Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Stella met her father Martin's mocking gaze and suddenly realized the gravity of the situation.

"Dad, are you saying that Remington had someone attack me tonight? To avenge that wench, Lizetta?"

The chilling thought made Stella shiver.

She shook her head, refusing to believe it. "No, Remington couldn't possibly be so cruel..."

Yet, Stella couldn't ignore the fact that she had been kicked repeatedly in the abdomen. And that was exactly where she had targeted Lizetta during their fight, focusing her attacks on Lizetta's abdomen and back, knowing she had just given birth.

It was eerily similar to how that hefty woman had attacked her tonight. And Remington had walked in on her assaulting Lizetta that day.

Suddenly, Stella's injuries seemed to hurt even more.

"Sir, the police are here."

Stella had been attacked at the beauty salon and had immediately called the police.

Her face lit up with hope. "They must have caught the culprit!"

It couldn't have been Remington! Maybe it was someone else, or perhaps that hefty woman had simply mistaken her for someone else.

But when the police entered, they informed Stella that the salon's surveillance was down, and it would take time to identify the assailant. The hefty woman had used a customer's card to enter the salon, a card belonging to Tracy, who claimed she had lost it two days before.

and though the police would continue to search, Stella sensed it was a pretext. With so many cases to handle, the likelihood of finding the assailant if not tonight was

the police left, Stella's tears fell even harder, clutching at Martin's

on this. How could

cut her off, his voice

looking. It won't

it, finding the person would be impossible; they could be out of Zion

"So I just

painful, and she feared her ribs were

"Lay low for

fists, her eyes burning with resentment

the West family household was filled

Hospital.

bathroom, phone in hand, her face alight

"Liz, have

a

is a

devour bowls of

You

& wontent