Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Summer City was near to Zion City, only a two-hour drive.

A convoy of luxury cars sped through the night, with one man sitting in one of them and making call after call. His grim profile reflected against the window made Ray, sitting in the passenger seat, too nervous to even breathe too loudly.

The Lee family were the big fish in Summer City, looking to expand their territory up north, but that was Remington territory. If the Lees wanted a piece of the pie, they needed Remington's say-so. They weren't exactly playing by the book, and Remington had already turned them down once. But now, Ray heard that Remington was back in touch with the Lees.

Remington was willing to make concessions, willing to turn Summer City upside down if it meant finding his wife.

After wrapping up a few urgent calls, Remington turned to Ray.

"Was Yolanda at the West family dinner?"

"Yeah, Mr. Sterling brought her along."

Remington's voice was cold, "Send some of our best to keep an eye on her!"

to her eventually. Given that Lizetta was pregnant with Daisy, and Yolanda was like a sister to her, it wasn't out of the question that Yolanda might've left to help her take care of

needed to

think Mrs. Dashiell plotted it and left voluntarily,

was certain yet. Was it possible she'd been kidnapped? But Remington's focus on Yolanda seemed to suggest he believed Mrs. Dashiell had left of her

how she cherished the flowers he gave her yesterday, and that tender hug before she

wedding, that his efforts of being her company were making a difference, that she was

to leave all along, to escape him and take their Daisy

felt like

slicing through, freezing his blood, a slow, excruciating

"Huh, is staying by my side so

alone, than remain "Mrs. Dashiell"? Remington's laugh was bitter, the sound chill to the

thinking she could

her to leave. Once

she's got a temper. If she gets hurt,

Remington had dismissed the possibility of