Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

The dance troupe's debut performance at the Zion Theatre had been the talk of the town for weeks, with tickets selling out almost immediately. Lizetta felt a pang of guilt toward her fellow dancers; just yesterday, in Jerome's office, he had agreed to keep her secret. She was eternally grateful.

Jerome had said, "Just nail this first performance, and you'll have paid us back tenfold."

Lizetta was determined to give it her all, to repay Jerome's kindness, to show her gratitude to her fellow dancers for their understanding, and to do justice to the years of sweat and dedication she had put into her craft.

But as soon as she stepped onto the stage, all those thoughts vanished. She was in her element, basking in the limelight she had fought so hard for.

vibrant, and her slight baby bump did not hinder her but added

captivated. He had always known Liz was beautiful, and her dancing even more so, but he had never imagined it could be this mesmerizing. Her pregnancy only made her appear

around, he saw that Stella was right, and he felt an overwhelming urge to rush up there, take

watch. The performance was ninety minutes with no intermission, and there were still over twenty minutes to go. Time seemed to drag, and he noticed Stella looking pale and uneasy. "What's wrong?"

Stella replied weakly, but Remington noticed

to the front, shocked

hurting a lot. I didn't want to disturb you or the others," Stella said, trying to hide

departure in the middle of the performance drew many eyes, especially from the stage. Lizetta caught a glimpse of them leaving but continued dancing