Nathan sighed as he knelt beside Crystal. He tenderly tucked her hair behind her ears and gently said her name. "You are safe now," he said. "The danger has passed."
Crystal hung her head. Such was her shame that it seemed impossible to look him in the eyes. Nathan touched her chin, though, and lifted it. "Say something," he said. "You can do it. Don't let that man get to you. If you do, he wins."
Still, she could not meet his eyes, and when he finally realized that he wasn't going to make any more progress at this time, he sighed and said, "Shall we go to bed?"
When she didn't reply, he picked her up and laid her on the bed, tucked her in, and crawled in beside her. She buried her face on his chest, and he gently stroked her hair with his hand. Crystal lay still, but she did not fall asleep. She knew that Nathan still wanted to talk.
Nathan: "Don't you want to know what happened between Eric and me?"