Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

"Would you mind taking off your gloves to show my wife?" Remington asked gently, his voice filled with a subtle curiosity. "I don't mind at all. I was just worried about startling Mrs. Dashiell," came the calm reply.

Lizetta was somewhat puzzled by their exchange, but Eileen set down her glass of water and slowly removed her gloves. Despite preparing herself for something unusual, Lizetta couldn't help but flinch and pale slightly at the sight of Eileen's hands.

Eileen's right hand was missing a thumb, cleanly it had been severed at the base.

The scar was smooth, healed over time, but the sight was still jarringly discomforting.

Lizetta, managing to suppress her shock, politely averted her gaze and spoke with a strained voice, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, really. It's been many years. I've gotten used to it."

Lizetta's trembling hand in his own, before saying to Eileen, "I'd like a moment alone with my wife, if

nodded understandingly and walked into the

turned to

had her suspicions but hoped the reality wasn't as grim as she

her hand that led me to her. I thought she was Stella."

skipped a beat; it seemed disbelief slowed her

okay. I

was to share his past with her, a past that included Stella; it was a taboo subject that he had never been able to discuss with anyone.

gotten hot and took off my jacket and hat, and she picked them up to wear, which led to her being taken by mistake. When the kidnappers realized their error,

ransom drop went wrong; the cops showed up, and the kidnappers, furious and panicked, took us both and ran. We were beaten, starved, tormented for weeks. One kidnapper died in an accident, which gave us a sliver of

through our bindings while the remaining kidnapper was out. We