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No Easy Way	By : secretlysecretly Category: M through R > The Phantom of the Opera > Het Views: 7568 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Chapter 52

When Raoul woke up, the sun had hardly dawned in the horizon. His room was bathed in twilight, granting him a strange sense of calmness. He thought of everything and nothing. How hard he had fought to rescue Christine from a monster, how he had fallen in love with the sweet, innocent maiden, how happy he had been when she had offered herself to him body and soul, how much she had come to realize that despite her angelic features and innocent ways she was the actual monster he should have set out to slain from the start.

His thoughts wandered back to his teen years when he had walked into the cold water, chasing a red scarf in the ocean to stop a sweet child from crying and for the first time ever since that night he felt no sympathy warm his heart. Only a cold, bleak vacancy remained, leaving a bitter taste of regret for his foolishness after all that had transpired ever since he was a young lad of sixteen years old.

He didn’t pay attention when a knock on the door resounded in the room, signaling the time had passed. He was almost astonished when he saw Marianne’s beautiful face peek through the doorway and she smiled at him amiably. He smiled back mechanically, the gesture not reaching his eyes and he saw a brief shadow of… was it pity? pass over his beloved cousin’s face.

Funny. He had not been on the receiving side of pity ever before. Was this what Erik Destler felt whenever he would show his face or meet a person who would find themselves entranced by the mask? If this was actually what Erik had felt every time he would encounter someone “normal”, then Raoul finally understood what had been the driving force behind the masked genius’ past actions. He sighed deeply, trying to eradicate his mind of such bleak thoughts and addressed his cousin in what he hoped would be a casual manner.

“Good morning cousin. You’re looking really beautiful today.” he smiled.

“Why Raoul, you always were quite the courtier!” she teased him, smiling pleasantly at the compliment.

“I can assure you I am not cajoling you in any way, shape or form. You really look radiant today. I suppose your love for Erik becomes you.” he teased her good-naturedly.

Marianne blushed profusely at his words, strengthening his conviction that he was doing the right thing.

“What time is it?” he changed the subject, taking pity in the poor maiden.

“It is well past nine o’clock.” she answered, obviously relieved at the change of subject. “Would you like me to arrange for breakfast to be served in your room?” she offered politely.

“I am not hungry.” he replied curtly, feeling a knot form in his stomach at the mention of food.

“Raoul, please. You have to eat something to regain your strength.” she insisted.

“Marianne, really. I am not a child. I feel quite alright. I am just not feeling rather hungry at the moment.”

“Raoul, you have not eaten anything in almost three days. If you are to recover soon, you know perfectly well you will need to eat something!” she pressed on anxiously.

Raoul sighed in an annoyed manner, knowing she was right but hating to be treated like a child.

“Raoul De Chagny, don’t you dare act like a spoilt little brat! I know this is hard for you, I know you must be feeling like a fool for ever trusting your wife, but you have to remain strong! You cannot let that woman’s betrayal mark you for the rest of your life! You are better than that!”

“You don’t understand!” he shouted furiously, unable to take it anymore.

“I don’t understand? I who have suffered so much in the name of Olivier’s infatuation for the only think he couldn’t have? I who almost had to watch the love of my life walk to his death because of Christine? I who almost saw my beloved cousin die by his own wife’s hand? I who am still running the risk of losing the father of my baby because of that sick woman’s fascination with a revenge she doesn’t deserve upon him?!?” she almost screamed but, seeing Raoul’s eyes fill with dread at her words, she lowered her voice and slowly walked to his side.

“You are not the only one who suffered Raoul. We have all paid for Christine’s sins… I know I can’t even begin to understand what her betrayal must feel like to you, but I promise you I will always be there for you, whatever you need…”

Raoul merely nodded, not trusting his voice anymore.

“Please Raoul. Try to help yourself overcome this ordeal. You don’t deserve to suffer for a woman who has deceived you on every level…” she trailed off, knowing how hurtful her words must be to him.

“I feel like such a fool Marianne…” Raoul whispered dejectedly.

