His Destructive, Toxic Love

"It's freezing here. I'm taking her home," Casper said, stumbling to his feet and heading towards the morgue gurney.

Dillon quickly stepped in to stop him. "Mr. Casper, you can't do this."

"She's my wife. I'm taking her home." His eyes were bloodshot, and he shoved Dillon aside to reach for the lifeless body on the table.

Dillon blocked him again. "Mr. Casper, she's gone. You can't take her."

But Casper acted as if he hadn't heard, still struggling to hold her. "I need to take her home. She broke her promise. I need to teach her a lesson."

"Mr. Casper..." Dillon's voice broke, his eyes welling up. "...we need to prepare for her funeral. You can't take her."

"Get out of my way." Casper's eyes shimmered with grief. "How could she be so heartless? Why did she take her own life?"

Tears streamed down his face, his lips trembling. "Even if she hated me, she could've come after me. Why did she choose to end her own life? Dillon, tell me why. Was it to punish me? Why? Tell me why!"

Dillon felt a tightness in his chest. He didn't understand why Eliza had ended her life so easily. Maybe a bout of depression overwhelmed her. The doctors had mentioned her suicidal tendencies.

"Mr. Casper, there are still many things to handle, like the engagement party... We need a resolution."

"My wife is dead. What engagement am I supposed to care about? I don't want those contracts. I don't want anything. Nothing..." Casper's voice was hoarse, filled with endless despair and sorrow. His world turned to monochrome in that instant. Dillon couldn't persuade Casper to leave. He had no choice but to call Caroline.

Caroline, busy with work, was stunned when she heard the news about Eliza. She didn't know how she managed to get to the hospital; every step felt as heavy as lead.

She looked at Eliza on the morgue gurney, and took a couple of deep breaths. She didn't want to disturb Casper, and turned to Dillon. "How could this happen? Just... a car accident?"

"The police said... it was suicide," Dillon said somberly.

Caroline's heart clenched tightly. A suffocating pain swept through her body. Suicide? It was unexpected, yet not unexpected. After enduring so much inhumane treatment, poor Eliza could no longer bear it. She had been strong. At least, she had held on till now.

Tears wound down her face. Caroline wiped them away and looked at Casper's red-rimmed eyes. Her voice was hoarse, "Now that she's gone, I wonder who you'll torment next."

"Ms. Caroline, before the incident, their relationship had actually improved quite a bit. Please don't blame him," Dillon tried to explain.

Caroline's lips curled into a cold smirk. Improved? If their relationship had truly improved, would she have chosen to end her life? "It was just an illusion," she said quietly and sadly. "She was just waiting for the right moment to be completely

freed."

Helplessness, sorrow, regret. No emotion could better capture Caroline's feelings at that moment. Mostly, it was heartache. It was reluctance and pity for Eliza's brief life.

Caroline forcefully took Casper

away. He locked himself in the bedroom, refusing to come out for anyone. The engagement party was canceled. The engagement party; which had been eagerly reported by all major media in Falconridge, was replaced by the news of the young Mrs. Welton's suicide.

Nova, watching this explosive news at home, suddenly felt a surge of happiness and laughed.