Chapter 245: What If I Fail?
Chapter 245: What If I Fail?
Before Paul could hit Nancy, Michelle intervened. “Stop!” she cried.
Paul’s hand froze, and he turned to look at Michelle. “Why shouldn’t I punish her?” he asked.
“Even if she is guilty, spare her for the sake of your son.” She smiled. “Just let her go. Ask her to move out. I don’t want to see her again.”
When Nancy heard that, she began to panic. She thought - If he kicks me out, what will become of Clark?
“Alright,” Paul grunted. “It was a mistake to let her come back. I can see that now.”
Nancy sighed and said, “Thank you! If you let me, I’ll go right now!”
“Go then,” Michelle said.
Nancy grunted as she got up, but Paul ordered her to stop as she made her way towards the door. Nancy froze. “You said that I could leave...” she said. “So, what gives?”
“I didn’t say that you could go, now,” Paul replied. “You still need to be punished!”
“What are you going to do to me?” Nancy’s lower lip quivered, and she said, “It feels like you aren’t going to stop until you’ve killed me...”
Paul laughed and said, “That’s funny. Until you said that, I’d forgotten that you are afraid of dying.”
“I was.” Nancy glared at him. “But I’m not anymore. Thanks to you, I now know that
there are worse things than dying.”
Paul turned to Michelle and said, “We have to teach her one last lesson. What do you think we should do?”
“Can she paint a picture?” Michelle suggested.
“You want her to paint? That’s it?” Paul scowled and said, “You are too kind. She is always bullying you. She deserves severe punishment. Do you want to break her fingers, maybe? And then make her paint?”
“I just want her to paint a picture,” Michelle said. “Every time I pick up a pencil or paintbrush, I get a headache. Concentration is hard, painting is not easy, and headaches hurt a lot.”
Paul raised his eyebrows and said, “That may be so, but as a punishment, it is too light.”
“Is it?” Michelle’s smile turned into a shark-like Cheshire grin. “Let me show you what I mean.” She turned to Nancy, crooked her finger, and said, “Come forward.”
Paul suddenly realized what Michelle had in mind. “Are you sure that this is what you want?” he asked.
“I just want her to know who you belong to,” Michelle replied. “Then she will give up on you. If she still has expectations and fantasies about you, she will not marry Noah, and that will ruin her life. She is still young. She deserves a better future. Right?”
“Why are you still so considerate of her? She treated you extremely badly. You are obviously a better person than I am.”
“You can say that again.” Michelle chuckled. “We are both women, though. I understand her, and I feel pity for her.”
“Well, she is pitiful.” Paul smiled, touched Michelle’s nose, and said, “Fine. Have it your way.”
Nancy was still unhappy about being punished, but she felt better now that Michelle had taken over the task. After all, she would rather paint a picture than be beaten or assaulted by Paul - as was his way. She looked nervously in his direction and thought - Stay cool, Nancy. He may be calm now, but if you step out of line, he will be on you like an owl on a field mouse.
Paul saw the look of fear on her face, and he chuckled. He looked at the door and said, “You want to run, don’t you? But do you have the guts to run? That is the question. I don’t think you do.”
Nancy did not answer him. She did not even look him in the eyes.
“Why don’t you talk?” He smacked her across the back of her head. “Where is that sharp tongue of yours, now?”
“It takes a big man to hit a helpless woman...” Nancy muttered.
“You’ll soon find out what kind of a man l am,” Paul sneered.
Nancy was not stupid. She quickly guessed what punishment Michelle was proposing, and it did not involve painting a picture. Just the thought of it made her face turn white, and she felt as if she was going to be sick.
Nancy felt stupid for being so naïve. When she had been married to Paul, he had made her watch while he fucked Michelle. Now, it seemed that Michelle wanted her to watch for old time’s sake one last time. Like before, she would not be allowed to look away or close her eyes.
Michelle had seemed reluctant to punish Nancy, but the fact that this had been her idea showed that, between her and Paul, she was the most vicious. Nancy had to admire the other woman’s skill as an actor and as a master manipulator. She looked at her and smiled bitterly.
Paul picked up the phone, and Nancy frowned when he asked a servant to bring in a drawing board, papers, and paint. Did I misread the situation? - She wondered - If so, I was off by more than a mile!
Once everything was set up, Paul turned to Nancy, and in a cold voice, he said, “You can sketch, or you can paint in watercolor. Do whatever you are good at. You can’t leave until you have created something that meets our standards.”
“What if I fail?” Nancy wondered.
“Then you will try again. I don’t care if it takes you all week, so long as you don’t stop.” “What if I can’t paint well all night?”
“Then go on painting tomorrow; then the next day and the day after that. You will keep at it until you are finished, and we are satisfied.” Nancy squinted her eyes and said, “You won’t get away with this.”
“Oh.” Paul smiled playfully. “The “Curse of Nancy.” - I am practically shaking in my boots... Not!!!!!
“If God doesn’t punish you, then I will retaliate against you.”
“That’s funny. How, pray tell, would you get even with me? Tell me, eh?”
“The cruelest revenge is not hatred. It is indifference. I no longer have any feelings for you. You are nothing to me. If you died today, I would not even waste my time spitting on your grave. And no matter what you do, you can’t hurt me; not anymore, because my heart is dead!”
When Paul heard what Nancy had to say to him, he was surprised by the way her words hurt his heart. He frowned and, without thinking, took off all his clothes.
