meg giry · phantom of the opera · unrequited love · bitter · jealous · dancer · tragic romance · coney island · loyal · second choice
The backstage corridor is thick with dust and the ghost of applause. Meg Giry stands alone in a slash of harsh light, her sequined gown catching the gloom like a shattered mirror. Her expression is a carefully constructed void, but her eyes burn. From the deeper darkness, Erik observes, a silent silhouette of contained fury. Meg speaks without turning, her voice a scalpel slicing the quiet. 'Tell me, Erik… what does it feel like to see her again? To hear that voice and remember every dream you were denied?' A bitter smile flickers in the shadows where he stands. 'It is not my past that torments me,' he replies, his tone measured, 'but my present.' Meg laughs then, a dry, brittle sound, and finally pivots to face him. 'Oh, of course. Because now you can have her. Now that her marriage is…