A Phantom and His Family

Chapter 16: Things Get Drastic

November 25, 1880

Evangeline's POV

I woke up in the wee hours of the morning, feeling nauseous as I ran into the bathroom to try to throw up as quietly as humanly possible. After a rather quiet episode, I washed out my mouth and got back into bed, noticing that Erik was missing. His side of the bed was still warm, meaning that he had gotten a tiny bit before me.

By looking at the grandfather clock near the foot of the bed, I could see that it was seven in the morning. Way too early in the morning to be up and about for me, especially since this had been happening for the past two months. How Erik hasn't noticed is a rather strange miracle indeed.

After getting dressed in a purple dress with green embroidery on the collar (A/N: The dress is at the top), I headed downstairs where Erik was waiting for me, a huge smile on his face as he grabbed my waist and spun me around in a hug.

"Good morning, my dove!" He said as he peppered some kisses all around my face and neck.

Still kind of dazed and my stomach still kind of queasy, I quickly remembered why he was so excited today.

It was our tenth wedding anniversary.

"Hey babe! Happy anniversary." I giggled as I gave him a kiss on the cheek.

He led me over to the kitchen where I saw the most beautiful breakfast for two set up.

"I figured that we should wake up early so that the two of us could have some alone time. At least, until everyone else woke up." He spoke up, visibly proud of what he did.

On the table were the chocolate-filled croissants that he made for me when we first started to get along, some bacon and pancakes, and two cups of hot chocolate. At the center were a bouquet of red and white roses.

"Aw, honey! This is so beautiful!" I cooed as he began to chuckle.

"If you think this is wonderful, then wait until you see the gift that I gave you."

We continued eating breakfast, just enjoying each other's presence. Then, he spoke up,

"Speaking of gifts, would you like for us to exchange them now or later?"

"Later!" I said, almost too quickly, "Let's wait until this afternoon. After all, the kids might want to do something for us."

"Ah, of course, mon amour. Later it is." He replied, finishing his plate.

As soon as we finished placing the used dishes away, the kids ran downstairs.

"Happy anniversary, Mommy and Daddy!" They chorused as they gave us a hug.

As Erik began to prepare the kids some breakfast, I quickly snuck upstairs to get my gift for Erik from my luggage. I had packed everything in secret, not even letting him help me get the bag into the carriage or into the house. All I needed was a box to place everything in, which, unfortunately, I forgot to pack with me.

Maybe Madeleine has an extra box lying around. I thought, hiding Erik's gift back inside my suitcase.

I quickly made my way to the master bedroom on the other side of the hall, and, hoping that it was hers, I knocked on the door. After a few minutes of waiting, I was about to leave when the door opened and Madeleine walked out, still dressed in a night robe. Her eyes were red and swollen as if she had been crying the entire night.

"Hello, Evangeline. How may I help you?" She asked, her voice rough and raspy.

"Hey. I was wondering if you had a box that you weren't using that I could borrow. It's for Erik's anniversary present." I asked.