“You are no fool Raoul. You are simply a man who gave his heart to the wrong woman…” she responded quietly, to which he closed his eyes, looking old and tired beyond his years.

Her eyes flooded with unshed tears, Marianne patted his hand sympathetically and rang the bell that would summon Gerard. “You will see everything will seem better once you’ve had a cup of tea and some toast.” she softly said.

His laughter ringing out in the room alarmed her and she turned to look at him questioningly.

“You really are a stubborn woman!” he laughed good-naturedly. “I hope Erik will be able to co-exist with such a strong-headed lass!” he continued, unable to control his laughter when he noticed her shocked expression.

“Oh you!” she cried indignantly in light of his mirth.

His only response was to laugh harder, trying to control himself when the butler knocked on the door and entered the room. Marianne instructed the servant to serve a light breakfast for the Viscount and make sure he would also bring some food to the woman kept under lock and key in another room of the house down the hall.

Raoul’s mirth dissipated when he heard talk of his wife and they remained in silence for a few minutes, until Gerard served a tray full of delicious-looking treats to the Viscount. After a lot of coaxing on Marianne’s part, Raoul did indeed do his best to consume something light and then took his medicine to abate the pain he was feeling.

Before he was even finished, there was a knock at the door announcing Erik’s arrival at the mansion. The pair asked the butler to show him in and, before long, Erik appeared on the doorstep. Following to the expected pleasantries, silence fell upon the three of them, each drifting off into their own reveries.

“I want to see her now.” Raoul finally broke the silence, shifting his eyes expectantly between Erik and Marianne.

He noticed a feeling of what he could only describe as utter dread wash over his cousin but, turning to Erik, saw a look of acceptance fill his eyes. Marianne did not voice her qualms but Erik, true to his word of the previous night, immediately addressed him regarding the technicalities.

“I believe it would be better to have your wife brought here to avoid stretching your wound.” he simply offered, as if he were talking about the weather.

Raoul nodded, shaken by the masked man’s candor and addressed him again. “Please arrange for me to see her in half an hour.” he asked his old adversary, turning to his cousin then, only to find her staring at the both of them with a weary look shadowing her eyes.

“Of course.” Erik agreed, walking to the door of the room with assertive steps.

“Is there anything I can do?” Marianne inquired, only to receive a shake of the head from the blonde man. “Are you certain?” she offered again and Raoul smiled tiredly and shook his head again.

“No my dear. Thank you very much for offering though. Could you please leave me alone until Christine’s arrival? I need some time to myself to think…” he asked her politely, to which Marianne answered with a small “Yes” and simply stood from her seat, leaving her cousin to his thoughts.

Indeed, once Raoul was alone again, he tried to concentrate on the matter at hand but frustrated his found that his mind kept wandering back to the old days, when his life with Christine was much simpler and he still perceived himself as the gallant knight set out to save his mistress rather that a weary fool who had fallen prey to a ruthless woman whom he couldn’t even recognize anymore.

The minutes passed quickly as Raoul became lost in thought and he was finally shaken out of his reveries by a knock on the door, indicating that it was time to face his demons.

“You may enter” he called out, his voice not nearly as shaky as he was feeling at the moment.

A few seconds later, the door opened and Christine appeared in the doorway, followed by a sullen Erik Destler. Raoul acknowledged the pair with a nod and was not surprised to see Christine ran to his side, kneeling by the bed with her eyes full of unshed tears.

“Oh Raoul, you are alright! I was so worried about you… I’m so sorry… I don’t know what came over me…” she cried pitifully, taking hold of his hands and raining kisses on his pale skin.

Raoul let his eyes wander to Erik who was still standing by the door, regarding the couple with emotionless eyes. When he noticed that Raoul was staring at him over Christine’s knelt form, he set his shoulders rigidly and looked away uneasily. Christine was still crying openly, wailing about not knowing what had come over her to do what she had done to the man she loved more than her own life.

Erik couldn’t help but laugh inside, thinking to himself how ridiculous this situation actually was. ‘Whom is she talking about? The poor Viscount? A lover she has taken through the years of her marriage to Raoul? Her own self?’ kept running through his mind, but he was pulled out of his thoughts by Raoul’s voice.

