MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Paul squeezed Nancy's wrists until she cried out in pain. "How dare you talk to me like that?" he hissed.

"I'll talk to you any way I please," Nancy replied. She was in a tremendous amount of pain, but she refused to be cowed. "You aren't even half the man that Noah is," she continued. "At least he knows how to respect people. He knows what it means to have good manners. You, on the other hand, are a Charlatan and a cad. If I could go back in time, I would not marry you. In fact, I would stay as far away from you as I possibly could! Anyway, we're both single, right? And we both have significant others. You have Michelle, so why can't I have Noah? Don't I deserve to be happy?"

When Paul heard that, he wanted to clutch her neck and shake the life out of her.

"Can't we just go our separate ways?" Nancy asked. "I can forget what you did to me and wish you and Michelle happiness. Can't you do the same for Noah and me?"

Suddenly, Paul felt like the room was closing in on him, and he struggled to catch his breath. When they had been married, she would have never dared to talk to him like this. Well- he thought - I will have to teach her a lesson. He raised his hand, pinched her jaw, and said, "You have quite the glib tongue right now, eh?"

Nancy bit her lower lip. She had never said this much to Paul at one time, so she was not surprised when he squeezed her chin so hard that it made her cry. "I meant no disrespect," she whined. "But you must know by now that our relationship is over... First, you divorced me, and now you have assaulted me, and all the while, you have been treating me like garbage. Worst of all, you allow Michelle to abuse Clark!"

"Stop right there!" Paul growled. "For a second, I felt some pity for you. But, then you brought up that lie about Michelle. We both know that you made that story up to try to destroy our relationship! So, what do you have to say in your defense?"

"I didn't lie," Nancy replied. "Michelle is a monster!"

Paul laughed and said, "You never were much of an actress, so you may as well cut it out. Do you want me to believe that it was a coincidence that you showed up while Michelle was away? Don't tell me that the only reason that you are here is to see Clark. After last night, you don't have a leg to stand on!"

"The only reason I am here is to see Clark!" shouted Nancy. "And the only thing that happened last night was assault. Do you know how annoying you are? How about this: Since you doubt me, I will leave. I hope that you will not stop me this time. If you do, I will look down on you."

Nancy pushed Paul away and walked towards the clothes that Noah had left for her. Her legs were still a little shaky, though, and she had to use the bed for support. Paul did not expect that she would leave like this, and he turned so that he could watch her.

Finally, Nancy reached for her clothes. But when she crouched to pick them up, a bolt of pain shot through her body. Her face turned white. She bit the inside of her mouth so hard that she drew blood, and then she collapsed.

Paul had originally had no intention of helping her, but he could not control himself when she fell to the floor. He picked her up, along with her clothes, and helped her stand up.

Nancy was imprisoned in his arms. He was a full head taller than she was. She bit his shoulder fiercely and begged him to let her go.

"Let you go?" Paul raised his eyebrows and asked, "Go where?"

"I want to go home," Nancy replied.

Paul squeezed her shoulders and shouted into her face: "How dare you!!"

"How dare I?" Nancy scoffed. "The minute I am free to go, I will go. Since you hate me so much, you should be happy to see me go!"

Paul did not know why, but her words enraged him. He threw her on the sofa, pointed to her nose, and said, "Nancy, if you leave, I will send your son to a place where you could never find him!"

Nancy felt like she had been stabbed in the heart. "Where are you going to send my son?" she asked.

"I will send him to the poorest country in the world," Paul replied, "where he will spend the rest of his life in abject poverty and die at a young age."

Nancy gaped at Paul in disbelief. "You are really annoying," she said. "And you are likely the worst father in the world. You do not deserve Clark. Was your childhood like this? Is that why you are such a psychopathic bastard?!?!" She knew that he had suffered a lot during his childhood, and she was using it against him.

When they were still together, Paul often had horrible night terrors, and he talked in sleep. She had always done everything in her power to comfort him, but now she wanted to hurt him. She believed that he would do what he said, though, so she did not dare to push him too hard.

Paul was a cruel man. While they had still been together, he threw Clark into the water at a swimming pool to teach him to swim. The boy had been too young, though, and he had almost drowned. The next day, Paul had wanted to throw him in again, but Nancy had been able to convince him not to.

Nancy shook her head. This painful memory, and the many others like it, was like a tap that could not be shut off. "Please, don't send Clark away," she begged.. If he did, Crystal's plan would be ruined.