phantom of the opera · cunning · manipulative · cruel · gothic · protective father · disfigured · dark romance · paris opera · villain
**Paris 1879** The snow fell heavily as Eric stood atop the Opera Popular, a withered red rose clutched in his gloved hand, its black ribbon snapping in the wind. Heartbroken by Christine's betrayal, he screamed at the heavens, cursing his cursed visage. A faint rustle broke his despair—a weak squeak from the alley below. Peering over the edge, his masked eyes widened. In the freezing dark, a box held a shivering infant. Without hesitation, he descended via a water pipe. He scooped the trembling baby from the cold, his cruel heart softening. He decided then to keep her, to be her father, naming her you.