His Destructive, Toxic Love

The year they first met, Eliza was brimming with excitement to introduce herself to Casper. "Hi, I'm Eliza, but you can call me Elle. It's a bit more friendly." Just as she was about to say more, Casper cut her off coldly, "Why would I call you Elle? Are we that close?" She felt utterly embarrassed at that moment. It was just a name; did he really have to be so... hurtful?

Had he forgotten about this?

No, Casper hadn't forgotten. Three years ago, he had no chance to make amends. Now, he wanted to reclaim the bits of their lost past.

"We're still married, aren't we? What's wrong with me calling you that?"

"Casper, don't make me sick. Married? Eliza died three years ago. I'm now Valerie, a widow with a child. I am not your wife."

She yanked her wrist from his grasp, rubbing it gently as she stepped back, looking at him with a cold stare, "Don't kid yourself. Whatever we had ended three years ago. There's no chance of getting back together."

"I can get your identity back." It wasn't a difficult task.

"And then what?" she asked, a disappointed smirk playing on her lips. "You'll use the name Mrs. Welton to trap me in the Welton family for life. I'll be at your mercy and be humiliated and insulted, right?"

He shook his head, denying everything she imagined. "No."

"Then what? Do you have a thing for widows? Do you like to take care of someone else's kid?" she sneered, looking down at him. "Mr. Casper, you really are despicable."

He stayed silent. It seemed she had hit the mark. For someone so particular about purity, he was willing to accept her past marriage and motherhood. He was mad. Truly mad and despicable. Seeing Casper remain silent, Eliza took a step back and turned to leave.

Just then, Dillon returned, nodding respectfully to her. "Ms. Valerie."

"You're no good either," she glared at him.

Dillon was taken aback. Was he the collateral damage of Casper's drastic actions?

After a brief pause, Dillon walked inside, speaking softly, "Mr. Casper."

"Is he gone?" Casper asked, a cigarette hanging from his lips, without looking up.

Dillon answered honestly, "I've arranged for someone to take Mikey to Crescent Creek. Did he say something he shouldn't have? Mrs. Welton seemed a bit off. Did something unpleasant happen between you two?"

"Mikey turned against us," Casper said with a resigned smile, shaking his head.

Dillon was taken aback. "Turned against us? We wouldn't have let him go if we had known he would do that."

"I guess someone must have threatened him." Casper narrowed his eyes slightly.

He gently extinguished the barely smoked cigarette, turning his gaze to Dillon. "Aaron must have met him before we could."

"You mean Aaron used Mickey's wife and child as leverage to ensure he wouldn't spill the truth to Mrs. Welton?"

Aaron was indeed a deeply scheming character. Why hadn't Casper noticed before? Was Aaron that good of an actor? This meant Casper might never be able to turn things around with Eliza.

"Do you know what's even more frustrating? She even suspects that Mikey's decision to start a new family in Crescent Creek had

something to do with me..." Casper's

voice revealed deep helplessness.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

"Mr. Casper, I think Mrs. Welton will also head to Crescent Creek to uncover the truth. She won't give up easily. Aaron might still be there, too. Should we make a trip?"