His Destructive, Toxic Love

Eliza found out about Casper and Susan's engagement from the media. The news hit the headlines just minutes after it was released, making it impossible for her to ignore.

She couldn't wrap her head around why Casper was in such a rush. Sure, he'd already transferred his share of the assets to her, and the money was in her account, but they still hadn't finalized the divorce. That seemed odd. She'd called the civil affairs office several times, but they kept telling her there was a network outage and to wait a bit longer. And while she was waiting, boom, Casper's engagement news broke.

It seemed he was more anxious than she was. Was the divorce agreement effective immediately after signing? Maybe the divorce certificate was just a formality. Otherwise, with the Torres family's background, there was no way he'd be getting engaged while still technically married. Perhaps he was too eager to give Susan a title, unable to wait for the divorce certificate and thus hastily announcing his engagement to the world. When she thought about it that way, it made sense. Love or lack thereof was glaringly obvious. She turned off her phone and tried to pull herself together, preparing to take Brock to his new kindergarten. It was a boarding school, and she was reluctant to leave him, but with an elderly family member to care for at home and her painting, her energy was stretched too thin.

"Honey, Mommy will pick you up on the weekend. Be good at kindergarten, okay?"

Brock nodded obediently. "I will, Mommy. Don't work too hard."

"You're such a sweetie. How could Mommy be tired?" She lifted her hand, gently ruffling his hair. "Mommy is very happy."

"Mommy would be even happier with a daddy." The little guy finished speaking and instantly noticed the change in Eliza's expression. He shrank back, looking guilty. "Sorry, Mommy."

Eliza hugged him, her heart aching. He rarely mentioned 'daddy' in front of her. What was different today?

"Honey, you haven't done anything wrong. Without a daddy, we can still be happy, right?" She tried to soothe him but felt the sadness in her own words.

The little guy held Eliza's hand and rubbed it against his face. "With Mommy here, Brock is the happiest baby."

"Good boy."

Even though Eliza kept a calm

exterior, inside, a storm was raging. After dropping off Brock, she sat in the car alone for a long time. She felt so sad. Once the tears started, they wouldn't stop.

She had chosen not to betray her family, but in doing so, she overlooked Brock's feelings. He was her family too, her life. Yet she had deprived him of the chance to have a father. She felt so selfish. But now, there was no chance to make amends.

Should she tell him that Casper was his father? At least then, he would know he had a father. But would Casper agree? He was engaged now, soon to be married, probably

soon to have his own children.

Would he care about Brock?

Eliza covered her face, unsure of what to do. Whether he agreed or not, she needed to talk to him about Brock. She didn't dare call, afraid to disturb him, so she sent a message instead.

"Can we meet?"

She thought he would take a while to reply. But he responded instantly, "Yes."

He agreed without even asking what it was about. She held her phone, momentarily stunned, unsure of what to say next. After a while, she typed, "When would be convenient for you?" and sent it. As soon as the message was sent, she immediately received a call back from Casper. The moment the phone vibrated in her hand, she almost dropped it.