He wanted to calm her down, but she wasn't interested in hearing him out. Eliza glared at him like he was the villain of her story, her eyes red with anger. "Casper, if you don't unlock this car right now, I swear I'll die in here. Do you believe me?"

She pulled out an eyebrow razor from her bag and pressed it against her wrist, ready to make good on her threat if he uttered another word.noveldrama

Casper couldn't stand by and watch her hurt herself. "Alright, I'll unlock the door, but please, put the razor away first."

"Open it now," she demanded, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, her hatred for him palpable.

"Okay, okay, I'm unlocking it," he said quickly, recognizing her volatile state and not daring to push her further. "Let's not talk about our issues right now, just get out of the car."

He unlocked the doors, and Eliza stumbled as she opened the passenger door.

"Careful," he cautioned, his voice laced with concern as he rushed to open the driver's side and help her. But her eyes were distant, almost like she didn't know him anymore, and she backed away, eventually turning and running until she vanished from his sight.

Casper took a deep breath, knowing he had to deal with Fiona next. Any more delays and his marriage could be over. He picked a weekday and headed to Welton Estate.

Fiona and Dylan had been staying there for a month now. He'd already sorted out Dylan's school, and now it was time to find them a permanent place to live. He'd bought a house close to the school, a spacious 200-square-meter home ready to move into.

When he handed the deed to Fiona, her name clearly printed on it, she tossed it aside like it was a hot potato.

"What, you don't like it?" he asked, bending down to pick it up and dusting it off. "No worries, if you prefer somewhere else, I can find another place for you."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Fiona's voice trembled with emotion, her eyes betraying her upset. This was, in fact, what Casper intended. He couldn't let Fiona stay indefinitely a month was already generous.

"Fiona, you know I can't give you what you want. All I can do is support you and Dylan financially and help you settle in, but that's it. I'm sorry."

He'd been holding onto these words for too long, struggling to find the right moment. But he couldn't wait any longer. Everyone needed to return to where they belonged.

"If I could go back, I'd rather have died instead of Rory. He saved me, but if he hadn't, at least I'd have beer free of burdens, and he'd have had a future with you."

He didn't want to dwell on that painful farewell. Faced with Fiona, his guilt and apology overshadowed everything else. He was breaking a promise to Rory, becoming a

betrayer, an ungrateful, heartless man.

"Fiona, I can make it up to you in other ways, repay what I owe Rory. I-"

Fiona shook her head, refusing his offer. "Casper Rory saved you because he saw you as a true brother. He trusted you to take care of me, and now I'm here with Dylan, and you're turning us away. Do you even have a heart? What would Rory think, watching us from above?"

Her voice was filled with sorrow, her eyes brimming with tears of frustration and sadness, her body trembling.

"Casper, are you really going to let Rory watch as his family is cast out by you, left to fend for themselves? How can you be so heartless?"

Casper was caught between a rock and a hard place, but a decision had to be made.

"If Rory has to blame someone, let him blame me."

"You..." Fiona wasn't ready to give up. "...Casper, if Eliza agreed to divorce you, would you still refuse to take us in?"

"I will never divorce her," he replied firmly.

Fiona let out a bitter laugh, interpreting his words as self-deception. Eliza didn't even want him anymore.