Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

"It's not like that!" Lizetta pressed herself closer into Remington's embrace; her small face nuzzled against his chest as she continued. "I'm a selfish person, Rem. All I want is for you to always take care of yourself! And isn't that what everyone should do anyway? How could that be wrong?

I also believe that if Stella had a better shot at escaping that day, you would've given her that chance without a second thought, right?"

Lizetta sniffed, while tightening her arms around Remington's waist.

"I don't care about anything else; if you hadn't escaped back then, I wouldn't have you with me now! And that's just not acceptable!" Listening to Lizetta's somewhat childish reasoning, Remington felt a deep stir within him.

When he was found and brought back, the West family, of course, said nothing.

Even if they didn't blame him out loud, they did in their hearts.

Even his father, Nathan, felt guilty towards the West family, probably thinking he, as a boy, should not have left Stella behind.

she were her own daughter, probably wished it was Stella who had come back, not

a position, couldn't

it was the first

have saved

his chin gently brushing

eyes were rimmed with red. Despite her words, the thought of that dreadful situation still weighed heavily on her

desperate kidnappers, the girl with a severed thumb, Stella not receiving timely medical

years of searching with no sign of

Barbara cried herself

ago, I found Eileen, who was missing her right thumb and had lost her memory. Her appearance and age were so similar

into a car accident from driving while exhausted. He held on just long enough in the hospital to hear the DNA results, but I had found the wrong person, and just like that, another life from the West

to her grave, so he asked me to bring Eileen back. If Barbara couldn't hold on, we would tell her we found Stella, even if it

the burdens that weighed heaviest on Remington's