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
“This is what Sugar Babies wear,” Nathan explained. His eyebrows lifted provocatively, and he said, “And if you are a Sugar Baby, then I am your Sugar Daddy, and if you want, you can also have Sugar Brothers, Sugar Cousins, Sugar Uncles, and Sugar Aunts.”Crystal’s brow furrowed. “Why are you so nasty!?”“That’s big talk for a wh*re,” Nathan scoffed. “Come here!”Crystal numbly walked over...The warm morning light shone brightly through the window, and her skin looked elegant and angelic. Her cheeks were rosy red, and the color in her eyes shimmered.She is such a charming woman - Nathan thought - as prou
Suddenly, the bathroom door was pushed open, and Nathan appeared in the doorway. Crystal was startled. She had been drinking water from a glass, and as a reflex, she yelped and threw it at his head.Nathan dodged the glass, and it bounced harmlessly off the carpet in the bedroom. He raised one eyebrow but said nothing. He stared at her with sullen eyes. He thought that she was like a frightened bird, but that did not make sense to him. In his eyes, she had always been impervious to fear, but she had not even batted an eye when he pointed a gun at her.Nathan was determined to get to the root of this fear. He looked Crystal up and down, acknowledged cuts and bruises, and wondered if they had anything to do with it. He walked over and pressed his hands on the counter in front of her. Then he casually leaned over and whispered, “Did you sleep well? For a whi
The key bounced off her chest and landed on the floor in front of her. Crystal stooped to pick it up, and as she put it in her pocket, he asked her if she knew how to fly a helicopter. She wanted to say no, but she was afraid that he would get angry, so she nodded and said that she did. Anyway - she thought - I had seen pilots on television. It looks easy enough. That being said, a licensed pilot seemed preferable to her, and she said so.“Are you saying that you don’t know how to fly a helicopter?” Nathan demanded angrily.“I c-can…” Crystal replied. “But I’m not very skilled at it.”Nathan gave her a strange look, and then he laughed weirdly. It seemed that he knew that she could not fly a helicopter and that he was trying to embarrass her. “Aren’t
Eric was waiting for Crystal in the parking lot, and he smiled when he saw her. He got out of his car, walked towards her, gave her a big hug, and said, “It is so good to see you. You wouldn’t believe how much I have missed you!”Crystal hugged him back, but she waited until he let her go to say anything. “Do you have Noah’s medicine?” she asked.“I brought it with me,” Eric replied.“Will you accompany me to the villa so that we can pick up Noah and Clark?” Crystal asked.“Let’s discuss it in the car,” Eric replied. “It’s very cold outside. Why aren’t you wearing more clothes?”“It is what it is.” Crystal sighed,