Chapter 2
Then, I turned to Shawn.
My tone grew colder as I said, "Keep grabbing.
"Weren't you having fun grabbing just now? No slacking off."
Shawn gritted his teeth.
He kept feeding coins into the machine, working the controls, and trying to grab a prize.
He gave it dozens more tries.
Finally, the claw caught a teddy bear and dropped it safely into the prize slot.
He quickly picked up the teddy bear and handed it to me, wearing a hopeful grin.
"Trisha, look, I finally got one," said Shawn.
He thought that would be enough.
But I shook my head, spelling it out for him, "I want you to grab 3,000 of them. Not even one short."
Shawn was stunned, and the teddy bear slipped from his hand and hit the floor with a thud.
Shawn protested, "Trisha, seriously, don't mess with me. Three thousand? That's impossible.
"These claw machines are rigged. It takes dozens of tries to win one. How am I supposed to get three thousand?
He reached for my hand, sounding desperate.
He said, "Trisha, can't you cut me some slack this time?
"Seriously, don't make me grab all three thousand."
I pulled back from Shawn's hand.
My voice unyielding as I said, "I'm not joking. Either you grab three thousand, or we get divorced."
Shawn gritted his teeth, still trying to bargain.
But I'd pulled out my phone and was dialing up the mall manager.
The whole place was cleared out. I'd booked out the entire mall just for us.
I ordered them to bring every claw machine from every floor together, so Shawn could have all the machines in one spot and get started on his three thousand.
Megan jumped in again.
She said, "Trisha, you're being so unreasonable. You're giving him a hard time on purpose.
"Mr. Moulton is such a great guy, and not only do you not appreciate him, but you're also putting him through all this?
"You don't deserve to be his wife!"
The first time Megan started making a scene with me, I ignored her.
But now she was getting way out of line. Did she think I was that easy to mess with?
I frowned and jerked my chin toward the bodyguard standing nearby.
"Make her shut up," I said.
The bodyguard moved in, and Megan let out a terrified scream.
"Don't come any closer. Mr. Moulton, help me!" Megan shrieked, her voice trembling with fear.
Shawn tried to step in, but I shot him a look that stopped him cold.
"If you so much as move, it won't just be three thousand teddy bears you're grabbing today," I warned, my tone icy.
Shawn froze, his face full of helplessness.
He could only watch as the bodyguard fished the discarded rabbit plushie out of the trash.
Then he forcefully shoved it into Megan's mouth.
Megan's eyes rolled back, limp as a dead dog, as the bodyguard dragged her away.
Soon, the whole mall was emptied, leaving just Shawn and me in the vast space.
There were over sixty claw machines, all lit up and ready to go.
And there were massive boxes stuffed with coins, tens of thousands, all specially brought in for Shawn.
Shawn grabbed a handful of coins and started feeding them into the machines, mindlessly working the joystick again and again, like he was on autopilot.
I plopped down on a sofa and whipped out my phone.
I got some work done while making sure Shawn didn't slack off for a second.
As the night wore on, Shawn's movements grew slower and slower.
Sweat kept pouring down his forehead, and his arms were so dead tired he could hardly even raise them now.
Every time he tried to grab a prize, his hand would tremble, and his face would twist in pain.
I glanced at the time. It was already three in the morning.
He'd been clawing away for a grueling nine hours straight, but had only managed to snag twenty-seven teddy bears.
By the time dawn was breaking, Shawn couldn't hold on anymore. He collapsed to the floor, completely spent.
His hands were cramping up, fingers curled so tight he couldn't even make a fist.
He was gasping for air, his voice hoarse and choked with tears.
Shawn pleaded, "Trisha, I can't grab anymore. My hands... They're cramping so bad, I can't even hold a fork.
"Please, have mercy on me. Three thousand is too much. I could die here and still never finish."
I looked at him, all exhausted and miserable, and finally relented.
I said coldly, "This is just your first warning.
"The only reason I agreed to marry you was that you had no messy baggage. I expected you to stay out of trouble and keep yourself in line.
"But if you can't stay faithful and keep your distance from other women, next time, it won't just be your hands paying the price."
Shawn nodded quickly, desperate.
He said, "I understand. I promise, I won't ever dare to do it again!"
I pulled the custom-made luxury Sterlingia watch out of my bag and handed it to Shawn.Sterlingia
"I got this for you as our third wedding anniversary gift," I said, looking at him.
Shawn took the watch, a hint of delight flashing across his face.
But then he noticed something strange.
The watch face was stuck at the exact time I walked in on him and Megan at the claw machine.
"Trisha, this..." Shawn stammered, his voice trembling.
"I want you to never forget the lesson you learned today," I said coldly.
Shawn nodded quickly, carefully tucking the watch away.
His hands were still cramping, every move clumsy and messy. He was a total wreck.
After the whole claw machine ordeal, Shawn started behaving himself.