His Destructive, Toxic Love

At dusk, Casper made a trip back to the old family estate. Dillon mentioned that in a few days, Eliza would be taking Brock away. And the promise to help him find his dad was still hanging in the air.

Every time the little guy saw him, he'd run towards him with all his might, making Casper feel like he was needed. Today was no different.

"Mr. Casper." Brock hugged Casper's neck, rubbing his face against his, whispering in his ear like he was sharing a secret, "In a couple of days, mom is going to take me home."

Brock looked a lot like Eliza-fair skin, long eyelashes, and when he smiled, two shallow dimples appeared. Only on closer inspection did Brock resemble him a bit. Maybe that's why he hadn't realized Brock was his son at first; they didn't look much alike.

"Is that so? Do you miss your mom, Brock?" Casper asked, his gaze soft and unusually serious as he studied the little guy.

But resemblance didn't really matter. What mattered was Brock's somewhat fragile, timid, and insecure nature probably because he grew up without a father. Casper felt a pang of sympathy for the child. But he couldn't forcibly keep Brock by his side. It was a tough choice, but he had none.

Casper got lost in thought. Brock's little hands cupped his face, gently bringing him back. "Mr. Casper, did you find my dad?"

"Not... yet." Casper didn't want to lie, but he had to deceive this innocent child. "Uncle will try his best to find him for you, okay?"

"Brock doesn't blame Mr. Casper." The little guy sounded a bit down but still spoke maturely. "I know, finding dad is hard."

"Dad isn't hard to find. It's just that uncle has been busy with work lately, so..." Casper tried to explain.

Brock, not blaming him, blinked his big eyes. "Mr. Casper, if you find my dad, can you ask him why he doesn't want mom anymore? Please?"All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Casper's heart ached. Sour, painful, and suffocating.

He couldn't imagine how a child burdened with such thoughts every day could find happiness.

Was he wrong? If he had insisted on not letting go of Eliza's hand, would they have become a family living together? Even if not happy, couldn't they have given the child a complete family?

His eyes grew sore. He forced a

smile. "Maybe he has his

unspeakable difficulties. Adults, you know, always have this or that kind

of issue. Brock, you're still young. You understand when you grow up.

Brock didn't quite understand adult matters. But he truly envied other kids who had dads. He wished to hold mom's hand with his left and dad's with his right. He also wanted to, like other kids when bullied, have the courage to say, "I'll have my dad beat you up."

Such big talk.

The little head nodded shyly. Seeming to understand but pretending to be sensible-it was heartbreaking.

After dropping Brock off at Audrey's, Casper sat alone in the living room, quietly smoking a cigarette. He thought a lot. What was feasible and what wasn't, what could work and what couldn't. After three cigarettes, he took out his phone and made a call.

"Officer Zhao, let's not post the announcement about resuming divorce services on the official account of someone named Eliza comes inquiring about divorce, just say the system is still down. Yeah, a wife's tantrum, embarrassing, I know. I'll buy you a drink sometime, yeah, you're busy."

Hanging up the phone, he leaned back on the sofa, taking a long breath. "Casper, I'm back."