Love Will Continue - Sequel to Phantom Child

6.Help me say goodbye

3rd POV

Paris, 1.03.1897, late evening

Erik sat down at his desk, tired and resigned. It was one of his last days in Paris, before leaving to America. In front of him lied a few pieces of paper, ink and quill; the objects, that he had used so many times before and yet tonight he was facing the biggest challenge of his life. Since the very day he had been born, he was met with many obstacles to overcome, more than he could ever count. But the difficulty of the hardest ones combined was nothing compared to what he had to do now. He had to say goodbye to Christine and Maya... through letters.

He knew, that however skilled with written word he may have been, it would be a hard task to complete. At first he even considered meeting with them face to face and telling them in person, entrusting them with his secret, which would make Maya and Christine the only people, except for Girys and himself, that knew that the Phantom of the opera didn't really die.

But he wouldn't have been able to compose himself in front of them. He wouldn't have been able to say a word to them. And even if somehow he could've managed to tell them that he's leaving forever, then what would their reaction be?

Christine would either be distraught or relieved, both of which would cause Erik much pain to watch, for justifiable reasons. And Maya... she would not let him go or plead to take her with him, which was the very thing that Erik willed to avoid.

After all, that's why he was doing it; to free Maya and Christine from the attachment they both had to him. It was a dangerous relationship, whether they were aware of it or not. Which ultimately led Erik to the conclusion that he had to write them notes again, as it was actually mainly Christine and Maya, who would have to live a lie, thinking that he's dead. Otherwise they would never start to live a peaceful life, without worrying about the Phantom haunting their family.

Erik sighed. If it was truly the only way to do it, then he had to comply.

The only hardship in writing the letter to Christine was to keep it short and at the same time put as much information and emotion into it. Erik had to keep himself from pouring all his thoughts onto the paper, because he knew that if he does that, he will compose an entire opera on the spot, fueled only by his excess of emotions. He scratched and torn up many pieces of paper, before he actually came across the word composition that he was satisfied with. He read it out loud to see if it acutally made as much sense as it did in his head:

"Dearest, Christine.

The only thing I could ever ask for is the one thing that I will never be worth of. It's your love. I cannot live with the fact that all I ever brought you was pain. And thus I leave this world, knowing that you will live a happy life without me. I nevertheless will be thinking of you until my moments here are done.

Forever yours,
Angel of music, Erik"

Before he could disagree with himself, he shoved the letter into the envelope and sealed it. He was halfway through the task. Now he had to write a letter to Maya. How to apologize and convince that his presence in her life would have only negative imapct on her?

Maya loved him as her family. She was attached to him emotionally, regardless of who he was and what he had done. It was the type of unconditional love that chained her to him, and that would cause her more trouble than she deserved and Erik knew that he needed to put an end to it; as painful as it would be.

He focused only on the thought of her. What she meant to him? And as a result he started slowly and softly humming his song. In it, there was a meaning of their friendship. There was everything that chained them together.