His Destructive, Toxic Love

"Come on, stop messing around and behave for once."

Casper thought Eliza's request for a divorce was just her throwing yet another tantrum.

Eliza was someone who rarely made decisions, but when she did, she stuck to them. As for their marriage? Well, a marriage involving three people was just too crowded.

Casper didn't love her, and she couldn't keep loving a man who'd left her with nothing but emotional scars.

"Casper, I'm not throwing a tantrum," she said, her voice steady. "I've thought this through. I don't want to be your wife anymore. Let's get a divorce."

"Do you really have to divorce me?" He asked, his tone turning icy. "Eliza, you think you get to decide?"

"I'm willing to step aside."

A heart doesn't turn cold overnight. For two long years, she poured her soul into being the perfect wife and future mother, working harder to please him than any servant ever would. Time and again, she convinced herself to wait just a little longer. She thought he'd come around, and he'd see her worth.

How laughable it turned out to be. It was nothing but a pipe dream.

Half a bottle of birth control pills had stolen her chance to be a mother and also made her see her marriage for what it truly was.

Casper had taken up her entire youth - she was finally ready to let him go.

A sudden jolt made Eliza almost hit the windshield.

"Get out," he said impatiently.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed the door open. The moment her foot hit the ground, the car sped off.

Her phone buzzed. It was the Welton family doctor.

Aaron was Casper's childhood friend and went to the same university with her.

"Hi Aaron."Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"Eliza, I need to talk to you about some things to keep in mind to get ready to conceive. Write this down."

Conceive?

"Why are we talking about this all of a sudden?" she asked, bewildered.

"Casper didn't tell you?"

"No."

"Jeffrey's condition can only be treated with a blood transfusion, and your blood carries a rare genetic marker that produces the highest antibody levels during pregnancy..." Eliza heard nothing after that. Her heart grew colder with each word.

Even under the blazing sun, any remnants of warmth drained away, leaving her feeling like she was standing in an ice cave.

So, Casper's recent kindness, the card, the sudden reluctance for a divorce - it was all because she still had some use to him. Draining her last drop of blood was her final mission.

"Eliza, are you listening?"

Eliza nodded. "Thanks, Aaron. I get it."

"I'll talk to you later then."

Eliza returned to the house she shared with Casper and grabbed her suitcase, ready to leave.

Marian approached her. "Ma'am, are you really leaving?"

"Yes, I've left the divorce papers on the bedside table. Remind Casper to sign them and set a time for us to finalize everything." Marian bit her lip. "Does he know?"

"He knows."

"Ma'am..."

Eliza walked out of the place she'd called home for the past two years.

Well, in truth, it was never really a home. There was no loving husband, no sweet memories to cling to.

In those two years, she had seen Casper less often than the employees at Welton International.

It was just a cage, and escaping it was the best thing she could do.

Eliza returned to her family's apartment. It was built in the early '90s, and their place was on the third floor. It wasn't big, but it was enough for the four of them. After her father was arrested and everything they owned was confiscated, they'd had to make do.

After settling her suitcase, she took a taxi to Mercy Hospital.