Like Father, Like Son | Phantom of the Opera

ii. Burying an Angel

"You have some serious nerve, Chagny. More than I thought possible given our previous encounters," I growled.

"You're one to talk, considering I'm the one allowing you to be here and to look after the boy," Raoul replied. I could tell by his disposition that he was already drunk; clearly, the man has no respect for the living or the recently departed, even if it was his wife.

"It's not 'looking after him' if he is my son. That, my dear Vicomte, is called parenting. Not that you'd be well versed on the subject." I hated that he knew exactly how to enrage me, but I could not afford to lose my temper, not in front of Gustave. "But back to the reason we're here, could you please explain why her gravestone bears your last name? And don't try to lie and say she changed it, because I know she never did. Also, would you care to tell me why her grave has been placed approximately a kilometre away from her father? If you knew her at all, you would know that she wanted to be buried close to him."

"Oh, I wasn't going to lie to you. She never changed it—I did. It would raise questions if my wife of ten years had kept her maiden name." He was so simple with his words, yet every single one cut me deep. "On the topic of her grave's placement, this is where my family lays to rest. Again, for the sake of not raising questions, I decided against having her close to her father. I know what he meant to her, but it didn't seem right. She was my wife, after all."

"You are truly more self-centred than I ever thought possible for a human being. There is no honour in denying final wishes to the dead." At that point, we were dangerously close to one another; he had stumbled to his feet and I had to keep my hands glued to my sides to stop myself from going for his throat. "You were supposed to love her. Protect her and her son. That is what a father and husband are supposed to do. You—"

"How would you know?" he demanded. "You know nothing of socialization! When I met you, you lived in a sewer, tricking people into thinking you were a ghost. Don't you dare talk to me about honour." He placed an accusing finger on me, right over my heart. The liquor was obviously taking effect and numbing his sense of self-preservation; otherwise, he would have thought twice before laying his finger on me. "I did love her; I risked my life for her to protect her from you. Although, it is hard to stay in love with someone who is always reminiscing about another time. Of another person. She would hum endlessly to Gustave when he was an infant; songs I knew none other than you had composed."

"Nevertheless, she chose you," I said, my throat tight. "Even you could have seen it! She chose you in the end. You were supposed to love her, understand her, listen to her, keep her close. You were meant to treasure her, damn it!" Tears were welling up in my eyes. On their wedding day, he had vowed to care for her for the rest of their lives. Instead, he had ignored that duty, that privilege, for a bottle of scotch.

"Yes, yes. Her ultimatum. She sure did choose me," he spoke slyly as he gestured at Gustave. That was the final straw for me; I was prepared to chew him out for everything he was worth and I couldn't care less who was watching.

However, his next sentence made me stop in my tracks: "Don't talk to me of responsibilities to her. You won our bargain. She was with you. You were supposed to protect her, and look at what a fantastic job you did."

I didn't want to let myself cry in front of him; that was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I could not show him weakness or he would surely tear me apart, but I couldn't stop it; tears were streaming down my face, out of both anger and pain.

"Don't you think I know that! Don't you think I blame myself for that night every second of every day! She is the only woman I have ever truly loved and I saw the light fade out of her eyes as I held her in my arms!"

He was taken aback by that, clearly not having been expecting me to show emotion. I hadn't even wanted to show them, but they had been inevitable. He obviously had nothing to counter my statement, as he decided to step away and take his place in a seat.