His Destructive, Toxic Love

Eliza was dying to know the truth, but was wary that Casper might mess things up. So, she headed to Crescent Creek by herself.

Standing outside the kindergarten, she stared at the vibrant, lively woman inside, lost in thought for quite a while.

Could this really be her father's new wife? Or was she just an actress?

How could her father be into someone so young? This woman was only a few years older than her.

"Her name is Lynn. She's twenty-eight. When she met your dad, she was still in college."

Eliza jumped at the voice from behind. She turned to see Casper and asked, surprised and puzzled, "What are you doing here? Are you following me?"

"Just looking out for you," Casper replied casually.

"We're not even close; why do you care?" She turned away from the kindergarten and started walking down the road.

Casper rushed to catch up with her. He continued talking about Lynn, his voice calm and low, "Your dad really took care of her, paid for her college for four years, and got her a job. I heard he even shelled out over two hundred grand for her mom's medical bills." Eliza stopped dead in her tracks, her face a mix of shock and disbelief.

Two hundred grand? How could the Pinotti family possibly have that kind of money?

"He's just a regular guy. Where would he get two hundred grand? If you're gonna lie, at least make it believable."

Casper raised an eyebrow slightly. Even he himself found it hard to believe, but facts were facts, "She became your dad's secret lover; he must've really loved her."

Eliza's expression darkened instantly. No kid wanted to hear that their father loved someone other than their mother.

"Are you done?" Her voice was cold, brimming with impatience.

"They also have a son. You just saw him. That little boy opposite her is theirs."Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

That was the cold, hard truth. Whether Eliza accepted it or tried to run from it was undeniable.

Eliza didn't want to hear anymore and quickened her pace as if she could outrun the suffocating reality of her father's affair.

"Your dad probably won't come back to Falconridge," Casper added.

Eliza was furious now. Her eyes

blazed as she glared at him. "Is this what men do? Cheat and crush on every new thing? Do first wives mean nothing to you? Are they just a joke? What's the point of having such men around if that's the case?"

Casper was silent. He knew he was in hot water now. "I was just..." he began to explain.

Eliza scoffed, "Are all the decent men dead?"

"Don't be mad. I know what I did before was wrong," he admitted, "but there have been some misunderstandings between us. Give me a chance, and I'll explain everything." "Misunderstandings?"

Years of bottled-up pain and anger erupted.

"Casper, even if you didn't love me, you didn't have to treat me like that. This isn't a misunderstanding. It's who you are. You're just bad to the core, and that won't change. Stop wasting your time on me. I'm not jumping back into the fire,"

He was at a loss for words. Deep down, he knew some things could be fixed, but there were some he could never make right.

Still, no matter the outcome, he wanted her to know his feelings.

"I never said I didn't love you."

"What difference does it make if you

love me or not?" She found it

laughable, her lips curling into a

sneer. "The end result is the same. You and I are never going too happen."

"Are you really not going to give me a chance to explain and make amends?" He looked at her, pitiful and humble.