“Could we have some privacy please?” he inquired coldly, regarding Erik with a sullen gaze.

“Of course Viscount.” Erik replied curtly, turning to take his leave of the couple.

“Oh Raoul… I thought I’d never see you again!” he heard Christine’s muffled cries through the closed door, sneering to himself as he walked away from the room.

Meanwhile, Raoul was still listening to Christine’s ranting about how she had lost her grip on reality the night she had shot him. The young woman appeared to be set on convincing him that she had lost track of her thoughts that night judging from the crocodile tears she was shedding.

“Why did you do it Christine?” he asked her coolly.

“I told you Raoul!” she cried. “I didn’t know what I was doing that night! After seeing the hideous beast kill poor Olivier, I completely lost my grip on reality. I stayed in our room trying to put my thought into perspective, but the moment I saw you enter I must have thought you were someone else set out to hurt me. The last thing I remember is retrieving that gun from its holster and then the shot that was fired… and then … nothing. Everything is a complete blank after that, except for that horrible man telling me you would die…” she whispered brokenly, burying her face in her hands.

“Why did you do it Christine?” he asked again, unmoved by her antiques.

“Raoul, what are you talking about? I already told you what happened… I wasn’t myself when I fired that…” she tried to reason with him, but jumped at the harshness of his voice when he repeated, “Why did you do it?”, almost screaming. She had never before heard her husband use that tone with her, or anyone else for that matter, and the shock was so great, it sent fresh tears to well up in her eyes.

“Raoul… I don’t understand…” she muttered forlornly.

“Yes you do! You understand perfectly well what I am talking about!” he yelled, his booming voice making her skin crawl.

“Raoul please…” she tried to appease him, but to no avail.

“Please what?!? You tried to betray me with my adversary, wanting to run away with him at first. You then tricked me into coming here to avenge a sin Erik Destler had never committed. I returned to you victorious and still you were not satisfied. You stood by and watched in amusement as Marianne withered before our very eyes for the loss of the man she adores. When you realized I was going to remain an obstacle in your blind search for revenge you even went so far as to try to kill me. Is there anything I have left out?” he finished, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

“Raoul, how many times do I have to say it so that you’ll understand? I didn’t know what I was doing! I had lost my senses when I pulled that trigger. As for the rest… I really can’t fathom how you have come to believe such horrific lies about me; your own wife!”

“My own wife? Ha!” he scoffed ironically. “My own wife, who betrayed me, lied to me and tried to kill me? There is something you should have realized by now my dear. I am not as gullible as I let people think. I might try to be agreeable and liked by those around me, but I am no fool!” he hissed, regarding her with venomous eyes. “You thought you had used me to finally escape you pitiful existence as a ballet rat. You used Erik to force me to commit to you after all that we had been through to be together…” he said, meeting her stunned eyes with his tired gaze.

“The fact of the matter Christine is that you did not manipulate me into doing anything I had not wanted myself. I had fallen in love with you and I wanted to share my life with the sweet girl who depended upon me and had given herself to me so naturally. I idolized you for staying so pure in spite of the temptations you were submerged in at the Opera Populaire. Now I know that I have Erik to thank for your virginity. You were too afraid to go against your master’s orders for a quiet life, dedicated to your art.” he muttered ironically, as he continued his tirade.

“I will admit you had captured my heart and convinced me of your need to get away from that monster as you used to call him. But it wasn’t pity, or fear, or my need to be the gallant knight on a white steed for you. I truly loved you Christine and you had managed to convince me you were as much in love with me too.”

“Oh Raoul, I did love you; I still do!” Christine cried, running to his side again and reverently kissing his hands, bathing his pale skin with her tears.

“I am truly sorry Christine but this charade stops right here!” Raoul hissed ominously, causing her to raise her head and search his eyes worriedly. In return the blonde man regarded her apathetically. “Wipe those crocodile tears from your eyes and stand up. There is nothing more you can say that would make me forgive you or even take pity in you.”

