Crystal peeked into Nathan’s room. She was hunkered down so that he could not see her. The room looked like a tornado had passed through it. The dresser had been pushed to the ground. The vases were smashed, and there was glass everywhere. The pictures had been taken down and destroyed, and there was clothing everywhere.
Again, Crystal thought of her conversation with Eric.
Not knowing what else to do, she picked up the tray with the two bowls of soup, stood up, and went into the room.
Nathan was sitting on the bed. He was naked, but there was a blanket covering his private parts. His hands rested on his knees, and they were covered with blood.
“No!” Crystal put down the tray and rushed to his side. “What happened to you?” She suddenly reali
Finally, Crystal wiped the tears from her eyes. She stood up straight, looked Nathan in the eyes, and said, “You said that I am selfish... but you’re just as bad... You said that you loved me, and you forced me to love you back. But that is not how love works. You cannot force love! If you try, the best you can hope for is compliance - bitter compliance!”Nathan frowned and said, “I may be ruthless, but I have done everything that I can think of to show you that I love you and to win your love. I would dig out my heart to prove my love. Is that what you want? Crystal, I loved you so much beyond what you could imagine, but you hurt me!”For an instant, Crystal felt a lump in her throat, and she turned her face away from his. She could not bear the pain of seeing him being hurt. “I don’t need that,” she muttered. &l
There was a knock at the door. They both turned, and Crystal smiled when she saw that the servant had finally returned with the First Aid Kit.Crystal nodded and said, “I was just about to leave. Please take proper care of his injuries. I do not want them to get infected.”Nathan frowned, and he stopped Crystal with a word. He said, “Wait,” and she turned back to face him. He was confused. He wondered why she cared if he received proper treatment or not. He said, “Didn’t you say that you would be staying here for three days? There are still one, and a half-days left. Why are you leaving early?”“Why?” Crystal was confused, “You just told me to leave! What is wrong with you? Now that everything’s out in the open, what would be the point of my staying?&
(Triggered Warning: This chapter contains a sex scene and inappropriate words. If you're not comfortable reading it kindly skip it and move to another chapter)As Crystal swept the rest of the broken glass into a dustpan, she thought about Carlos. It would be so easy to abandon him. She wished she could run away and leave all of the men in her life in her past, but she refused to do that to Carlos. If not for her, he would not be in the trouble that he was in. He was innocent. If she did not save him, he would die. If that happened, she knew that her conscience would never let her rest.As she was lifting the dustpan, a shard of glass slipped past the guard and sliced the back of her hand. For some reason, though, she did not notice. It was as if her mind was so preoccupied with her predicament that her body was on autopilot.
Nathan held Crystal in his arms, and he wept for what he had done and for what he had lost. He had crossed a line with Crystal, and he knew that there was no going back.Gently, he picked her up, carried her into the next room, and placed her on the bed. He tucked her hair behind her ears and forced himself to look at the brand. Never in his life had he felt such great regret. He did not know what had come over him. It was almost as if a psychopath had possessed him. He stayed with her for as long as he could, but eventually, his grief consumed him, and he fled.****Crystal did not regain consciousness until later that evening. She sat up and looked around. She was surprised to find that she had been moved, but she was grateful for the privacy.Next to the
Crystal gasped. She thought - How could I ever carry Nathan up a flight of stairs? He was nearly two hundred pounds, and it had taken four servants to carry him inside. “I c-can’t d-do it,” she stammered.“Can’t or won’t?” Nathan hissed. “I have done so much for you. What have you done for me?” His cold fingers pinched her chin. “Crystal, what have you done for me except hurt me?”“Be reasonable.” Crystal sighed and said, “You are too heavy. I am afraid of dropping you.”“Do you honestly think that I care about being dropped?” Nathan asked, “You have broken my heart thousands of times. What is one more injury?”
Crystal had passed out in the hallway, and by the time she was awake, it was late in the evening. She was surprised to see that someone had put a blanket over her, and there was a bottle of water within reach of her arm. She smiled when she realized that someone had taken the time to care for her. It was not until she saw the bottle that she realized how thirsty she was. She was hungry too, but she knew that her stomach would have to wait until after she had checked on Nathan.The water was divine, and she drank it much faster than she meant to, and when she tried to stand, she realized that she would be sick if she moved too soon. While she waited, she did a quick body scan. Everything hurts. Her back had been ravaged, and she thought that she would need surgery, but nothing was broken, and she thanked God for minor miracles.Finally, she got on her hands and
Nathan stared at the drawing for a few minutes. Then he looked up at Crystal, grabbed her by the collar, and shook her. “What is the meaning of this?” he shouted. “Is this because you are afraid that I won’t let you go?!?!”Crystal frowned. “Why do you always have to assume the worst?”“Why wouldn’t I?” Nathan shouted. “You have given me a portrait of myself with blood on it! What am I supposed to think? Is this some sort of threat? Are you trying to frighten me?”Crystal flinched as Nathan tore the page out of the book and ripped it in half. Then he crumpled the two pieces into balls and threw them into her face. One hit her just above her right eye, and the other bounced off her forehead.Crystal s
Once Nathan was done eating, he pulled Crystal into his arms and gave her a giant hug. He seemed happy, but when he squeezed her, he flinched, and Crystal asked him, “Are you in pain?”“It’s my chest,” he replied. “My wound opened when you were carrying me. It is your fault, so you should be the one to fix me up.”Crystal leaned back, looked at his chest, and said, “It doesn’t look too bad. I will take care of it later.”Nathan gave Crystal a dirty look and said, “Do it now. I don’t want to be in pain when you serve me later.”What is that supposed to mean? - Crystal thought - Has he thought o