His Destructive, Toxic Love

She reached up to touch his forehead, but he dodged away. "Go back, I'm tired. I need to rest."

"Do you dislike me that much?" The young girl felt a pang of hurt. She had come here so eagerly to marry him. "Is it because I'm not pretty enough, or is it my personality? Or maybe my family's not good enough for you?" "It's me who's not good enough for you."

"I think you're perfect for me." She suddenly remembered something and switched gears, "Oh, by the way, my dad's coming to discuss our wedding. I told him not to bother with an engagement or a big ceremony. Let's just get the marriage certificate and call it a day. What do you think?"

He had absolutely no interest in discussing marriage with her.

Susan's father was coming partly for the wedding and partly for business. Leveraging their connection with the Welton family was his main reason for visiting Falconridge, aiming to build some networks. And Casper despised such ulterior motives. "Enough, go back," he dismissed her again.

Susan pouted, clearly unhappy. "It's so late, and you're letting me go back alone? Aren't you worried something might happen to me?"

"What do you want?" he asked, impatience creeping into his voice.

"Of course, I want to stay over." Susan pointed at his large bed. "This bed is huge. It's not like we can't both fit."

"One person sleeps more comfortably." He got up, vacating the bed. "Since you love my bed so much, you sleep here. I'll find somewhere else." Susan was speechless.

"Casper, what are you doing?"

He grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

Susan quickly followed him. "Casper, where are you going?"

He walked briskly, forcing Susan to jog to catch up. "Casper, why are you treating me like this? I'm your fiancée, Our marriage was arranged was born. If you don't marry

since was

me, you're shirking your responsibilities. You're being unfaithful and dishonest

"I have someone I love. Doesn't that matter to you?" His eyes were cold, showing no guilt, only resistance. "You're young. Why not find someone your age and have a proper relationship? I'm older, set in my ways, and I won't easily fall in

love again. Don't waste your time on me."

Susan ignored the latter part of his speech. The part about him having someone he loved, she clung to every word.

"You say you have someone you

love? Who? Surely not that..." Piecing together what Eliza had said and her own thoughts, Susan could only suspect one person. "...the woman who just left? The one with a child? Casper, you're a man of status and position. You like a young widow?"

Casper's expression turned even colder at Susan's disrespect towards Eliza.

"Who I like is none of your business." His icy stare made her feel a sliver of fear. "What's wrong? Going to eat me?" That woman did have a child.

No matter how adorable the child was, it wasn't his.

A man like Casper, how could he possibly want to play stepdad? He probably just wanted some thrill.

"If you really like young widows, I can cosplay. A nurse, a teacher, anything you want."

She tugged at his coat, trying to be playful, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Are you crazy?" He looked at her as if she were a creature from another world, his tone cutting.

Susan was taken aback. "How am I crazy? Is wanting to please you crazy? Casper, you're the one who's nuts, liking a woman who's had a child."

"You're nuts." He didn't bother with her anymore and strode away from the Welton Estate.

Susan watched his retreating back, fuming. "You have a perfectly good person right here, and you insist on liking someone who's been with others? You're the one who's nuts."