His Destructive, Toxic Love

Choking back her emotions, Nova glanced at Casper, but he showed no reaction. Limping, she made her way toward the door. "It's dark outside, but don't worry about me. I'm not afraid of the dark. There are plenty of good people out there. No one's going to hurt me, really, Casper, I..."

Before she could finish, Casper grabbed his coat and stood up to leave. Nova's heart tightened, and she quickly called out, "Casper..."

He acted like he didn't hear her, ignoring her completely. Frustrated, Nova stomped her foot. He really didn't care about her anymore. He used to never doubt that she was the one he adored. It must've been Eliza who seduced him. No, she couldn't let Eliza take Casper away.

At Welton International, Casper sat by the massive floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the bustling traffic below. From here, he could oversee the entire city, an undisputed king. Dillon handed him a cup of coffee. "Mr. Casper."

"Just leave it there," Casper motioned with his finger.

"Are you still thinking about Rose's murder?" Dillon had been at the police station all day and had gathered some useful information. "The police are taking it very seriously, reviewing lots of surveillance footage. They should catch the killer soon."

Casper believed so. He just wished to uncover the truth sooner to clear the suspicions from Eliza's mind.

"There's a mole in the hospital. Make that the focus of the investigation."

"Yes, sir."

Three days later, Rose was laid to rest. The sky was overcast, and a biting wind blew. The cemetery's parking lot had a few more luxury cars than usual. Besides Casper, Aaron, David, and even Zach were there. Eliza, cradling the urn, walked step by step towards the cemetery. Aaron and Chelsea were by her side. Dávid, carrying a bouquet of white daisies, followed behind them. Casper watched from a distance. He didn't approach, leaning against his car with a cigarette between his lips, slowly inhaling.

Zach, who hadn't left his car, sent Casper a provocative message. [My dear brother, Eliza's admirers are here to pay their respects to your mother-in-law. Why aren't you brave enough to step forward?]

It was a taunt filled with schadenfreude. If it weren't for the solemnity of the day, Casper would have made Zach regret his words.

Eliza placed the urn into the grave. Her parents were finally reunited, and she was now truly an orphan. Chelsea wrapped an arm around Eliza, whispering comfort, "Your mom can finally rest now."

"My mom must be happy to see my dad again," Eliza managed a smile through her tears, her lips trembling uncontrollably. "But Chelsea, she didn't go peacefully."

"I understand." Chelsea hugged Eliza tightly, gently stroking her back. "It's not your fault. The killer will be caught, and your mom's spirit won't let those demons off."

"Yeah, Eliza, the police will catch the murderer." David stepped forward to place the flowers in front of the tombstone.

Everyone was silent at that moment.

Eliza kept her gaze on the

tombstone, tears streaming down her face. Chelsea wanted to comfort her, but she herself was crying too hard to console Eliza. The three of them left early, giving Eliza some private time with her parents.

Leading the way out of the

cemetery, Chelsea looked up to see

Casper.

Eliza had said Rose's death was connected to Casper. How could he have the audacity to show up here?