Page 54 of Angel's Fall

“And when was the last time she spent the night here?” Antoine asked, and Adèle looked frantically between the two men.

“Last night! She lives here!” Adèle answered, voice high and panicked.

“You’re lying,” Raoul stated, suddenly numb. “You’ve been lying for her for who knows how long.”

“What Christine does with herself is no concern of yours!” Adèle snarled. Antoine struck her roughly again, in the stomach this time. Raoul winced but did not move.

“Tell us more, my darling,” Antoine ordered, sweeter than Raoul had ever heard him speak. “Did you teach her how to moan and beg like a whore too?”

Adèle glared at Antoine with a fury Raoul had never seen before spitting in his face. Raoul turned away when the blow fell this time, bracing himself against the sound of Antoine’s fists doing their work until the sound of sobs broke through.

When Raoul dared to look, the sight turned his stomach. Antoine was still holding Adèle by the hair, and her eyes were burning with fury as red marks bloomed on her face to match her bleeding lip. “Go ahead. Tell us the truth, you wretched slut.”

“At least her lover actually made her come,” Adèle hissed. “She didn’t have to fake it like I did with you, you useless bastard.”

Raoul was not prepared for how his vision went red at the words. “No! You’re lying!”

“Why would I lie now?” Adèle sneered as the blood dripped down her chin, defiance in her eyes. “I heard them. I heard her calling his name as he fucked her so hard the wall was shaking! You should hear the way she talked about him, little boy.”

“Stop,” Raoul nearly wept, but Adèle went on with a laugh.

“You’ll never measure up – you know that? Even if you steal her away, you’ll never give it to her as good as he did, you—” Another slap cut off Adèle’s words. Raoul was shocked to see his own hand hanging in the air, palm smarting.

Antoine chuckled and began to pull Adèle away. “Raoul, this next part may be too much for an innocent soul like yours to see, but if you like, you can have a go when I’m done.” It was like he was discussing dinner plans.

Adèle was struggling furiously, but she was no match for the brute dragging her through the door. Throwing her onto her bed.

“Antoine, no! Wait!” Raoul bellowed even as Adèle screamed. It was too late. The door slammed in Raoul’s face and the lock clicked shut.

8. Liars

Erik was rather familiarwith what most people called a sense of dread. A connoisseur, one might even say. The one that had haunted him since waking this morning was of an interesting variety – it was the sort that made the world seem just slightly off its normal angle, about to tip. He told himself, as he went about the morning, that it was all in his head. This, despite knowing from years of experience that his gut was usually right. He didn’t want it to be. He wanted things as they were and for nothing to change.

He didn’t want to tell Christine he was the reason her sweet young hero was fatherless now. He didn’t want to be the one to shatter her again, so he was silent and ignored the fear gnawing inside him. A lesson with his angel would be an antidote, or so he had thought. They had sung together, losing themselves in Mozart and Rossini. It all changed again when they had turned toFaust, and discussed what Christine might improve for the next performance. A shadow had fallen over her, and her voice had lost its brilliance like tarnished silver.

Now it was time for her to return above, and the dread was even stronger than before. Did Christine feel it too? She looked as if she was going off to do chores, not to the career she had dreamed of her whole life – the one Erik had moved heaven and earth to give her. Even the colors of the shadows in the cellars and passages were ever so slightly changed, which he could attribute to the imminent return of spring, but something told him this was different.

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