After having been thrown out of the room, Crystal took out her cell phone and called Eric. When he answered, she told him everything that she had seen.
Paul put his fingers under Nancy's nose, and when she smelled the scent of her vag*nal fluids on his fingers, she nearly threw up. Paul grinned. "You like that," he said. "Don't you?" Then, when she opened her mouth to protest, he crammed his fingers between her lips.
Nancy began to gag and squirm, but Paul held the back of her head with his free hand so that she could not get away. "What a dirty girl." He laughed as his fingers rubbed over her tongue.
Nancy growled deep in her throat, and she bit them as hard as she could, but it did not help. Paul did not let up. Instead, he sighed and said, "We were just about done, but now I have to punish you for biting me. You just don't learn, do you?"
"No!" Nancy cried. "Please. I learned my lesson. I won't bite you again. I can be a good girl!"
Before Paul could reply, the door burst open, and five people barged in. He recognized Crystal and Eric but not the three burly men behind them. He figured that they were his bodyguards.
Paul smirked and pushed Nancy to the ground. She hit the floor like a sack of potatoes, without a word or grunt. For now, at least, she had disconnected from the world, drawn inside of herself- and that was a mercy.
"What a pity," Paul smirked. He nudged Nancy with his foot, and when she didn't respond, he said, "If your friends were not so annoying, I could have had you one more time."
"You've gone too far this time!" Eric shouted from across the room. "Get out of here. You have three minutes to dress and leave. If you are here at the end of the three minutes, I will sic my bodyguards on you!"
Paul's brow furrowed. "Look at you, Mr. High and Mighty," he scoffed.
"I may not be innocent," Eric argued, "but I've never been this guilty." In the past, they had tag-teamed women, but they had never ra*ed any of them.
Paul nodded. He wiped off his manh**d, put it away, and zipped up his trousers as if nothing had happened. Except for the wrinkles on his suit, he looked the same as he had come in.
Nancy, on the other hand, was a total mess.
Paul began to walk towards the door, and as he passed Crystal, Crystal rushed to him and slapped him across the face. Paul frowned. Being slapped by two women in one day was humiliating.
Crystal lifted her hand, wanting to slap him again, but Paul seized her arm this time. He looked her in the eye and said, "You are Eric's wife, but it doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Touch me again, and you'll see what will happen. How about that?"
Eric warned him, "Paul!"
Paul gave Eric a glance before he smirked, "Twenty minutes until "Go Time," he said. "And it looks like there will only be one couple getting married today. Congratulations, Eric."
Although Crystal still wanted to give Paul another slap, she saw that her friend needed to be her priority. Nancy was curled up on the floor. She was trembling all over, quietly weeping, and when Crystal looked into her hollow eyes, she felt heartbroken.
Crystal asked Eric for his coat to cover Nancy. Then she knelt, and as she rubbed her friend's back, she said, "I'm here. Don't be afraid..." When Nancy did not reply, she turned to Paul and shouted at him. "Paul Burnett, you are going to go to hell for what you've done to her today!"
"Whatever." Paul shrugged and said, "I'm looking forward to your wedding."
The room went silent for a moment. Then Paul patted Eric on the shoulder and left the room. Once he was gone, Crystal's attention returned to her friend. She ran her hand through Nancy's hair and said, "Don't worry. Someday we will pay him back for this. You will see."
"But what about Clark?" Nancy asked. "I don't want to lose my son."
"Silly girl." Crystal laughed and said, "Trust me. Things will work out. We have bigger things to worry about right now. The wedding is supposed to start in eighteen minutes. At least your dress is intact - Thank God for minor miracles."
"I'm not in the mood anymore," Nancy whined.
Seeing Nancy in the state that she was in made Crystal not want to get married either. After all, who was to say that Eric would not be just as abusive as Nathan or Paul?
"You can't back out now," Eric cut in. "The whole world is watching us. What do you think people will say? I will not allow you to shame me in this manner. If need be, I will drag you down the aisle myself. You would look much more dignified if you walked down the aisle without the need for force, though. Don't you think so?" He eyed Crystal. "And that goes for you, too. So, I do not want to hear anything about you getting cold feet. Is that understood?"
Crystal sensed his determination, and she nodded dutifully. "I really don't think Nancy is up to this, though." She used her eyes to plead with Eric. He was overbearing, but he had promised to do anything she asked.
"Fine." Eric sighed and said, "Her wedding can only be canceled. It's not real, anyway."
When Nancy heard that, she found an inner strength that she had been unaware of. She gritted her teeth and said, "No! I will not be intimidated by Paul. He wants to stop me from getting married, but the likes of him won't scare me!"
Crystal was astonished to hear that.
"He said that I didn't deserve to be happy," Nancy continued. "I must prove him wrong!" She looked at Crystal and said, "Help me get ready. I don't want to be held back by him anymore!"
Crystal gave her a curious look. "Nancy, are you serious?"
"Yes." Nancy nodded forcefully and said, "I used to be a coward. I let him bully and humiliate me, but those days are over!"
Crystal smiled and said, "I am glad to hear that. I had hoped that you would find your backbone... for Clark's sake, if not for your own."
Nancy nodded and said, "I have to set a good example to him and teach him to be strong and brave."
Eric looked at his watch and frowned. It was ten minutes till Go Time, and they needed a few minutes to get from the dressing room to the church. "I don't know how you'll get Nancy ready in time...." he said.