His Destructive, Toxic Love

Casper hadn't eaten dinner.

After throwing out the meal she had prepared for him, Eliza finally headed upstairs. She stood at the bedroom door, hesitating for what felt like an eternity. She knew what was about to happen, but every fiber of her being rejected it. It took several moments of steeling herself before she finally pushed open the bedroom door and stepped inside. Casper was propped up against the headboard, engrossed in work on his laptop. He didn't look up or acknowledge her. She moved on autopilot, heading to the shower. When she came back and sat on the bed, his voice, cool and detached, came from behind her. "I can restore your name and identity if you want. Any objections?"Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

"Not yet," she replied, trying to keep her voice level.

He paused, clearly surprised. "Why not?"

"Everyone in Falconridge knows Mrs. Welton has been gone for three years. Returning would put us in the media spotlight. You wouldn't want reporters hounding you every day, asking how I died and came back to life, would you?" She spoke every word on behalf of the Welton family, Welton International, and Casper. Yet, none of it came from her heart.

Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder as he laughed mockingly. "How considerate."

Her body stiffened, tension radiating through her. "Mr. Casper, can I go stay with my son after this?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

His lips brushed against her neck, his voice thick with desire. "You called me Mr. Casper before, and you still do. I don't like it. How can I let you go stay with your son?"

"Then, what would you prefer I call you?" she asked, trying to dodge his lips.

He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Why are you so resistant? Or have you gotten used to Aaron's gentleness over these three years and forgotten how things used to be between us?"

"How things used to be?" A bitter smile tugged at her lips, filled with cold detachment. "Do you really want to go back to that?"

He wanted to start fresh with her. But he couldn't stand the thought of her heart belonging to another man.

"Whether I want to or not depends on you, doesn't it?"

"Casper, you really haven't changed at all," she said, her eyes reflecting a hint of disappointment. "Don't you get it? No woman wants to be forced."

"Am I forcing you?" He raised an

eyebrow, a sardonic smile playing on his lips. "Eliza, don't forget, you were the one who proposed this deal. When you begged me to save your son, you didn't have this attitude."

Eliza fell silent. She had indeed proposed it. But now, she just couldn't go through with it. If he insisted, it would be coercion.

"Why are you silent now?" He gripped her chin tighter, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Run out of arguments?"

"I remember what I said," she replied coldly.

"Good." He smirked. "I won't force you, but will you take the initiative?"

No. Eliza wouldn't. She might have done it with any other man, but not with him.

The prolonged silence irked him, and he pressed on. "Have you really fallen for Aaron? Do you know him? Know his past? Do you know why he got close to you? Just think about your son falling into the sea have you ever suspected Aaron?"

Eliza's eyes widened, her expression turning rigid.

Before, when Casper spoke ill of Aaron, she dismissed it as slander. But with Brock's words in the back of her mind, she started to see some truth in Casper's accusations. Yet, she didn't know if Casper had any real evidence or if he was just spewing nonsense.