Chapter 408 You Are Still a Normal Man
The private room door was pushed open, and Nicholas walked in with his hands in his pockets. Before he could even start sweet-talking his wife, he saw Katniss sitting next to Saskia.
His heart trembled; he feared Katniss more than he feared his wife.
Katniss had managed to force Tristan back from the small village and had them push him into the morgue.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Katniss was much more formidable than the assistant he used to know.
But he didn't feel any sympathy for Tristan; after all, it was Tristan himself who had spoiled Katniss into becoming like this.
He directly avoided Katniss's gaze and walked over to Saskia, "Honey, what made you think of coming to the bar? Do you want me to call a few male models for you?"
After sitting down, he noticed the whip placed on one side.
He shivered even more, "Katniss, I'll call a few for you, too."
"I'm fine, after all, I'm a loner," Katniss said, "Saskia doesn't need it, you're still a normal man."
Saskia snorted, "He's normal, but his brain isn't. Otherwise, why would he find male models for his wife?"
Nicholas felt like he had walked into a trap. After much deliberation, he tugged on Saskia's sleeve, "Honey, I understand you're mad at me. You can make me do anything at home, just don't hand me over to Katniss!"
"You caused the trouble yourself, you have to solve it yourself. Don't ruin our relationship," Saskia knew that Katniss had come to her today because of Nicholas.
She didn't want to ruin her relationship with Katniss, so she decisively pushed Nicholas out.
Finally, she turned to Katniss and said, "Katniss, how do we play? Hurry up and tell me, I can't wait."
"Admit your mistake," Katniss pointed to the whip on one side, "Choose how many lashes you want. If we're not satisfied, we won't let you go home for at least three or four hours tonight."
The implication was that if Nicholas didn't take the lashes, the drinks on the table wouldn't be enough for him tonight.
Nicholas didn't know what Katniss wanted to do. After much consideration, he chose to take 10 lashes.
Saskia gave him one lash, and by the second lash, Nicholas instinctively tried to dodge. So Saskia said, "If you dare to dodge, you'll be punished with three glasses of wine first."
Katniss pushed the three prepared glasses of wine in front of him.
Nicholas said, "Even if it were Evie, she would try to dodge a lash. You're doing this on purpose!"
"Since you know, why ask?" Katniss retorted, "If you really can't take it, just drink the wine."
With that, she leaned back on the sofa, watching Nicholas with a half-smile as he looked to Saskia for help.
Saskia turned her head and continued to pour wine into the empty glass, "For the sake of my friendship with Katniss, drink more. Don't worry, if you get too drunk, I'll take you home."
Nicholas gritted his teeth and downed the three glasses of strong liquor in one go.
After that, Nicholas alternated between taking lashes and drinking.
In less than an hour, Nicholas was leaning against the sofa, clutching Saskia's leg, complaining, "Saskia, how can you side with Katniss? My leg hurts, I can't use the position you like tonight!"
"Get lost!" Saskia's ears turned red, and she pushed his head away.
"You need to be gentle, not as ruthless as Katniss. Tristan, such a good man, was bullied by her into coming back from the small village."
Nicholas rested his head on Saskia's knee, muttering, "Tristan is such a good man, but his fate is a bit tragic. I can't help him..."
As he spoke, he started to cry.
Saskia looked up at Katniss, "If you ask him one more question, he might spill everything. But I want to remind you, Nicholas and Emory have kept this so tightly under wraps, forcing Tristan to hide in that place, it must be something unacceptable. Are you sure you want to know?"
"What could be worse than him being dead?" Katniss's lips curled into a bitter smile. "He wants to take full control of our affairs, and I don't even have the right to know. Am I his wife or his puppet?"
Saskia was taken aback by this statement and slapped Nicholas on the head, "If you want to go home tonight, tell us how Tristan's situation is tragic. What drug was he injected with?"
Nicholas cried out in pain, clutching Saskia's leg and crying, soaking a part of her clothes.
"I'll tell you, just don't kill me. Tristan was injected with a very potent drug!"
Katniss pinched the bridge of her nose and asked, "Can it kill him?"
"It won't kill his brain, but it will kill his body!" Nicholas shuddered and sat up straight, "Do you know what a vegetative state is? He's worse than that. He can hear the outside world, his mind is clear, but he can't open his eyes, can't speak, and can't move."
The spacious private room suddenly felt oppressive after Nicholas's words, making it hard for Katniss to breathe.
She stared unblinkingly at Nicholas.
Nicholas, drunk and rambling, said, "Only the brain survives. That bastard Duke calls it the Freedom Pill, saying that lying there without eating, drinking, or moving, not feeling physical pain, but still feeling alive, is the most comfortable! Duke is a madman, that's worse than death!"
Once Tristan's condition fully manifested, he would have to rely on nutritional infusions in the hospital for the rest of his life.
Katniss couldn't imagine such a torment and gradually understood Tristan's determination.
To have perception but be unable to do anything, that was truly being a puppet.
How could he love her in the future? With only a clear mind, a heart that beats without warmth, and lying in bed, unable to communicate?
"Katniss," Saskia's heart ached, seeing her sitting stiffly on the sofa, almost in tears, "I told you, Tristan wouldn't go to such lengths to hide something good."
"I'm fine," Katniss's voice trembled, her hands gripping the sofa tightly, her increasingly blurred gaze falling into the dark corner of the room, unfocused.
After a long time, she lowered her head, her hands pressed against her forehead, her long hair falling over her shoulders.
It covered her cheeks, but couldn't hide the sadness emanating from her.
Nicholas was still muttering, affecting Saskia's attempt to comfort Katniss, so she simply kicked Nicholas over.
Saskia moved closer to Katniss and said softly, "Katniss, you have to hold on. Nicholas once said that the success of that drug is still unknown. Maybe everything will get better."
"I know, there's still hope, but your comfort doesn't help much right now. Let me calm down alone."
Katniss didn't lift her head, but Saskia saw a crystal-clear tear drop onto the floor.
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