His Destructive, Toxic Love

The staff at Mercy Hospital had put her in a single room.

The room was bare, its walls lined with thick soundproofing foam. There was no table, just a rounded wooden bed and a moderately-sized window.

They untied the ropes around her wrists. She rubbed her sore wrists, staring out the barred window at the world outside. She thought she might never see the day she'd be free.

The person who brought her in handed her a clean set of hospital gowns, his face expressionless.

"Mr. Casper wants you to recover here. We'll take good care of you, but you need to follow the rules."

Eliza didn't say a word. She just stared outside, lost and empty, like a canary with its wings clipped.

She remembered the countless nights her brother must've looked out the same way, hoping and waiting for freedom. But in the end, it drove him mad.

Time seemed to stand still. Eliza's life was mechanical and monotonous: eating, sleeping, watching TV, and occasionally taking a walk after dinner. Most of the time, she just sat quietly by the bed, hugging her knees, staring blankly out the window. The sky was vast and deep, but she was trapped.

No one came to taunt or mistreat her. After Casper took her phone, naturally, no one knew she was locked up here.

Out of nowhere, a wave of intense nausea hit, and she rushed to the bathroom. She leaned over the sink, her hands gripping it as her stomach churned violently. This had been happening for three days.

Being a woman, the first thing that came to her mind was pregnancy. The thought flashed through her mind and exploded in her heart like a thunderclap. She couldn't believe it, closed her eyes, took deep breaths, trying to calm the turmoil and the

whelming pressure inside. She had planned to end her life in the coming days. Could she really be pregnant?

"Eliza, someone's here to see you," a voice called as the door opened. Eliza washed her face, looking haggard as she responded, "Got it."

Eliza was led to the visitor's room. She saw Zach and wasn't overly surprised. Besides Casper, he was likely the only one who could visit her here.

Zach gazed heavily at Eliza in the

hospital gown, his brow furrowing unconsciously. She seemed thinner than before. Her skin was now almost see-through, as if devoid of all blood.

Casper had put Robin in Mercy Hospital, which Zach could somewhat understand. But locking Eliza up here was beyond deranged.

"Look at yourself. Is this how the man you were so desperate to marry treats you?" Zach couldn't help but kick over a stool in front of him, his voice tinged with anger.

Eliza looked at him calmly. "How did you know I was here?"

"I called you to give you the evidence I found on Nova, but Casper answered."

Afterwards, it was only natural that Zach found out Eliza was confined in Mercy Hospital. Zach might not be a saint himself, but his affection for Eliza was real. His youthful, affection was tainted with a desire to destroy what he couldn't have. This led to the twisted nature of his relationship with Eliza.

Now, it seemed that Eliza's decision to marry Casper was the worst possible choice. Even worse than marrying Zach. At least he wouldn't treat her like this.

"Do you want to leave this place? I can take you out," he said, his brow furrowed.