MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Nancy felt helpless. She worried about Noah constantly, but other than keeping him comfortable, there was nothing that she could do to help him.

After the wedding, both couples had settled down in a castle in Kuerto, and they had each chosen a room for themselves on the second floor. Noah, who was still barely holding on, was given the room closest to the bathroom. They had brought Nathan with them as well, but he was put in the servants' quarters on the main level. A week had passed since the ceremony, and both men had shown signs that their conditions were improving, but the ladies were still nervous. The doctor had said that neither of them was completely out of the woods yet.

In the kitchen, Nancy was brewing turkey stock from the bones that had been saved from Thanksgiving dinner. She scooped some out with a spoon, tasted it, and added some more pepper. Crystal was leaning on the counter beside her, but for a long time, neither had spoken.

After taking a second taste, Nancy began to weep quietly. Crystal came over, wrapped an arm around her, and said, "There, there. Everything will be alright. You'll see."

"You can't know that," Nancy snapped. 

"Even the doctors don't." She pulled away from Crystal and said, "I don't know why I'm even bothering with this broth. It's not like it will make a difference..."

Crystal returned to Nancy's side. She touched her arm and said, "Don't give up hope. It's not over yet. And no matter what happens, you are not alone. We will get through this together."

Nancy wiped the tears from her eyes and recomposed herself. She forced a smile and said, "I appreciate that, but I cannot always rely on you. I have to learn to face my problems and handle them on my own."

"But what about Paul?"

"What about Paul?" Nancy scoffed. "I have nothing to lose, so why should I be afraid of him?"

"Nancy!" Crystal's eyes went wide, and she said, "You don't need to put up a false front; not around me at least..."

Nancy nodded. "Crystal, I'm fine. Why don't you let me support you this time? Since you don't love Eric, I do not think it will work between you, and I think you know that as well as I do. So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Crystal admitted. Nancy was right. She could not go to Eric's bed, but up until now, she had refused to dwell on the matter. All she could think about was Nathan. "I really don't know," she said again.

Nancy drained the stock into a smaller pot, and then she ladled the broth into two bowls. She offered one to her friend and said, "Do you want to feed Nathan?"

Crystal shook her head sadly. "I had better not," she replied. "Eric has eyes everywhere. If he found out that I had been in Nathan's room, there is no telling what he would do..."

Nancy sighed and said, "I understand." Then she summoned a servant to do the task. Once the bowl was on its way to the servant's quarters, she turned back to Crystal. "What are you going to do now?" she asked.

"I need to find a way to get in touch with Nathan's people so that they can rescue him." She was thinking about Vic when she said this.

Noah was lying in bed. His whole body was bound and bandaged, but he had finally regained consciousness. He would still need a plethora of surgeries, but now that he was awake, his chances of surviving had increased tenfold. He looked up as the door opened, and when he saw Nancy, he smiled.

Nancy smiled back nervously. "I've brought you some turkey broth," she said. "It will help with your recovery."

Noah tried to sit up, and when she saw that, she rushed to his side and said, "Don't move. You will only make things worse. I can help you if you want something."

Noah nodded and relaxed.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Nancy said as she fed him a spoonful of broth. "It was all my fault. I guess what they say is true: No good deeds go unpunished..." 

"It's not your fault. I knew what I was getting into. And besides, a Gentleman has to stand up for a damsel in distress."

Nancy leaned over and kissed his forehead, and then she offered him another spoon full of broth. He had a few more bites, and then he said that he had had about as much as his stomach could handle.

"Can we try again later?" Nancy asked.

"I would like that," Noah replied. "But I would like to get some rest now."

Just make sure that you wake up - Nancy thought. "I will stay by your side for a while," she said. "That way, if you wake up needing anything, you won't have to try to yell for help."

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, Crystal had been watching them from the doorway. She had seen the way that Noah looked at Nancy, and she could tell that he was very much in love with her. Unfortunately, she was not overly optimistic about their relationship. They have not known each other long enough to make it work - she thought dismally. She would not say anything about this to her friend, though. She wished her friend all the happiness in the world.

Crystal had been thinking about knocking, but when she heard Noah say that he wanted some rest, she decided to leave the couple alone instead.

She crept back downstairs as quietly as she could, and when she went into the kitchen, there was a servant anxiously waiting for her. "What is the matter?" she asked.

"The gentleman will not eat," the servant replied. "And he beat the servant that tried to feed him!"

"Then let him starve," Crystal replied. "I am sure that the gentleman will be more civilized after having missed a meal or three."

"But he keeps calling your name, and he wants to get out of bed."

"What is wrong with you people?" Crystal growled. "In his weakened state, you should have no problem keeping him under your control!"

Before the servant could reply, another appeared. This one's face was white, and she was sweating profusely.

"Now what?" Crystal shouted.