The phantom's daughter

This had been something Christine had been dreading for months. Her daughter was becoming more and more like him every day and she knew she could no longer hide her oldest secret from her husband. Her daughter was turning five within the next week and with each passing day, she looked less like her husband and more like him. What once could pass as an injury caused by a careless midwife, could no longer be denied for what it truly was. The same deformity that plagued Christine's dreams ever since that night that felt like a lifetime ago.

"Victoria," Christine called to her daughter; voice soft as to not alarm the child. "Come here, my love" She smiled.

"Yes, momma?" Victoria crawled onto her mother's bed and into her lap. Christine stroked her daughter's face gently, then took her hand in hers.

"I want you to know that I love you. I love you so very much," She kissed her daughter's forehead gently. "And I want you to know I will always be there for you, even when we're apart," Christine said, holding back tears.

"Did I do something wrong, momma?" Victoria whispered. "Please don't send me away, I'll promise to be good," Christine pulled her child close to her chest in a tight embrace.

"You are an angel, my love," Christine spoke after pulling away slightly from the embrace. "Nothing you could do would make me love you less." She smiled again.

"Then where am I going?" Victoria asked.

"To your father, you can't stay here anymore," She said, her voice now barely above her whisper. Victoria looked up at her mother, confused.

"But Father is in the study doing his work," She looked to the closed door of her parent's bedroom. Christine also looked at the closed door, as if something terrible was about to come through it.

"No, my love," She quickly stood up from her bed and helped Victoria off the bed as well. "Everything will make sense in time, but we must act quickly," She picked up a bag from underneath the bed and gestured for Victoria to follow her.

She went to open the doors to walk out but before she could walk through, she was met face to face with her husband. He looked furious, from what she could tell, he had heard their conversation and had put the pieces together himself.

"Raoul, I can explain..." Christine whispered, she held her daughter's hand in hers tightly. "Just let me through," He blocked her path again.

"Do you truly think I was gullible enough to not know?" Raoul hissed. "Did you genuinely think I would believe this abomination to be my child?!" He moved closer to intimidate her, reaching back and slapping her across the face. This caused Christine and Victoria to cry out, both out of worry and pain. "I'll take care of this as I have done for all your mistakes." He then grabbed Victoria by the wrist and pulled her toward him out of Christine's grasp. The force of the pull made her fall forward while Victoria was tugged to his side.

"No!" Christine cried, reaching forward to try to reclaim her daughter. "At least let me say goodbye!" Her hair fell into her face in messy, loose strands.

Raoul looked down at her, for a moment it seemed as though he had a change of heart and decided to pity her. Then he took another look at the small child whose hand he was holding, and he turned away from Christine and walked away roughly pulling Victoria along.

They got into a carriage and road to where it had all begun. It was a two-hour trip, but they made it. Raoul pushed Victoria out of the carriage because she took too long. She fell with a hard thud, the carriage driver gasped. Raoul roughly picked her up and took her arm and brought her into the building, the door was opened as if he was expecting them.

"Phantom! You have affected our lives for the last time!" He yelled amongst the rubble and cobwebs around them. "She's of your blood and shares your face!" He yelled, his voice echoing throughout the seemingly empty room. "She's your responsibility now, here she is, I'm giving her to you!" He pushed Victoria forward, causing her to fall again.

Raoul jolted back a rope around his neck.

A deep voice spoke.

"You hurt my child, I could so easily hurt you or even easier, kill you," The rope tightened more around Raoul's neck. "But I won't, no matter how much I want to. Leave now before I change my mind," He snarled loosening the rope enough for Raoul to escape. Raoul ran out as fast as he had entered. 

He walked to Victoria and kneeled in front of her. "Are you alright?" He asked, gently moving the girl's hair from her face. Victoria studied his face; his face was disfigured sort of like hers, but there were multiple stories beneath it that Victoria was too young to understand. 

"Who are you?" She asked, cowering in front of this stranger she had never met before. He moved his hand to hover over the distorted parts of her face. She had a cut under her eye from when Raoul pushed her from the carriage.

"I am your father," He looked at her with kind eyes. He gave a gentle smile as if to show her he meant no harm.

"You won't hurt me, will you?" She asked frightened. He offered his hand to helped her to her feet. She took it with caution as she rose to her feet.

"Why would I hurt such a beautiful face?" He asked, holding his daughter's hand. He walked her to where she would call home. "Now my child, what is your name?"

"Victoria." She smiled, walking a little more closer to him now.