His Destructive, Toxic Love

"Casper, your dad wants you to come over and make a toast," Nova said, her smile as sweet as ever, while she gently rested her hand on Casper's arm.

It was like he'd been hit by lightning. He yanked his arm away and took a couple of steps back before turning on his heel and hurrying outside.

Dillon didn't waste a second and followed him out.

"Casper, what's going on? What happened?" Nova called after him, her face full of confusion. When no one answered, she stomped her foot in frustration, muttering, "Where did he go? This is so weird." In the hospital morgue, Eliza lay silently under a white sheet.

Casper's legs almost gave way beneath him.

Aaron, who had arrived earlier, reached out to steady him. "My condolences."

"She... died?" Casper's eyes were red, filled with disbelief. "No, she must be pranking me. She told me she'd wait for me when I left this morning... This can't be real. She must be joking."

"Mr. Casper, please calm down," Dillon tried to support him, but Casper shrugged him off and rushed to the gurney, lifting the sheet.

Eliza's face and body were covered in blood. The blood on her forehead had already clotted, and her skin and lips had the unmistakable pallor of death.

"Mr. Casper, please don't look," Dillon said, covering her again with the sheet.

Casper shook his head, stumbling backward until he hit the hard wall. All his strength seemed to drain away as he slid down to the cold floor.

"Eliza, who the hell gave you permission to die? Who... allowed this..."

Aaron walked over slowly, crouched down to meet his eyes, and handed him something. "The doctor just gave me this. It's Eliza's. You should keep it." It was the pair of pearl earrings he had given Eliza.

Casper stared blankly, feeling like an

invisible hand was squeezing his heart, the pain overwhelming. He reached out, his hand shaking, and took the blood-stained earrings, holding them tightly in his palm.

"Why are you here?" Casper asked, tears streaming as he looked at his old friend, grabbing him by the collar. "Aaron, my wife just died. Why are you here?"

"The news wasn't just for you."

Aaron caught Casper's wrist and et

pulled it down. "Casper, don't you

think this is the best outcome? At least for Eliza, it is."

Aaron let out a slow breath and stood up. "Casper, do you think Eliza was happy? She lived in constant fear, always cautious. She wanted a divorce, but you wouldn't let her go. Now she's dead, completely out of your life. Tell me, is she happy now?"

"Everything's come full circle. lust pretend she never came into your world." Aaron patted Casper's shoulder and walked away, his voice still echoing. The police arrived, and Dillon went to get more information.

"Mr. Casper, the police say... it wasn't an accident."

Casper's eyes were red, and his voice trembled. "Then, what was it?"

"The police investigation found that your wife ran into the car's way. It couldn't stop in time and hit her... it was suicide."

Casper suddenly laughed, tears streaming down his face. "Suicide?"

Dillon helped Casper up from the ground. "Mr. Casper, you still need to take care of your wife's funeral. You need to be strong."

Eliza's suicide hit Casper like an atomic bomb, leaving him utterly shattered, a shell of his former self.

How desperate must she have been to choose to end her life on a bright morning?