His Destructive, Toxic Love

In the picture alongside the article, Gabe was carrying her down the mountain. Snowflakes danced in the air, giving the photo an unintentional romantic vibe. Who even took these photos? That mountain trail was winding and treacherous- not exactly a hotspot for people. Those paparazzi sure are relentless. Did Casper... see it all? But why hasn't he brought it up with her?

Eliza tapped away on her phone, sending another message to Chelsea, "Did yesterday's incident cause a big fuss?"

"Oh, absolutely. Every major website and media outlet had you and the pretty boy splashed across their front pages. Not to be harsh, but even if you were up to something, you should've been more careful."

"I didn't have any intentions like that. It's all nonsense." Eliza couldn't explain it to Chelsea, let alone to Casper...

She turned off her phone and glanced at Casper. He seemed unfazed, eyes on the road, emotions steady as a rock. Her fingers dug into her pants as she said, "Pull over."

Casper, caught off guard, quickly steered the car to the side, "What's up?"

Eliza met his gaze. Were those dark circles because of dealing with all the gossip yesterday? Had he spent the day sorting it out? He must feel awful. Was the news out when he called her? How did he keep from asking her?

"Casper, isn't there anything you want to ask me?"

He looked into her eyes, understanding her unspoken question, and firmly said, "No."

"You trust me that much?"

Casper wasn't one to blindly trust. If he was choosing to believe her, it must have taken a toll on him. He took a deep breath, gently ruffling her hair, "Didn't we promise to trust and be honest with each other?"

"But the news made it look so... and Gabe carrying me..." That photo was suggestive. If she were an outsider, she'd think the same thing.

“Hmm...” He smiled, gazing into her eyes, "...Worst case, you can climb a mountain with me too, and let me carry you."

"You're... really not mad?" She suddenly felt a wave of guilt and held his hand gently, "...Casper, when I was coming down the mountain yesterday, I fell, and my shoes got wrecked. The snow on the road was deep, and my feet were freezing, so..." noveldrama

She wanted to explain what had happened. But she knew deep down it wasn't an excuse. A married woman should steer clear of such situations.

"I'm sorry, I didn't handle it well. I didn't think it through, and it caused trouble. You have every right to be upset." She bit her lip, “If you feel like yelling at me, go ahead."

Yell at her? Could he really do that? He admitted, he was jealous, intensely so. It wasn't that he trusted her completely from the start. He had to convince himself, bit by bit, to stay calm and composed.

He asked himself countless times, Does she love me? Once he was sure, he found his peace.

"I'm just glad you're willing to explain

it to me. I know you care.” He recognized her concern, "Things always have a reason. I won't jump to conclusions because of some paparazzi nonsense. We agreed on that, didn't we?"

"Casper... you've changed." She looked into his eyes, feeling a sudden surge of emotion, “.....Is it because you're getting older, less quick to anger, and more willing to wait for the truth?"