His Destructive, Toxic Love

Afraid?

Eliza: "Isn't that reason a bit of a stretch?"

"Casper, I'm really tired. You should head home," she said softly, gently nudging him away.

He gazed at her, a mix of emotions flickering in his eyes.

Pushing things now wasn't the best idea.

He bent down and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. "Get some rest, I'll be on my way."

She gave a slight nod.

The door slowly closed in front of him.

Casper stood silently for a moment before turning to leave, knowing that some things can't be rushed or forced.

As he reached the stairwell entrance, another man walked past him.

Instinctively, Casper knew this was Manuel.

Did Eliza send him away because she was meeting Manuel?

His feelings were all over the place for a moment.

He stood still, his eyes following Manuel until he heard him knock on Eliza's door, followed by the sound of it opening and closing.

Lighting a cigarette, Casper leaned against his car, taking slow drags, his eyes fixed on that familiar window.

Inside Eliza's home, she was being the perfect hostess.

"Please, have some tea," she said, handing Manuel a cup with just the right amount of warmth in her voice. "What brings you here?" "Honestly, I've been waiting outside your door. Saw you come back and thought I'd pop by."

Manuel nodded, his words simple and sincere, no airs about him.

He didn't add anything more.

But she knew he'd seen Casper and his car.

He didn't ask, but she felt she owed him an explanation. "It was my child's father who brought me back."

"I noticed you two seem to get along well," he said with a gracious demeanor, his face glowing with gentle warmth. "That's great for your

зим

child."

"Manuel, actually..." she hesitated, feeling

mistake she'd made a colossal

"...we're considering...

swno velket

maybe trying to make it work again."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Eliza wished she could vanish.

Lately, she felt like her brain and emotions were completely out of whack.

She leaned her head on her hand, thinking maybe she should see a spiritual guru to check if she was under some weird spell. Manuel's expression faltered for a moment.

His initially shocked gaze quickly turned back to calm. "Is that so? Well, that's good, especially for the kid."

"I'm sorry, Manuel, this decision was kind of sudden. If I'd known, I wouldn't have..."

Eliza's eyes shimmered with sincerity and guilt; she didn't know how to apologize in a way that would make Manuel less upset. If he was upset, she could understand.

It was her fault, after all.

"No worries, maybe I'm just a step

too late. ft's fine, you two should try to make it work. I still hope you find the person you're looking for

AQUAS

Manuel's lips curled into a gentle smile, hiding a sense of acceptance and understanding.

"I'm really sorry."

To be honest, Eliza didn't even know what she wanted anymore.

She just made some decisions, thinking they were well-considered. "Manuel, if you're okay with it, I'd really like to be friends with you."

She didn't have many friends.

Besides Chelsea, there was Juan.

But she knew asking this from Manuel was a long shot. He didn't come to her to make friends.

"It's okay, you don't have to agree."

Manuel suddenly smiled.

He didn't rush to give Eliza an answer, gently sipping tea from a delicate white porcelain cup.