And he loved her (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Prologue

(I do not owe any of the characters.)

"Perhaps I have become insane. But I am just as confused with myself as you are. You are so beautiful, Christine. And I love you. I love you so much that you have become my inspiration, my reason to live." Those were the first few words that he had said to me when I first met him. And for my whole life I had never thought that somewhere in the world someone was thinking about me. Actually loving me.

I was that kind of girl, those that had weak bodies and wasn't really the sporty type of person. Instead of being athletic, I excelled in aesthetics. Particularly it was singing that I was born with. Many had said I had a natural talent for singing. Yes, perhaps so, but I could never afford the training, for my family was very poor and broke.

Mother had died a long time ago and Father who once played the violin at the streets to support our family had gotten very old now. He became more prone to diseases and viruses but time he was ill- very ill.

And thus, I had to work two jobs to support both Father and me. We had no relatives; they were probably dead or somewhere in another country. I had no siblings either, and so all the tough burden was placed on my shoulders. I had to work in a disgusting cafe as a singer from the wee hours of morning till late night. And after my shift, I had to walk a 2 hours journey to clean and mop a small family shop, even if it was so late and I was already so exhausted.

But here I am now, strolling through the quiet road of Summer Street all alone. Few cars passed by this street, for it was next to an isolated forest and there was practically nothing here attractive enough for people to come.

The night zephyr breezed through my hair and the tree leaves.

Suddenly someone grabbed my arm. His hands were firm and tight, and I struggled and wriggled violently in my shock. I wanted to scream, but immediately he covered my mouth. I jerked, twisted myself and wailed my arms furiously, but his grip only got tighter and firmer. In my anger, I tried to let two of my fingers from my other hand to shoot out and choke the man's throat momentary; it was a move that was always effective and unsuspecting to any kind of kidnapper. But before I could even reach him, immediately he grasped my wrist and twist it into an arm lock. There was an excruciating pain that shot through my body and I fell onto my knees. My breathing grew heavy as my eyes started to give vision away. For some reason, he let go of me, but I dropped to the floor, useless.

Pathetically I tried to escape from that man even if that arm injury had hurt so much, but I flopped to the ground in an instance with my body groaning in pain. This man was so much more stronger than me, and already considering that I had a weak body, there was no way I could even escape from him. But just before I blacked out, I turned my head to look at my kidnapper. He had broad shoulders and he was very tall at an astounding height. He also wore dark clothing made out of black fabric. But the most quizzical part of him was the mask that covered half of his face.

And darkness swept in and covered my vision.

..

I woke up, jerking out of a bed.
Morning light filtered the window and streamed on the pink carpeted floor.

"You've finally awaken," a deep voice resounded in the room.

I turned my head to see where the voice came from. It had sounded exotic and sensual, but the minute I saw who had said it, I flinched back. There was a half-masked man, sitting on a chair next to the bed, staring at me in silence.

He was my kidnapper.

"Who are you?" I asked. Instead it was quietness and silence that answered, and also his amber eyes staring right into me. It was almost as if he was reading me, looking right into my soul. I felt uncomfortable immediately.

"Who are you and where am I?!" I asked again, this time louder. But his golden gaze never wavered, and it pierced right through the fake confidence I had created in my voice. My fear was growing so unsteadily as I fidgeted uncomfortably.

Suddenly he got up the chair and started walking towards me. I stumbled back in response, my eyes still looking at his.

He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, then hesitated and became quiet. But then he looked back at me, and as if his mind was jumbled so with thoughts, he started to say:

"Perhaps I have become insane. But I am just as confused with myself as you are. You are so beautiful, Christine. And I love you. I love you so much that you have become my inspiration, my reason to live."

My head spinned dizzily in puzzlement. Someone loves me? Impossible!

"And why do you think it's impossible that someone could love you?" I flinched back. Could he really read my expression just so easily?

"I know every single thing about you, Christine. From your lifestyle, who are your friends, what you like… and even about your Father." Immediately I glared at him.

"Leave Father alone! What do you even want? Money? I have nothing for you!" Hot tears were starting to well up in my eyes. Father, NO! I have worked so hard, sacrificed all I wanted and even all my dreams for my one and only dearest parent: Father.

"What do you want?" I hissed so furiously at my kidnapper, glaring as hard and as horribly as I could.

He placed a document in front of me on the bed. I took the document and started reading it.

"This document says I will marry this… this Erik! I don't even know who he is and I-"

"I am Erik," He snapped back.

"And why should I MARRY YOU?! You-"

"For your Father," He answered so calmly. "He is gravely ill, is he not? Would be a shame if he were dead."

"You would never," My eyes were red and my body was trembling with fury. "You would never hurt him."

"And why do you think I won't?" He replied so immediately with such confidence and calmness that it scared me about the cruelty of this man. I cringed back and raised my hand to cover my face. Tears had started to drip from my eyes. Who exactly was he? Why was he here to make my life even more torturous when it has already been such difficult times? My tears had started to stream off my face even more rapidly now.

"Sign the document and agree to marry me. And your Father shall come to no harm."

Right then, I could not think straight. Every single thing I had done was all for Father. I had dropped out of school just so I could work to support him and used my extra bonus work money on his medical fees. Sometimes I would even cry silently to myself when I was upset, for I did not want Father to be affected by my sadness. All my life, I had worked everything for Father. But now, I just...

With that, I took the pen and signed my freedom away to Erik. Signed my soul, my future, my dreams all to him. All to that stranger who was now my husband.

I turned around and faced the wall while still on my bed. When the door had closed and Erik had left, I grabbed a pillow and started to hug it as I sobbed quietly. I was only 19, and I thought it would be a few years more before I would find the love of my life and marry him. But I had just given my everything away to this Erik who claimed to love me.

No.

I will escape.

I will leave this wretched Erik.