Today's prompt: begging/choices/the ring

I've written a one shot based on the musical today, with one or two elements pulled from Love Never Dies as well! I realize that I haven't written as many musical-based one shots for this challenge as I have other versions, so let's hope there will be more based on the musical moving forward haha. I hope you all enjoy!

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Erik looked up from his blank piece of sheet music to the clock hanging above him on the wall. He'd been at this for longer than he could remember, and he was starting to think that perhaps he would need to pick up another hobby to fill his time. He hadn't been able to compose in weeks, and it seemed that music itself had abandoned him just as Christine had.

Before he was forced into faking his death and leaving France, he'd never had this issue. Sure, there'd been times when he couldn't seem to compose a decent melody, but it had never been as bad as this. Now he couldn't even think of a few notes, let alone a whole melody.

Eventually, he decided to look through some of his older compositions for a bit of inspiration, and he opened the top drawer of his desk. Sifting through the files, his eyes landed on one labeled Don Juan Triumphant, and he shook his head at all the memories that flooded back to him.

That night seemed like an eternity ago, even though it had only been about two months. He had tried so hard to forget all of the horrible events, but he seemed to be unable to do so. Everything played out in his mind over and over, pointing out every single one of the mistakes he'd made. It was absolutely awful, and he deeply regretted everything.

He wished that he would have let Christine go from the beginning rather than drag her down to his domain. Her desperate voice echoed through his head as she'd begged him to let her go, begged him to stop what he was doing. He wished he would have listened.

He never should have trapped the Vicomte and threatened Christine. His chest ached as he recalled the look on her face when he'd told her she must choose between her own freedom and Raoul's life. She looked so betrayed, so hurt.

Erik still couldn't believe that, after all that, she'd kissed him. And twice at that. She had a very large heart for someone so small in stature. It was still beyond Erik that she could manage to show him kindness after all he had put her through.

His one comfort was the fact that he never actually forced her into marriage and had let her leave with the one she truly cared about. It hurt like nothing else when she returned the ring he'd given her, but even worse was the pain he'd felt as he watched her leave with the Vicomte.

He remembered his desperate whisper to her as she left: Christine, I love you...so much.

The memories were just as painful as living the experience, but in his heart, he knew he'd done the right thing in giving them both their freedom. He just hoped that Raoul was worthy of Christine.

Erik had his doubts when Christine had sought him out the night before her wedding, but even then, he had been sure that the Vicomte would be able to give her a better life than he could. He had things to regret about that night too, but it was a different sort of regret.

The memories of all that he'd done to wrong Christine were just as painful as when he'd lived through it all. He closed his eyes as he tried to forget everything, but of course, that was impossible.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze caught on a small jewelry box. Gingerly, he picked it up and popped it open to look over the ring inside. He hadn't seen it since the night he'd nearly forced her into marriage. Tears pooled in his eyes as he simply stared down at the ring, wishing that he could somehow go back in time and make everything right.