His Destructive, Toxic Love novel Chapter 550

In a flash, her mind cleared up. She tried to pull her hand away, but it was stuck fast. Manuel's intense gaze pinned her in place.

“No, Manuel, I mean, with everything going on, I can't start something new. It's just not possible…”

Words stumbled out, not quite making sense, but she hoped he got the gist.

“We’re just not right for each other; there's no point in you wasting your time.”

“I’m willing,” he said, looking deep into her eyes, hoping to win her over with his sincerity. “I have no complaints, and I can take care of us. As long as we truly love each other, Eliza, we can make it work. The rest doesn’t matter.”

A flicker of doubt crossed Eliza’s mind. Love? But they didn’t love each other.

They were just... compatible. Or at least, they had been.

“I…” She wanted to tell him she didn’t feel that deeply for him, but the words wouldn't come without hurting him. “...Manuel, I…”

“It’s alright. You might not love me now, but you will, eventually. We've got a long road ahead, and I'm patient.” He was sure he could win her over in time.

Eliza shook her head.

No, it wasn’t like that. She wasn’t someone who fell in love easily. And she’d long outgrown the age of being swept away by mere gestures.

“It’s not that simple. We met at the wrong time, Manuel. We can’t ignore that. Let’s not push it.”

With a gentle touch, she moved his warm hand away.

She stood up and walked over to the balcony. Her hand slid down to rest on her slightly rounded belly.

Manuel noticed this subtle gesture. He watched for a moment, then blinked, pushing back his emotions, and said, “Let’s both take some more time to think about it. I got that formula from Australia, especially for moms-to-be. Make sure you drink it; it's good for the baby.”

He got up, leaving as gently as a whisper, “I’ll head out now and come by another day.”

“I saw Manuel as I was coming up.” Chelsea had met him a few times and thought he seemed nice enough, but didn’t know him well. “Is he still after you?”

“He… just came to check in,” Eliza replied, keeping it casual.

Chelsea’s eyes landed on the array of gift bags on the table.

Picking up a can of formula, she grinned, “Wow, he’s really thoughtful. This brand is great for pregnant women. I brought you some too.”

Chelsea put down the formula.

Digging into her suitcase, she pulled out two more cans.

“I got the blue ones for later in the pregnancy, and he got the red ones for the middle stages.” Chelsea lined them up together. “But honestly, they’re pretty much the same nutritionally.”