Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Lizetta nestled against his chest, feeling the steady and strong beat of his heart, her body rigid.

He could sense her silent resistance. A shadow of melancholy crossed his eyes as he leaned down to kiss her slightly damp hair, asking softly, "What did you dream about?"

Lizetta didn't want to share, deflecting instead, "When did you get back? Did you sort everything out?"

The grip Remington had around Lizetta's waist tightened slightly, his gaze turning darker. Her frightened expression and reaction in her sleep were both heart-wrenching and familiar to him. As a child, she often had nightmares.

Wakened by him, she'd snuggle into his embrace and without waiting for him to ask, she'd start chattering nonstop.

She used to say talking about nightmares made her less afraid, piling up little bits of wisdom that were just excuses to linger in his arms a bit longer.

But now, her reactions were the complete opposite. She was drifting further away from him.

"You won't have to deal

of emotion at his

to go as far as to have bodyguards constantly

by bodyguards day and night would be as suffocating and humiliating as prison for Hanna. Lizetta truly hadn't anticipated Remington would take such a step. A tingling sourness touched her nose, and she bit her lip harder to clear

all this for his own flesh and blood. It was

mentioned Edith and

"What about Evelina?"

child, and Quentin was Stella's brother. He could be

her breath slightly, her hand moving under her shirt to

was the root cause. Joy was safe

repeated provocations relied on the West family lineage in her womb, believing Remington