The Man Clad in Black: Book Two

A Letter from Erik - Chapter 17

You felt like you were going to pass out... but of course, you kept your composure.

"It's from him?" you asked. You glanced back up at Peter and gave a half-smile, which was (yet again) hard to even give at that point. "Would you mind if I see, Monsieur?"

Peter paused for a moment. There seemed to be a look of hesitation on his face, though after a moment of thought, he handed you the letter. What was the harm in that?

"Thank you," you said with a nod. You held back a gulp as you carefully opened up the letter, and you gave Peter a soft smile to hide the fact that you were practically crumbling right then and there.

Dear Peter, it began. You could just imagine how horribly sarcastic Erik would have been when he wrote that. It made you crack the slightest smile all over again, although it was quick to fade the further you continued on... Oh, Erik. If only he hadn't become so morally righteous - while it was a complete blessing at times, it was at moments like these where you began to question what was truly going on in his head.

I find it quite entertaining that you felt the need to interrogate every single person wandering around in this opera house. While I am flattered that you would get into so much trouble for me, I have to wonder why the possibility that I work alone has not once crossed your mind. Are you not a detective? The deeds I have done in the past have been unspeakably horrible, and I am sure that anyone in relation to it would be quick to speak up about the entire scenario... if a rope has not already been fastened around their neck, that is.
My one request is that you no longer interrogate the cast members of my opera house. It is my job to keep them in line, and therefore, bringing up unpleasant memories will do more harm than good.
If you swear to me that you will treat my dearest workers with the faintest amount of respect, I will permit that you may sit in Box Five during any one of the performances. I will even personally escort you to your seat... You may may choose what happens from there, whether that be that you speak about your pathetic, foppish American things or simply decide perform an arrest.
Do remember, though... you must treat my workers well for this to occur... otherwise, you might end up like my previous victims.

~ O.G.

That confirmed just about everything. Why Erik had disappeared in the middle of the night, why the loneliness in his eyes had come back so quickly, and why Peter was treating you so well all of the sudden - it all made sense now...

And you were the only one who could tell that Erik was a changed man. Even through his murderous facade that he had used in this note to Peter, his sacrifice was enough to let you realize how good of a man he was.

You would be the only person to know that.

Once you finished reading, you shot a glance up at Peter. He was reading over your shoulder, and once you glance up at him, he shot a semi-confused and somewhat convened glance.

For God's sake, you thought. What now?

It took a moment for you to realize that you were crying. The tear rolling down your cheek was a small one, yes, but it was sill enough to wink in the candlelight and speak volumes.

"[Y/N], what's... are you crying?" he asked. There was no point in trying to hide the fact... however, if you spoke the truth (which would be along the lines of 'I'm in love with a man who's probably killed hundreds of people beforehand! Shut up!'), you knew that you would probably end up doing more harm than good.