His Destructive, Toxic Love

The sudden deaths meant Eliza was left with the wealth of the entire Henderson family, and overnight, Nova found herself a penniless orphan. Casper was heartbroken, blaming both the Pinotti family and Eliza for the tragedy.

Eliza, rubbing her aching forehead, felt her knees throb with numbing pain, and she felt nauseous and dizzy. "Chelsea, I can't talk right now. Something urgent has come up," she said, hanging up the phone. Weakly, she turned to the driver. "Take me to the hospital, please."

Under the harsh operating lights, the doctor painstakingly removed thirty-seven shards of glass from Eliza's body, each piece soaked in blood. She developed a high fever, and her knees swelled up painfully. She spent three lonely days in the hospital, hooked up to an IV drip before she started to feel better.

"Doctor, am I staying in this room?" It was Nova's voice.

Eliza, looking haggard, turned towards the door. Nova entered, leaning on crutches, and did a double-take upon seeing Eliza. "Eliza, why are you also in the hospital? Are you alright?"

Eliza didn't answer, her gaze shifting to the man who followed Nova into the room.

Nova quickly explained, "Casper was worried I'd have trouble getting around, so he came with me. You're not upset, are you?"

Eliza let out a bitter chuckle and closed her eyes. Her lawful husband was always by another girl's side, but she didn't even have the right to be angry. Where was the justice in that?

"Casper, Eliza is sick. Why didn't you tell me?" Nova's voice had a playful whine, like a wife nagging her lover.

The sunlight streaming into the room highlighted Casper's chiseled face, making his features even more striking. He glanced indifferently at Eliza before turning to Nova. "Do you want me to find another room for you?"Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

"The hospital is already short on beds. Let's not bother. Staying in the same room with Elle means we can look after each other, saving you some worry."

Nova was always known for being considerate and generous. She never sweated the small stuff, but her pretensions irritated Eliza to no end. "Casper, I'm thirsty," Nova rsaid.

Casper handed her a glass of water. Nova took the water and then handed a fruit to Casper. "Casper, peel this fruit for Eliza."

"She won't eat it," he replied.

"If you peel it, she will," Nova insisted, smiling as she handed him a fruit knife. "Please."

Unable to bear it any longer, Eliza threw off her covers and got out of bed. Her bandaged knees offered little support, and she stumbled forward. Her hands hit the slippery floor, twisting her wrist painfully. The dual pain from her knee and wrist made her cry out involuntarily, "Ah, ssst..."

The wound on her knee started bleeding again from the fall. The pain was so intense she could barely stand. She thought Casper would at least come to help her up, but he didn't. In despair, Eliza gripped the bed, struggling to stand upright.

"Eliza, are you okay? Casper, come on, go help her. Is she alright?," Nova's sharp voice, seemingly taking pleasure in Eliza's misfortune, pierced her ears.

Casper remained still, his brow slightly furrowed, his gaze on Eliza intense and thoughtful. Feeling utterly defeated, Eliza limped slowly out of the room, leaning against the wall for support. A nurse saw her and hurried over to help.

Nova sighed, "How did she hurt her knee? I know knee injuries are really painful." She looked down at her own legs, tears dripping down.