His Destructive, Toxic Love

Kailee's husband, Mr. Zhang, was one of those guys who climbed the corporate ladder by stepping on others, and Casper had mentioned him a few times. He sure enjoyed the perks that came with his job. But in recent years, his career took a lucky turn, and he got transferred to the capital, shooting up like a rocket with endless opportunities ahead of him.noveldrama

You'd think as the wife of someone like that, Kailee would keep things low-key and play it cool. But clearly, she hadn't gotten the memo. Everyone was tripping over themselves to get on her good side.

Eliza, on the other hand, was happy to have some quiet time. She found a spot to sit and relax. When Renee spotted her, she made a beeline over and called out, "Eliza!"

"Hey, Renee."

"These folks are just so shallow. What's the big deal about impressing Kailee?" Renee said, grabbing Eliza's hand and nodding at their classmates. "Every single one of them is just trying to climb the social ladder. Don't sink to their level. I've got a private room upstairs. Let's sneak off soon."

"Sounds like a plan," Eliza replied with a grin.

Renee gave Eliza a good look-over. She seemed much better than she did back when she was with Casper. "You're looking pretty good."

"Not too bad, I guess. Maybe it's just the good mood."

"Mhm." Renee didn't pry, knowing this wasn't the place for deep talks. "Sophie and Lily are already up there. They skipped this part and headed straight to the room. I'll give the organizer a heads-up, and we'll make our escape."

"Lead on."

Before long, the four women were reunited in the private room upstairs. Renee and AlecHallie saw each other often. Seeing Eliza after all these years got them both excited, and they each gave her a big hug.

"Our dorm's beauty queen, no, the Art Academy of Falconridge's beauty queen, Eliza... It's amazing, all these years and you haven't changed a bit. Still so... beautiful, just beautiful."

Alec gave Eliza a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. Eliza blushed at the compliments. "Sophie, you've always been sweet, and that hasn't changed."

Hallie joined them, wrapping an arm around Eliza's shoulder, "It's true. Among us four, you were the looker, Renee snagged the best husband, Sophie's not into guys, and me... well, I'm single and proud of it, but don't feel sorry for me, I've got options."

"Hallie, you shameless thing," Renee laughed.

Eliza gave Renee a quick look. Wasn't her marriage rumored to be on the rocks? She seemed unfazed.

Evere

"Men are just playthings," Hallie said bluntly, poking at Renee's sore spots. "A woman shouldn't bother with marriage. Look at your Daniel, he got you and then stopped appreciating you, running off with some young starlet. If you ask me, staying single's the way to go. Better to play with men than get played by them."

Renee's face didn't change. Her smile stayed put, like she'd heard it all before and

it no longer bothered her.

"Who would've thought he'd pull

something like this at his age?" Renee said, grabbing some sunflower seeds from the table, "He really thinks he's all that in bed, charming that young actress? Let me tell you, he's not impressive. I had to fake it every time, which got exhausting."

Hallie laughed so hard she slapped the table. But Éliza noticed a flicker

of hidden sadness in Renee's otherwise nonchalant face. It's not just about the bedroom stuff between men and women. It's about mutual support, care, and the little acts of kindness in everyday life. No woman walks away from a relationship without scars. Renee was just masking her pain with a

carefree facade. Eliza knew that feeling all too well.

"Eliza, Renee mentioned you got married too but ended up divorcing. Is that true?" Hallie asked, intrigued.

Eliza didn't shy away from it. "Yeah, it wasn't working out, so I ended it. But..."

"Good for you, it was the right call," Alec chimed in, clearly fed up with men. "These guys just don't get women. Only women really understand each other. Men should just disappear from the planet."