His Destructive, Toxic Love

"I was your late wife," Eliza corrected him coldly, her eyes void of any warmth.

"A wife, late or not, is still a wife!" Casper's voice quivered slightly, almost imperceptibly. "As long as our marriage certificate exists, you will always be my wife, Eliza. You..." He felt like he was losing his mind. The more he tried to suppress his anger, the more it threatened to explode.

Jealousy.

Yes, it was jealousy.

Jealousy that twisted his features beyond recognition.

Before he could finish, Eliza cut him off. "Casper, stop fooling yourself. It's over between us. That marriage certificate is nothing but a piece of trash now."

She glanced at his face with indifference, gently pulling her arm free and continuing inside.

Casper stood in the rain and kicked the cobblestone pavement in frustration. His anger was quickly replaced by a deep sense of helplessness.

"Sir, you're soaked. Would you like me to draw you a bath?" The servant, seeing Casper drenched from the rain, hurried over with concern.

Casper's face was livid; without a word, he stormed upstairs.

Eliza had completely ignored him. If Casper lashed out at her again, she would turn around and leave without hesitation.

"Draw me a bath. I need a bath," he ordered, his expression stern.

Eliza didn't respond, but she got up and went to the bathroom anyway. She gently pressed the faucet, and warm water began to flow, gradually filling the tub. She carefully adjusted the temperature, making sure it was just right.

As he walked in, he started unbuttoning his shirt. Eliza was about to leave when his arm reached out to block her. His grip was strong, as if he wanted to trap her in this small space.

"Let's take a bath together."

"I'm on my period," she said flatly.

"And that means you can't bathe?"

เวน

He took off his shirt and tossed it aside, his bare torso glistening. He. lifted her and set her on the sink, resting his arms on either side of her. "Why must you always fight me? I know I've done wrong in the past. I hurt you deeply, but what more do you want?"

"Casper, do you truly not mind that I was with an older man before? Do you truly not mind raising another man's child? Do you really not care that I can't have your children? Or that Tve been with many men besides you?"

Eliza knew he cared. She knew exactly what buttons to push.

Casper was prone to rage; he could even strangle her in the next moment. She didn't care.

"Even if you don't mind, I do," her words were cold, as if dipped in ice.

"Do you think I believe that?" He didn't get angry; his slender fingers traced her delicate face. "Believe that you've been with many men? I can tell if there's another man's scent on you."

"So what? Casper, stop deluding yourself. After everything you've done to me, there's no way I'm going through that again."

She could be his bed companion, a slave, a servant, even work for him and sacrifice herself for his business. It was all to repay his kindness.

Once the debt was repaid, she would leave. She couldn't tie herself to him for life.

"By choosing to come back to me, you're choosing to go through it all over again," his slender fingers held her delicate chin, his lips hovering over hers. "I gave you a chance, and it was you who begged to walk into the lion's den."