MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

"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 proud and holy as a queen. She is such a gorgeous beauty. Even if she isn't smiling, she is still attractive...

Nathan squinted his eyes narrowly. He could not tell whether he liked her because of her appearance, or because of her smart rebellious temperament, or maybe because he wanted to pursue a proud beauty, or because she had aroused his innate desire to conquer. The one thing he knew was that it was not because of her personality. He thought - This woman is like a fancy jewelry box with nothing inside of it.

He grabbed both sides of her head and forced it into his crotch without warning. "Kiss it!" he roared. "Kiss my d**k!" She did not kiss it right away, and he slammed his fist into the side of her head. "Kiss it, you dirty wh*re!"

She raised her face and looked at him fiercely. Her jawline clenched tightly, yet she didn't utter any words. This is the last straw of her patience, and she counts on her head from one to ten. Horrible monster - she thought. 

Crystal tried to do as he asked, but she was frozen. She thought that this day would traumatize her for the rest of her life. She looked up again into Nathan's eyes. His expression was cruel and hideous.

Nathan looked back at her and frowned. "Why are you looking at me?" he shouted. "Don't look at me!"

Crystal smiled sadly. "Why are you doing this to me?" she asked. "Is this because of what your Grandfather did to you when you were a child? Are you happy seeing me like this and calling me wh*re?"

Nathan's body began to tremble, and tears began to fall from his eyes. "Hate me! Hate me as much as you want because I'm humiliating you again and again,," he begged.

Crystal did not move, and when Nathan couldn't handle her looking at him anymore, he flipped her over so that she was on her back, and he pressed a pillow over her face. "Look at what I am doing to you," he shouted. "This is the price you pay when you betray me. By all rights, you should hate me. But if you refuse to hate me, then I will kill you!"

Crystal felt her strength ebbing. The pressure on her face was so heavy that she could not move her head, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. She was doing everything she could: Kicking, punching, grabbing, and scratching. But it was useless. She was helpless.

Even though Crystal did not want to live anymore, she was determined to fight for her life for as long as she could, if not for her own sake, then for Carlos and Noah and Nancy and Clark. Once she had her affairs in order, she could reassess her situation and decide if she wanted to live or die.

I wonder why I don't hate Nathan; instead, I pity him for being ruthless but living like an empty shell- that was Crystal's last thought before her body went limp and she lost consciousness.

A moment passed, and Nathan threw the pillow across the room. "What have I done?" he cried, and he tried to wake her up.

Almost immediately, Crystal found herself looking down on Nathan. He had been sitting on her chest and pressing the pillow against her face. All the while, he had been cursing and crying and trembling all over. Now, though, he appeared despondent. His face was a mask of grief. What is going on here? - she wondered. It took her a while to realize that she had an out-of-body experience. Her body felt light, and her body was completely free of pain. She had heard about people having out-of-body experiences when they died, so she was not afraid. She looked around for a light, but she did not see anything - nothing to go into! She thought - shouldn't my dead relatives be here to greet me? And where is Jesus?

Moments of Crystal's life began to flash before her eyes, and they made her smile. She saw herself as a child. Her mother was holding her hand, and they were walking on the front lawn. Her mother tilted her head slightly and smiled at her. She was teaching her daughter how to walk.

She saw herself as a teenager. She was in her room, and Serenity was waiting outside for her. Their bikes were on the lawn.

She saw herself with Carlos. It was their Senior year, and they were sitting in a movie theater. She remembered how he had passionately pursued her. He had acted as if the fate of the word would be determined by whether he could catch her eyes. Every day he had put an apple and a milk bottle in her drawer. He had been a real charmer.

Countless other memories flooded in. They ignited a desire to live in her, and she forced her spirit to settle back in her body.

****

Crystal's eyes opened slightly. The sun hit them like shards of glass, and she quickly closed them again. Her head hurt like a son of a bitch. How much time has passed? - she wondered. She hoped that enough time had passed that Nathan would let her go. She could feel his body next to hers. He had an arm lying on her stomach. His fingers had slipped under the elastic band of her panties near her hip, and they made her feel uncomfortable.

Crystal turned her head away from the window - towards Nathan - and forced her eyes open. The light still hurt her head, but now it was manageable. She stared at him for a long time. "You could have had the world, once," she whispered. "But you threw it all away. And for what?" She thought about how he had her crucified and flogged until the flesh was stripped from her body. She thought that it was a pity that he would never understand how much he had lost. Only then would he truly feel the kind of pain that he deserved.

Crystal quietly removed his arm and got out of bed. She went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. She rinsed her mouth with Scope and touched some of her injuries, lingering on the bruises on her neck.. She felt like a piece of meat that had been tenderized, and there was not a part of her body that did not hurt.