet, I would not yield.

"Forgive me. I realize it's been some time since my last visit. A month," he said, counting on his fingers. "…And four days actually," he said. "I've been rather busy you see."

Had it been so long?

I stepped closer to the bars, grabbing hold to stabilize my weakened core. The swine's flinch did not go unnoticed. Insignificant pleasure to know that even now he still feared me.

"Where is Melody?" I asked with a tone from deep within.

"I'd forgotten how horrid your face is," he said.

It was the longest I'd gone without the mask. The first thing they took from me that night to further humiliate me for letting my guard down.

"When I kill you, this will be the last nightmare you see," I threatened. "You will wish I had killed you in the parlor. Now, tell me, where is she?"

"Do not worry for sweet Melody. She is safe and happy, shopping with Christine as we speak."

To know she walked free relieved this aching mind for a moment.

"You see, I'm finally making my grand introduction into the political race. Very exciting. And I'm accompanied by my bride-to-be who has been keeping me quite busy with planning and well… other things that I won't bore you with. I am a gentleman after all."

Acid coursed through dying veins at the serpent's heavy tongue. The cretin had touched her. This diabolical scum whom she loathed more than I hated myself, had touched her with his vile, treacherous hands.

‘Bride-to-be? Bride-to-be? You have not been gone long. How could she?' the Ghost said. ‘She was waiting for you. Would she have taken part in this? Could she have known?'

"No," I whisper low enough so only I can hear, surprised to hear it again.

"Alright, you've twisted my arm," Philippe said with a disgustingly sweet excitement. "Who am I to keep such a delicious secret? You see, the other night out of nowhere, your lovely little American came to my room and threw herself at me. Sucked on my cock until she cried, choking on it, and begged me to love her, take care of her. Keep her safe from you ."

"You will pay for that filthy lie."

"Am I lying?" he said, smirking. If the devil was real, he stood a meter from me. "That reminds me, I have something for you." He reached into the depths of his trousers pocket, fiddling around.

He took no effort in hiding the mockery in his face. With nothing more to do except hope the treacherous bottom feeder took a step closer toward the cell bars keeping us apart, I waited.

"She won't be needing this any longer after tonight," he said. Filthy eyes inspected the symbol of forever that glimmered in his fingers.

Suddenly, the band around my own flesh was the weight of hell. As if to further cement the reminder it was only ever a dream. An illusion. Given to ensure my last days were the worst they could possibly be.

"Oh my. I'm so sorry. This is obviously quite devastating for you. I hadn't thought this through," he said. His tone was enough to have me envisioning the removal of his spine as he still breathed. "Please accept my sincerest apologies once again."

With a malicious smirk and a flick of his fingers, her promise fell to the earth. The ping as it hit the stone floor and bounced around, echoed in my shattered heart.

Desperately, my hands searched the darkened crevices for the sign of her love.

"How pathetic. Even now, knowing she doesn't love you; you're still desperate for her. Desperate to hold on." He sighed. "That is some love."

"You know nothing of who she is or her love. What she is capable of. I guarantee you of that."

"I don't need to. She is a means to an end. That's how love works in society," he said.

Air returned to my shriveled lungs as a glimmer of light found my eye. "She would not even say yes to me, and she loves me," I said, clinging onto the precious thing.

"I can be quite persuasive." Slime dripped from every syllable. Taxidermy was never my favorite, but a new hobby is never too late. His tongue would be a lovely addition to my wall. "Melody is absolutely the most broken thing I've ever seen. She's lucky to have me as a suiter after the turmoil you caused," he mocked, as I pulled myself to my feet once again. "Can you believe it, the American girl and the Opera Ghost fucking about the Garnier . A tale for the ages…"

You have no idea, fool.

"…Only later to be found out that the Ghost everyone's afraid of is just a pathetic hideous man that lives in the sewers."

I had tainted her with this repulsive flesh. My diseased mind. Fractured soul. But no vermin was going to be the judge of our love.

"And I don't need her to love me. I just need her to stay around long enough. Other than being the only woman in existence that is willing to take your diseased cock…" He paused and visibly shivered at his own words as his eyes raked over me with the same look of disgust I had endured many times before. "I can see why you like her so much though. I'm surprised you even still have a cock. I would have thought the fire had taken more of you than it did."

One of the most painful moments of my existence, and she would share it with him ? Was it possible I had been wrong to believe my angel, my Melody would be loyal to me? "She would not…"

"Oh, no. She loves you too much. No, you see I was there."

My beating heart halted. The air in my body gone. Knees locked to reinforce composure.

"You seemed shocked," he said, confused. "I would have thought you knew me? You killed my friends after all. I suppose I was lucky to have been sent off to London soon after the incident or I might have joined them in the afterlife."

"You delight in such torture of those you deem less than? You would set a boy on fire, for what? Game? I did nothing to you nor your gang of beasts, yet you sought me out for fun?"

"If it's any consolation, Josephine did like your music. She just couldn't stand your face," he laughed. "What of your Melody? She's very odd, I kind of like it. What did she think of your face the first time she saw it?"

Shame at my actions in such a memory. Gritted teeth and clenched fists ached as my glare faltered. To remember her terror as I shoved this into her face.

"Guess love does have its limits," he said, taking a step toward the bar to further my humiliation. "It's a good thing she doesn't care about murder though. Or I'd be in trouble," he said and let out a sigh. "If she were prettier and I were someone else, there may have been something there. It's actually going to pain me to reunite you, I've grown somewhat fond of her."

Daggers were my eyes as they cut to him. Faster than he was able to react, I snatched him by the lapels of his expensive beige jacket. "You will not harm her!" I spit into his face as he strained back.

The fear in dark eyes replenished my soul and invigorated what was left of my body. The two guards who stood watch, burst from their seats and aided in their master's freedom. Sticks beat, and feet kicked as my knees met the stone covered earth.

"Make sure he stays alive. It's important," the bastard shrieked. "I want him to see his beloved one last time, just as he saw his eastern friend."

When the dogs halted their actions, crimson bled into my eye as I stared up at the soon to be lifeless thing standing over me.

"You see, monster. It's not me that would harm her. It will be her former lover. Blinded by jealousy. So much so, he couldn't let her live. Leaving me—the heart broken sympathetic widower that can never remarry because the love of his life was taken—behind. The same monster who killed a pregnant chorus girl. You are the villain in this story, Erique. You always will be. And your sweet Melody is just the innocent bystander."

"You underestimate her," I said, attempting breath as I held my side.

"I don't think so," Philippe quipped. "Anyway, I should be getting back. I have a charity to put on in your opera. Politicians and the other wealthy to impress. Oh! And someone to propose to. Fuck within an inch of her life. Then—eventually murder." He tipped his head. "See you soon."

Shaken was my body as the door to the room slammed shut and locked.

Alone once again.

Her ring burned into my palm as if calling to me. I kissed its precious metal and slipped it into my pocket.

Hope was not ingrained within me, yet something urged me forward to keep fighting for my ending.

This would be my last chance. I could not stand to watch her suffer as Ardashir did. Neither deserved such a thing.

In my last days, I could do this for her. My life for hers.

I uncurled my other fist and smirked at the sight of the iron key pressed within it. "I am coming for you, Angel."

The squeaking from my furry cellmate caught my attention as I slipped the key into the iron lock and twisted it.

"Today, God smiles upon you, little friend."