“Raoul, you can’t mean that! You are upset! Please give me another chance to explain…”

“I told you Christine. There is nothing more to explain. I have had enough!”

“What… What do you mean…” she whispered forlornly, unwilling to accept her defeat.

“I mean that I will no longer hold any attachment to you. As far as I’m concerned, everything is over between us.” he coolly explained to her, indifferent to her pleading eyes.

“I am determined to end this marriage, and” he continued despite her attempt to interrupt him “I shall contact my solicitor as soon as I have regained my strength.” he finished cruelly.

“You can’t…” she tried to intervene but, guessing what she was about to say, he cut in.

“I mean everything I’ve said Christine. You will not be able to lie and manipulate your way out of this divorce. As a matter of fact, in order to not allow you to delude yourself with such foolish notions, you are to leave the estate in the next two hours, leaving behind myself as well as my poor cousin who had to endure your deceiving nature for so long. I am fairly certain that Erik Destler shall be quite pleased to see you go as well, but I will not speak in his place. The man has proven his worth time and again and I am absolutely sure he would never show pity to the woman who almost destroyed him in such light spirit.”

“You would never do that to me!” she cried furiously, instantly standing and pointing her finger at him accusingly.

“Oh, but I already have done it my dear. This divorce is as good as final, whether you want to accept it or not.”

“I will never agree to this separation!” she cried indignantly.

“That matters little Christine. You should have learnt by now that money and power go a long way in speeding up legal proceedings. I proved it to you when we were desperate to get married and announce our union to the world. Fool that I was, I did everything in my power to make sure you would become my wife as soon as possible after the ordeal we went through to wind up together…” he scoffed, staring at her apathetically.

“I shall never concede to this outrageous idea of yours!” the brunette almost screamed in disdain, only to receive an indifferent look from her husband.

“I don’t need you to agree to our divorce my dear. You have no say in the matter. If you are smart enough, you shall leave this estate raising no trouble and make sure that our paths will not cross ever again. I am willing to let you keep all of the jewelry I gifted you with, as well as your expensive garments and anything else that I have so foolishly given to you. As a matter of fact, I want you to empty the house of anything that reminds you ever lived there.” he stated calmly.

“Do you take me for a fool?!?” Did you think for a moment I would give up my title and all that goes with it for a few trinkets and some stupid clothes? No Raoul! You won’t rid of me that easily! I will never leave you!” she yelled vehemently, determined not to allow her husband any reprieve. When he turned his eyes from her as if he weren’t able to look at her any longer, she paced the few steps that separated her from the bed and stood before him. “Look at me!” she demanded. “I am your wife!”

“You are nothing to me anymore!” he snapped back at her. “You are merely the reminder of how foolish I was to put my trust in a worthless, cheap woman.” he pressed on angrily.

“Worthless? Cheap?!?” she scoffed incredulously. “Oh no Raoul. I am not as cheap as you would have me be! You seem to forget I know of your vast fortune. Even if you were to arrange a favorable settlement for me, which I know you are not prepared to do, I would never give up everything you can offer me. You may be able to rid of me easily because of your money and your power, but Raoul, I am never going to let you leave me.”

“And, pray tell, how do you suppose you are going to accomplish that? You disgust me Christine! I have discovered for myself that everything you represent is a lie. You almost tried to kill me and perhaps you would not have failed had it not been for Erik and Marianne. I am fairly certain that you would have shot me again if Erik had not walked into the room when he did.” he stated solemnly and paused for a few seconds, half expecting her to cry and tell him he was mistaken, but she did not even blink.

It would seem she was through lying to him. Raoul almost felt regret consume him. Almost… “Well, all that gives me ample reason to make sure we never see each-other again.” he finished.

“We do not have to see each-other to remain married Raoul. You can keep providing me with the lifestyle I have become so accustomed to, and still never have to lay eyes on me again. We can lead separate lives for all I care, but our marriage does not have to suffer for it.”

“Are you mad?!?” Raoul finally burst at her words, trying to bring some sense into her. “What do you think could possibly make me want to go on with this charade? I have every reason to divorce you Christine, and no reasons at all to let you keep my name or continue financing your extravagant lifestyle.” he shouted.

