His Destructive, Toxic Love

In the taxi, Eliza was lost in thought the whole ride. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions. One issue had barely been resolved before another cropped up.

As they drove past the Henderson Estate, she noticed several fire trucks parked outside.

"Such a beautiful house. It's a shame to see it like this," the driver commented offhandedly.

Eliza finally lifted her eyes to look out the window. Henderson Estate was the place she had called home for over a decade. Her parents had always been busy with their business, leaving her alone often, but the house was full of memories. Now, it belonged to Nova.

"Could you stop up ahead, please?"

The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "We haven't reached your destination yet. If you get out here, I can't charge you properly."

"It's okay, I'll pay the full fare."

Eliza confirmed the end of her ride, and the reassured driver pulled over to let her out.

A crowd had gathered in front of Henderson Estate, gawking at the damage.

"People are saying it was arson. But it doesn't make any sense. The Hendersons don't have many enemies. Why would anyone target them?"

"Could it have been a burglar? Maybe they set the fire when they couldn't steal anything?"

"That's pretty bold, committing a crime like that. You can't just start a fire on a whim."

"I heard the police caught the arsonist at the scene. They kept shouting that they were hired to do it. Looks like the Hendersons did have enemies after all." "The Hendersons consists of just a girl with a limp, and she was only found recently. Where would she find enemies?"

"Who knows?"

Listening to the speculative chatter, Eliza felt a hollow emptiness inside her. She stood at the entrance for a long while before finally leaving.

In the hospital, Nova lay in bed, her leg broken and temporarily blind from the smoke. She was crying and clinging to Casper.

"Casper, I really can't see. I'm blind. Please don't leave me, okay?"

"I won't leave. The doctor said your blindness is temporary. It should get better in a few days. Just stay calm and focus on your recovery." He

gently rubbed her back, trying net

reassure her, though his face

showed little ease.

"Who set the fire? Did they want to kill me?" Nova tightened her grip around Casper's waist. "Casper, is someone out to get me? I'm so scared."

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

"Casper, please don't leave me, okay?"

"I won't."

The doctor and nurse came in to give Nova an injection, and she soon drifted off into a heavy sleep.

Casper hid the worry in his eyes as he stepped out of the room. Faithe approached quietly. "Mr. Casper, the police have caught the person responsible for the fire." "What did they say?"

"The arsonist claimed..." Faithe hesitated, "Mr. Casper, the arsonist said they were hired."

Casper's eyes narrowed. "Hired? By whom?"

"He claimed it was... Eliza." Faithe

showed a screenshot of the bank transfer and a photo. "This is the

transaction record the person

al.netPublished by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

provided, a whole hundred the d

dollars, and this, Mr. Casper,dook,

this is a photo of Eliza at the scene."

Casper didn't respond. He stared at the profile picture of the transfer sender, his eyes turning cold. It was Eliza's WhatsApp profile picture.

Faithe closed the phone, looking

through the door's glass at Nova on

the hospital bed. "Mr. Casper, the police will likely arrest Eliza for incitement to commit arson. Given her transaction with the arsonist and Ms. Nova's severe injuries, if convicted, she could face at least ten years."