MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

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 realized that one of the servants was standing in the doorway. "What are you waiting for?" she shouted at her. "Go and find some medicine to stop the bleeding!"

The servant took off down the stairs, and Crystal went into the bathroom to grab a towel. When she returned, she asked Nathan to show her where he was injured. Much to her dismay, though, he waved her away dismissively. Then, after she refused to go, he grabbed her by the neck and began to squeeze.

Crystal's face turned red, and her eyes bulged. She could barely breathe. This is the end - she thought wildly. She could see murder in his eyes, and moments of her life flashed before her eyes.

"I knew that there had to be a reason why you were being nice to me!" Nathan growled. "And what about last night? What was that? A Mercy fuck?" He spat in her face. Then he took a moment to calm down, and he said, "I bet you were laughing at me behind my back the entire time!"

Crystal felt the pressure on her neck lessen slightly, and she was able to breathe. It was clear, though, that her life was in his hands.

"What you have done is unforgivable," Nathan continued. "But maybe if you tell me why you did this, I might let you live."

"I have never laughed at you." Her voice was so dry, and her throat was in so much pain that she could barely speak.

"Be that as it may..." Nathan's brows furrowed. "I want to know what you are up to."

What is the point of all of this? - Crystal asked herself. She was stuck in this lose-lose-lose situation, but Nathan was offering her a way out. "Just kill me," she croaked. "I deserve it."

"Fuck off!" Nathan let go of Crystal's neck, placed his palm against her face, and he pushed her so hard that she fell backward. The back of her head hit the ground, and she cried out in pain. Then he snapped at her: "You're not getting off that easy!"

As Crystal tried to get up, she accidentally bumped her watch, and it beeped. This means something - she thought. She looked at it for a long time, and Nathan watched her. He is like a teacher - she realized -  he is waiting for me to solve a particularly difficult problem.

At the top of the watch, she could see a battery. Next to that, she saw the Bluetooth symbol. Then the Wi-fi and Data. At the very end, there was a symbol that she did not recognize. She pressed it, and when she saw what it was, the pieces fell into place. It was a Baby Monitor.

Nathan had been using it to listen in on her private conversations.

The cat was out of the bag. He had heard every word that she had said to Eric. He knew that she was planning on meeting up with him. He knew about the amnesia medicine, and he knew that she was planning on leaving him. She had only wanted the medicine to spare his feelings, but she doubted that he would see it that way.

Nathan stared at her. He knew that she knew that he knew, and there was a look of hurt disgust on his face. With a tone of voice that was more sad than angry, he said, "You are like a worm-infested apple. You look and smell so delicious. You feel firm and ripe and full of potential, but it only takes one bite to discover that you are rotten to the core..."

Crystal felt her throat tighten. She thought - this was worse than being strangled. At least with strangulation, there was a hope of death's sweet release. She did not know how to explain to Nathan why she had turned on him or if she should even try.

Nathan was still looking at her again. He said, "I feel so dirty, and just looking at you makes me feel sick."

"I have always been this way." Crystal sighed. She stood up, crossed her arms beneath her breasts, and in a callous tone of voice, said, "Think of the tale of the Farmer and the Snake. You are the farmer, and I am the snake. The farmer took pity on a frozen snake and brought it home. He nursed it back to health, and in return for his kindness, the snake bit him. As the farmer lay dying, he asked the snake, 'Why did you bite me? I took you in. I brought you back to life.' The snake replied, 'You knew I was a snake.."

Crystal laughed, and a cold chill ran down Nathan's back.

"Do you get it?" Crystal hissed. "I am the snake! I am poison to you! I am no good to anybody!" Tears were streaming down her face. "Do you get it?!?!"

Nathan hung his head, "I get it..." He was growing more and more despondent by the second. He said, "I used to think that I was the problem. I thought that you would have me if I changed my behavior, and I did change - for you!

Crystal wanted to flee, but it felt like her legs were planted into the ground. She was frozen in place. She did not know what to say, but even if she did, she doubted she could speak. She was so overwhelmed that she could not move her muscles.

"I didn't know that a person could be as selfish as you are," Nathan continued. His heart was broken, and he doubted that it could ever be repaired. "You are a heartless, vicious, cold-blooded, blood-sucking bitch!"

Crystal was weeping now, and she was struggling to catch her breath.

"Loving you was a waste of my time!" Nathan exclaimed. "It will be the greatest regret of my life!"

Crystal flinched. She felt like she had been slapped in the face.

Nathan could see that he was hurting her, and even now, his heart said that he should go to her and comfort her.. No!- he thought angrily - She does not deserve my compassion.