Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption ( Lizetta )

Lizetta nestled against his chest, feeling the steady and strong beat of his heart, her body rigid.

He could sense her silent resistance. A shadow of melancholy crossed his eyes as he leaned down to kiss her slightly damp hair, asking softly, "What did you dream about?"

Lizetta didn't want to share, deflecting instead, "When did you get back? Did you sort everything out?"

The grip Remington had around Lizetta's waist tightened slightly, his gaze turning darker. Her frightened expression and reaction in her sleep were both heart-wrenching and familiar to him. As a child, she often had nightmares.

Wakened by him, she'd snuggle into his embrace and without waiting for him to ask, she'd start chattering nonstop.

She used to say talking about nightmares made her less afraid, piling up little bits of wisdom that were just excuses to linger in his arms a bit longer.

But now, her reactions were the complete opposite. She was drifting further away from him.

With a wistful smile and a swallow, Remington shared the outcomes of his inquiries with her, "You won't have to deal with Edith again. As for my mother, with bodyguards on her, she won't be able to bother you anymore."

Lizetta felt a stir of emotion at his words.

Edith was one thing, but she hadn't expected Remington to go as far as to have bodyguards constantly surveil Hanna.

After all, Hanna was his mother, the esteemed Mrs. Dashiell. Accustomed to luxury and pride, being monitored by bodyguards day and night would be as suffocating and humiliating as prison for Hanna. Lizetta truly hadn't anticipated Remington would take such a step. A tingling sourness touched her nose, and she bit her lip harder to clear her mind, not to be swayed by his bits of kindness.

Joy was his child too. He was probably doing all this for his own flesh and blood. It was his duty, after all.

Moreover, she hadn't forgotten that he mentioned Edith and Hanna but not a word about Evelina.

"What about Evelina?"

Evelina was carrying Quentin's posthumous child, and Quentin was Stella's brother. He could be strict with Hanna but was he still shielding Evelina to the end?

Lizetta held her breath slightly, her hand moving under her shirt to rest on her abdomen.

Evelina was the root cause. Joy was safe this time, but what about the next?

Evelina's repeated provocations relied on the West family lineage in her womb, believing Remington wouldn't punish her severely.

If he still treated her with kid gloves, Lizetta would be utterly disheartened.

"The Hawthorne family's investment? Pull it," Remington said coldly.

Without the investment, the Hawthorne family would face complete bankruptcy. Evelina had always prided herself on her status as a wealthy heiress, seeing herself above others. Bankruptcy would be a massive blow to someone like Evelina.

Considering Joy was unharmed and Remington took these steps clearly siding with her and their child, Lizetta felt she should be satisfied. Yet, she couldn't shake off a lingering discomfort.

Maybe it was because, compared to driving Edith's family out of Zion City and directly restricting Hanna's freedom, Remington still held back when it came to Evelina.

He wouldn't touch Evelina directly, only targeting the Hawthorne family, probably still considering the child Evelina was carrying. Did that child, connected to the West family, weigh more in his heart than even Hanna?

"Why the silence all of a sudden?" Remington, noticing Lizetta hadn't spoken for a while, looked down at her.