His Destructive, Toxic Love

Smiling, Eliza walked into the living room.

Daniel's wife was coming down the stairs. Eliza looked up, and their eyes met.

Both were taken aback.

The woman sped up her steps, practically flying towards Eliza, and hugged her tightly. "Eliza, is it really you? My god, I can't believe I'm seeing you in my own home after all these years. Why haven't you kept in touch? I've missed you so much!"

The woman was Renee.

She's Eliza's college classmate and roommate for four years. They were also in the same orchestra club and had been very close friends. After graduating from college, Eliza married Casper and lost contact with everyone. She had no idea that Renee had married the middle-aged man standing before her.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

"Renee, you are... Daniel's wife, Mrs. Lynch?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm still your dearest bunkmate, Renee."

Renee looked radiant, lively, and playful, just like she was back in school. Clearly, she lived a pampered life. Renee's happiness was obvious.

Eliza's lips curved into a slight smile.

Daniel joined the conversation at the right moment. "Renee, so Mrs. Welton was your old classmate? What a coincidence."

"Isn't it? Eliza and I were best friends in college. We even promised to travel the world after graduation, but alas..." Renee lightly patted Eliza's arm. "...this little heartbreaker disappeared right after graduation." "You old classmates must have a lot to catch up on. Casper and I will leave you to chat," Daniel said, leading Casper to the living room.

"Sure." Renee took Eliza to a side

room. "Eliza, after you graduated, I asked so many people about you but couldn't find anything. I even thought you might have been tricked into going to the far north and had people search for you overseas. Turns out you got married.

Marriage was a stain in Eliza's life. She forced a smile. "When did you get married?"

"Me? Just last year. Someone

introduced me to Daniel. Honestly, I wasn't into him at first, as he was somewhat wealthy but old and so not my type. But my mom was all about the money, so I just went with it. Luckily, Daniel turned out to be a decent man."

Renee's face was aglow with happiness. She had chosen the right person, which was truly fortunate.

"He's good to you, and that's quite rare."

Renee glanced towards the living room and whispered to Eliza, "I often see Mr. Casper on TV. He's even more handsome in person than on screen. Living with someone so attractive must be exciting, right?" Exciting? Indeed, it was.

Not in the way Renee imagined though.

"We're just alright."

Seeing Eliza's melancholic

expression, Renee couldn't help but

add, "Honestly, I've seen quite a bit of Mr. Casper's scandals. That

woman, Nova, really has no shame. Without any official status, she's always seen with him. It's so

imitating."

In front of Renee, Eliza couldn't speak recklessly. Casper had invited her over, presumably already aware of her and Renee's relationship. He had already warned her not to speak out of turn. "You can't believe everything you see online."

"Exactly, those journalists love to exaggerate." Renee pulled Eliza towards a corner of the living room. "Eliza, do you still play the harp? I recently bought a new one, it sounds wonderful. You should give it a try."

The room was designed for performances, and the harp, in its rightful place, looked exceedingly luxurious.