Midnight Bride The CEO’s Temptation

Finally, Crystal wiped the tears from her eyes. She stood up straight, looked Nathan in the eyes, and said, "You said that I am selfish... but you're just as bad... You said that you loved me, and you forced me to love you back. But that is not how love works. You cannot force love! If you try, the best you can hope for is compliance - bitter compliance!"

Nathan frowned and said, "I may be ruthless, but I have done everything that I can think of to show you that I love you and to win your love. I would dig out my heart to prove my love. Is that what you want? Crystal, I loved you so much beyond what you could imagine, but you hurt me!"

For an instant, Crystal felt a lump in her throat, and she turned her face away from his. She could not bear the pain of seeing him being hurt. "I don't need that," she muttered. "Please, please, please, forget me. I don't deserve your love."

A cold light flashed over Nathan's eyes.

"There are countless women better than me," Crystal continued. "Why did you have to choose me?"

"The heart wants what the heart wants." Nathan took a deep breath. "You don't choose who you fall in love with. You may not be perfect, but I was never looking for perfection. I was never looking for someone that was better than you. It's only you and always be you, Crystal. How could I tell myself to stop loving you? Do you understand?" Tears welled up in his eyes, and Crystal could tell that he was in pain.

"You need to move on," she insisted.

"There is someone out there that is better for you. I promise!"

"You don't understand!" Nathan shouted. "How could you understand!? My love is limited, and I gave it all to you! My heart is ruined, and my capacity to love is exhausted."

Crystal opened her mouth, and a sob escaped. Tears began to fall down her cheeks. "Oh, Nathan," she cried." Poor Nathan.... What have I done to you?" Her heart was beating rapidly, and she began to hyperventilate.

Nathan looked at Crystal, and he frowned. He wiped his tears away. "What are you crying about?" he snarled. "You can no longer manipulate me with your tears. Those days are over!"

Crystal nodded unhappily. "No matter what you think of me, I just hope... I just hope that you can find a way to be happy... I hope that you meet a better woman, one who loves you and is worthy of your love."

Nathan froze for a second. His brows furrowed, and he gave her a suspicious look. "Is that what you wanted all along?" he asked. "For me to be happy? Is that why you wanted me to lose my memory?"

"Yes..." Crystal nodded. "I have to go to Eric. I have no choice. But I had hoped that if I could erase your memory, then you could be happy without me."

"You had to?" Nathan was skeptical. "No one can make anyone do anything that they don't want to do! Be honest, now. Did you want me to forget so that I could be happy, or so that you and Eric could be happy and live a life without my constant interruptions?"

Crystal put her hand under his chin and lifted his head so that she could look him in the eyes. "It doesn't matter if I'm happy or not," she said. "It is your happiness that concerns me..."

Nathan rolled his eyes and said, "Your bullshit is getting exhausting. Is there no end to your lies?"

Big tears rolled down Crystal's cheeks. She was desperate to explain, but she could not. "Please," she whined. "I'm not lying..."

"Whatever." Nathan stood up slowly. He was like a defeated general to Crystal, and her heart ached to see him this way. A voice spoke up in her head, though. It said, "This is for the best; one big hurt, like a band-aid being torn off. He may not think so now, but he will recover, and he will move on." The alternative would have been for him to continue to fight for her for who knows how long.

"We were never meant to be together," Crystal muttered.

When Nathan heard that, he was filled with rage. He grabbed the bed with trembling hands, lifted it, and threw it across the room. The bed hit the floor and then the ground, and the sound echoed off the walls. He shoved his finger in Crystal's face and shouted at her: "You! Shut up! Haven't you done enough? Will you not stop until I am dead? Don't push me, Crystal..."

"It's you two who keeps pushing me!" Crystal argued. "You are the one that keeps pestering me. Once you let me go, I will go!"

"You think you are so special!" Nathan laughed like a maniac, and Crystal flinched. "Get a clue, Crystal Smith. You are not special. If you had married me, being my wife would have been the only thing special about you that would have been special. And you were right. It will be easy to replace you. So, go already. Do you hear me?"

"I heard you..." Crystal murmured. "And don't worry about erasing my memory!" Nathan continued. "I am already over you!"

Crystal looked around nervously. She felt like she had fallen into a deep pool. She felt helpless and desperate. This situation seemed surreal, and she felt like she was being set up. It seemed, though, that he was letting her go. Unlike before, his eyes, expressions, movements, and tones were serious and determined. He had made up his mind.

Crystal knew Nathan very well. He was paranoid. Once he decided on something, he would not change his mind. He had been that way with his love. Once he decided to love her, no matter what the difficulties he had had to face, he had determined to face them and actualize their relationship. Now that he had decided not to love her anymore, she believed that he would do as he had said: Forget her and move on. She took a deep breath and bit her lower lip.

What is wrong with me? - she wondered - Why am I mourning this relationship? Isn't this what I wanted? I should be happy. It is a better ending than I expected... She had never expected that Nathan would let go of her, though, and now that he had, her feelings surprised her.

Am I not worthy of being loved? - she wondered. "Are you s-serious?" she stammered. "N-No regrets?"

Nathan did not answer. He snorted coldly, picked up his trousers, and put them on. He turned, looked her up and down, and said, "In my eyes, you are no different from the prostitutes on the street. You come with a hefty price tag, but you are dirty and cheap!"

Crystal frowned. She said, "Say what you want. You may even be right on some accounts. I still wish you a happy life...."