His Destructive, Toxic Love (Jasper and Eliza)

Chelsea furrowed her brows, her voice tinged with a mix of reproach and frustration.

"It was just kids roughhousing, pushing and shoving-it's normal, not intentional." Eliza gently tugged at Chelsea's sleeve, signaling her to lower her voice so they wouldn't wake the toddler. They stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door quietly. Chelsea couldn't hide her agitation. "So, you didn't even talk to that kid's parents? Does bullying begin in preschool?"

"It's not that serious." Eliza tried to calm Chelsea down, speaking softly. "Don't get too worked up. I already talked to the teacher. It's just harmless roughhousing among the kids. Nothing was done on purpose."

"Don't just brush it off." Chelsea, having recently seen reports about school bullying, couldn't help but feel anxious. "Bullying can happen in preschool, elementary, or high school. Some people are just born troublemakers." "You're exaggerating." Eliza shook her head with a smile.

Chelsea pouted. "Isn't that exactly what Casper was? He was born a troublemaker. The world's full of them."

Hearing that name made Eliza's heart tighten. She didn't want to hear it. It only dredged up memories she tried to forget.

"Why bring him up?" Just hearing his name triggered her.

just that today's incident made me immediately think of him." "Don't worry about

to bully others, but she didn't teach him to always yield, either. Yielding only led to self-sacrifice and empowering the wrongdoers. After years of enduring pain, Eliza had to fake her

Elle, didn't Dr. Martin mention that his uncle's sixtieth birthday is coming up and that he's visiting Oak Falls? Will

his father's sister, married a very prominent figure in Oak Falls. In recent years, the Martin family had been under pressure from

to

and courtesy, she felt she should use this

someone's parents meant things were getting serious. "So, are you and Dr. Martin, you know..." "Me and

years, she hadn't found the courage to start a new relationship after being hurt by

man. He's a true

child. Aaron seemed like the