Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Remington shifted his gaze downward, noticing the baby immediately gripping his finger tightly after a gentle pat. Those tear-filled eyes were locked onto him, as though fearing he might leave as well. It was a peculiar feeling, but the baby's clear and dependent eyes

reminded Remington of Lizetta when she first arrived at the Dashiell household. The resemblance in their gazes and eye shapes was striking.

He turned to Stella, his voice serious. "What time was Ron born?"

Stella, assuming he was just showing concern for Ron, smiled softly and sat down by the hospital bed, leaning in closer to Ron. "Ron was born around 10:30 p.m. Evelina was rushed into surgery for a C-section as soon as we got to the hospital. Luckily, even though he was premature, Ron's a resilient little fighter..."

As Stella continued, moving subtly closer to Remington, he did the mental math. At that time, Lizetta was still en route to the hospital, and the two hospitals were over an hour's drive apart. The memory of laying Daisy to rest flashed in his mind-the small, bruised, and lifeless form.

he realize how close Stella had gotten, practically seated beside

he stood up sharply. "Remington?" Stella looked up, surprised and hurt by his

He died searching for you.

interrupted her,

having none of it, flailing and scratching at Stella, making a mess of her hair. Normally, she would have lost her temper and handed the child off to Anna, but with Remington watching, she forced herself to

baby eventually fell asleep with tear-streaked cheeks. Stella sighed in relief, her back aching from the effort. Just as she was about to lay the baby down, Remington spoke sternly.

Anna quickly offered to take over. However, noticing Remington's stern profile, Stella forced a smile towards Anna. "It's okay, I'll hold him. We don't want to wake him by passing him