His Destructive, Toxic Love novel Chapter 524

Eliza sat on a bench in the hospital corridor, her eyes fixed but unfocused on the TV screen in front of her, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts. Should she tell Casper? Handle it on her own? And if so, how? End the pregnancy? No way, she couldn’t bring herself to do that. She was sure Casper would want her to keep the baby.

Her phone was slick with sweat from her tight grip, and she finally mustered the courage to call Casper. Just then, the TV screen flickered to a breaking news story. “A private plane from Falconridge crashed into an African forest due to pilot error, igniting a fire and claiming the lives of all three on board, including two crew members and one passenger.”

The footage showed the grim sight of three charred bodies. At first, Eliza brushed it off as another tragic headline. She was preoccupied, rehearsing how she’d share the news about the baby with Casper. Her fingers hovered, indecisive, over the call button.

Then the newscaster announced the victims’ names: “The crew members were local Africans, Peter Lee and James, and the passenger was a Falconridge national, Casper. The plane belonged to the CEO of Falconridge's Welton International, Casper, who was only thirty. A tragic loss.”

Eliza, on the verge of dialing, froze. Casper? His name was like a clap of thunder in her mind. Was he one of those victims? A ringing filled her ears. Her body went rigid, her expression stuck in disbelief.

After what felt like eternity, she blinked her stinging eyes and looked at her phone. This wasn’t fake news. The crash was real. How could this happen? He had cheated death so many times before, how could this be it?

She dialed his number repeatedly, desperation crossing oceans, but no answer came. She lost track of how often she tried. With half her phone's battery drained, her fingers trembling, she called Dillon.

After an agonizing wait, he picked up, “Hello?”

“Dillon, has something happened to Casper?” Her voice shook, fingers barely holding onto the phone, “Tell me the truth about the plane…”

After a pause, Dillon confirmed, “Yes, Mr. Casper was in the accident.”

The words were a death knell, extinguishing her last hope. Her phone slipped from her grasp, hitting the floor with a clatter.

She slumped onto the bench, tears flowing freely. Casper had “died” before, like when he fell off a cliff. Everyone, including her, thought he was gone, but she hadn’t felt this crushed back then. Why did it hurt so much more now?

Her pregnancy test was blurred by tears. Onlookers, thinking she’d received terrible news, offered words of comfort.