Eric was waiting for Crystal in the parking lot, and he smiled when he saw her. He got out of his car, walked towards her, gave her a big hug, and said, "It is so good to see you. You wouldn''t believe how much I have missed you!"


    Crystal hugged him back, but she waited until he let her go to say anything. "Do you have Noah''s medicine?" she asked.


    "I brought it with me," Eric replied.


    "Will you apany me to the vi so that we can pick up Noah and rk?" Crystal asked.


    "Let''s discuss it in the car," Eric replied. "It''s very cold outside. Why aren''t you wearing more clothes?"


    "It is what it is." Crystal sighed, and she allowed herself to be led to the car.


    Before getting in, Eric put his coat on her shoulders and said, "This will keep you warm." Eric got in on the other side, and once they had their seatbelts on, Crystal reminded him about his promise: If she came back in three days, he would help Noah, and he would set Carlos free. When she was done talking, Eric smiled and touched her cheek. "My darling," he said, "You have kept your promise. Of course, I will keep mine." He took her hand, rubbed her palm, and did not say anything about Nathan. "I am surprised that you came in person," Crystal said. "Weren''t you afraid of an ambush?"


    "Not really." Eric shrugged. "I think that Nathan would be reluctant to use you as bait. I don''t think that he would expect me to pick you up in person anyway."


    Crystal thought about that for a minute, and then she nodded. He is right - she realized. Not only that, but Nathan thought that she was choosing to go. He did not know anything about Carlos or Noah or that she would have stayed if the choice had been hers. Thus, he had no reason to ambush Eric.


    "He never actually cared about you," Eric continued. "You must know that. He was just on a power trip. That guy is selfish. The only person he thinks about is himself."


    "You''re wrong," Crystal whispered. "Nathan is not as selfish as you think, and even though he imprisoned me, it was only because he was trying to protect me."


    Eric scowled, and his face turned red from anger. "Why do you insist on pissing me off?" he hissed. "You are my wife, but you speak up for other men!"


    Crystal did not know why she had defended Nathan. In retrospect, she realized what a stupid thing it had been. "I''m just stating the truth," she repliedmely. "You don''t need to make such a big deal about it."


    "Whose side are you on, anyway?" Eric asked.


    "You are such a hypocrite," Crystal muttered. "Sometimes, there aren''t any sides." She looked out the window and said, "Look out on the street. You said that you were not worried about being ambushed, but I''ve just noticed that you have your men nted everywhere."


    Eric began slow sarcastic apuse. "Nice!" He forced himself to smile and said, "You think that you are so smart... You think you know everything, don''t you?"


    "Yes!" Crystal eximed. "From the first time that I saw you, I have seen through your lies, and your hypocrisy is as in to see as the nose on your face! And do you know why?" Crystal turned her face away. She no longer wanted to look at him, and if it were not for Carlos and Noah, she would have tried to kill him. "Do you know how I can read you so easily?"


    Eric smiled maically. "It is because we are cut from the same cloth. That is why you understand my thoughts so easily. We are Soul Mates!"


    "Bah!" Crystal shook her fist. "I am not like you at all!"


    "Then who do you like? Are you like Nathan?" Ericughed. "I could see it. He is a self-centered person, arrogant and defiant. He never puts others first. He thinks that he is the king of the universe. He has a fierce temper, and he is extremely conceited. Anyone who dares to provoke him is severely punished. This is why he has no friends. He has lovers, but nobody loves him. And his lovers are not really lovers, are they? They are ra*e victims!"


    The car went silent, and it took a while for Crystal to formte a response. Finally, she said, "How do you know him so well?" He knew him even better than she did.


    "Actually, I know everyone," Eric exined. "I was born with a unique insight into human nature. I also took psychology as an elective."


    That makes sense-thought Crystal.


    "Besides," Eric continued. "I am an outgoing person. I am nothing like that lonely weirdo."


    Eric''s rant was draining Crystal''s Chi, and she was beginning to feel faint. "Why do you have to keep saying bad things about Nathan?" she asked. "I get it already! You do not like the guy. Can we move on already?"


    "I''m just telling you that you made a very wise choice when you returned," he replied. He leaned over to kiss her, but she scowled and pulled away.


    "Whether it was wise or not is to be seen." She red at him and said, "I am in a bad mood today, so stay away from me. If you do not, I might lose control of myself. You wouldn''t want that to happen…."


    Eric chuckled. He remembered her temper clearly, but he was not afraid.


    Finally, the driver started the car, and they were on the road pretty soon. Crystal looked out the window and watched the other cars. She was exhausted, and Eric''s proximity to her was making her so nervous that she thought she would have a panic attack. The thought of being his wife and bearing his children made her sick to her stomach.


    A few minutes passed in silence. Then Eric handed Crystal a bottle and a pill, and for a moment, she just stared at them. "What are these for?" she asked.


    "Just in case."


    "In case of what?" she asked.


    "In case you got pregnant while you were with Nathan, Eric exined. "If you did, then this will kill the baby." He rolled his eyes and said, "Jesus! You really are dense..."


    Crystal took the medicine numbly with a shocked expression on her face.


    Eric watched her indifferently. He lit a cigarette and said, "Tell me, how did you escape this time? I can only imagine how many times he fucked you - not that I want to imagine it..." he grimaced. "I can smell him on you, you know?"


    Crystal''s back stiffened. She said, "You must have known what would happen while I was away..."


    "I did," Eric nodded. "Thus, the pills. You need not fear me. Consider this your Last Hurrah. You have promised to end everything with Nathan. If you have done that; if you have removed him from your mind and forgotten him, then we are even. Of course, if you have not..."


    "What does that mean?" Crystal asked nervously.


    "If you have not removed him from your mind, then I will have him killed," he replied. "And you would be punished.. From now on, you are a one-man woman, and I am that man. Do you understand?"