“No Raoul, you have ample reason to keep calling yourself my husband. It is the drive behind everything you do and I intend to use it against you to ensure you never throw me out into the streets.”

“What are you talking about?!?” Raoul demanded, trying to find some meaning in her words but failing. “What could possible lead me to keep a snake by my side despite everything that you’ve done to me?” he cried indignantly.

“Your honor.” she simply answered, studying his expression as it transformed from wonder to one of utter pain when he realized what his wicked wife was talking about. “I know you Raoul. I know you cannot fathom wronging anyone purposefully or letting one of your loved ones suffer when there is something you can do to help them. That sense of duty and honor my darling husband is going to be what will ultimately keep you from doing what you know is right. To leave me penniless and destitute because of everything I’ve done to you for all the time we’ve been together. Oh my sweet, poor Raoul, I know you so well…

“You have proven your nobility that fateful day you went to Erik and informed him Marianne truly loved him but was sacrificing herself so that he could remain alive and free. I am intelligent enough to know that the man who went to his most hated enemy with such news to grant his beloved cousin a second chance would never do anything that could lead to that very man’s demise. I hear Erik operated on you to assist with your recovery… Pretty noble of him, don’t you think? The man is a genius… Too bad that he also happens to have terrorized hundreds of people during his reign as the Opera Ghost…”

Raoul’s eyes shot open like saucers as he finally comprehended what this devious woman was planning. Noticing his reaction, Christine smiled to herself and shot him a look of mock-pity.

“Oh poor, sweet husband of mine. I know you feel trapped now but you really shouldn’t… Our life can go on the same as in the past. I know you will want to travel more but I promise this time I will no longer complain for your absence. We will be the typical noble couple. Cold and distant with each-other, you taking on mistresses to relieve your flesh, me the social butterfly who will flirt with all of the handsome young men that adore me for my beauty… It will be so typical, no one will ever cast us a second glance when we go to parties together but never exchange words between us. And as long as you keep on being so nice as to share your wealth and societal status with me, I will make sure to forget about Monsieur Destler’s connections to the Parisian Opera House.” she finished casually.

“You are mad…” he whispered disbelievingly.

“Don’t interrupt me Raoul! She snapped ominously. “Your days of interrupting me are over! If you will not abide by my wishes, I will make your beloved cousin’s life a living hell! The father of her unborn child will be arrested and trialed for his crimes of the past. Don’t forget I was his protégé once; I am the only person that could positively confirm his identity. I still remember the scandal that erupted that night in Paris… I would not be surprised if Monsieur Destler would be lynched for risking the life of so many people just to win the affections of a sweet, young, innocent girl he had tricked into believing he was her Angel of Music…” she carried on.

“I could even spark up the public’s interest in past tales by recounting how he attacked me and even managed to violently ravish my body this time…” she drifted off, looking at him expectantly.

Raoul opened his mouth to speak, but no words would escape his lips. He could merely sit there stunned and stare at the woman whom he had once loved with every fiber of his being, but now loathed in view of her monstrous behavior.

“Well Raoul, I believe you now understand that leaving me is not an option. I hope you will be able to come to terms with our situation as it has been formed. I would hate to think you will remain as gloomy as you currently are. Smile Raoul. Everything will fall into place once you choose to do the right thing. Even that stupid cow you call a cousin and her monster will finally be able to find happiness in each-other…”

“Indeed Christine, I believe you are right. Everything will fall into place once I make the right choice. I just hope the strength…” Raoul whispered in a resigned manner, turning his eyes from the brunette to the window, looking out. “If you don’t mind, I would like to be left alone now.” he asked of her, turning his attention back to her a few moments later.

“Certainly my darling husband. You need your rest to have a quick recovery… After all, I don’t wish to remain in this house a moment longer than necessary.” she exclaimed, turning to walk out the door.

“Do not worry my dear. You shall take your leave of this estate before the day is through.” Raoul muttered as soon as the door closed behind his wife.

A/N: Please feel free to R&R!
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No Easy Way