Page 239 of Nanny and the Beast

This is female rage,unfiltered.

“Baby, no, please,” he says.

“Which one of us are you talking to, Ricky?” Sera asks.

“It’s always been you, Sera,” he says. “Always.”

“You pathetic liar,” she snarls, pointing the gun at his chest and pulling the trigger. I gasp, but no bullet leaves the gun.

Sera snickers when her husband recoils.

It looks like she’s playing Russian roulette with him, letting fate decide if he gets to live or die.

“All I want is for us to be a family again,” he says. “You, me, and the kids.I’ll take you to the Greek island you’ve always wanted to visit. We can stay there for as long as you wish.”

“That’s all I ever wanted,” Sera says. “I wanted you to be a good husband and a good father. I thought you would change your ways with time, but you couldn’t help yourself, could you? You weren’t just unfaithful, you were also cruel.”

“It wasn’t me, baby,” he says. “It was the alcohol. I wasn’t in my right mind when I did all those things.”

“I was taking care of the house and our kids while you went and found yourself a sidepiece,” Sera says. She looks at the other woman. “No offense.”

Clara shakes her head, keeping her eyes on Richard. He glances at the other woman. He can’t hide the disgust on his facewhen he looks at her. He can’t help but show the world what a horrible person he is on the inside.

“As if the cheating wasn’t bad enough, you started abusing me,” she says. “You hurt me. It was only a matter of time before you hurt the kids, too.”

“I would never,” he says.

Even in a bloody and bruised state, I can easily see why a woman like Sera would be blinded by him. Not only does he have an old Hollywood charm about him, he’s also a spectacular liar. His eyes shine with love and adoration, like he wasn’t the reason for ruining so many people’s lives.

“You’re the reason I had to live without my kids for a whole year,” Sera says. “I’ve waited a long time for this. The day you’d finally be at my mercy.”

“Baby, please,” he begs. “It’s not too late. You were the only woman I ever loved. The rest of them didn’t mean anything to me.”

Clara picks up a baseball bat and swings it with all her might. It lands on his cheekbone, making his head snap to the opposite side.

Richard spits blood on the floor. I notice that two of his teeth have come knocked loose as well.

He looks up at Clara.

His mask slips.I see the narcissist lurking underneath the charming exterior. I see the malice in his eyes.

“You bitch,” he spits out. “What the fuck are you even doing here?”

“She’s here to watch as you breathe your last,” Sera says, pointing the gun at him again. “And you don’t get to talk to another woman that way ever again.”

Sera lifts the gun, aiming it at his head this time.

“Sera, wait—” he says.

She pulls the trigger.

There’s no bullet. He’s sweating, though. He knows his end is near.

“The kids need a father, Sera,” he says. “They need me. You know this. I’m going to change. I’ll do it for you. I’ll do anything for you.”

“Oh, give it a rest,” she says. “Everyone in this room has already seen your true colors. You’re not fooling anyone.”

Richard’s gaze swings between the two women. And then it shifts to Klaus and me.

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