Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Jerome greeted Ms. Yolanda with a warm smile as he took the bag from her hands, nodding in appreciation.

"Thanks for your effort, Ms. Yolanda."

His words seemed to suggest an intimacy with Lizetta that wasn't there before. Yolanda internally rolled her eyes but responded with a smile and a nod, choosing not to add anything more.

Then, Jerome turned to Lizetta, "Make sure you get some rest."

"Will do."

Hogan chimed in, "Liz, I'll swing by tomorrow when I'm free to check on you."

Without waiting for Lizetta to respond, he looked over at Jerome and gestured with his hand.

"Mr. Madden, let me walk you out. I know my way around the hospital pretty well. I haven't taken any days off recently, so I've been here every day. I'm quite familiar with the maternity ward, so you can rest assured that Liz is in good hands. As her senior colleague, I'll make sure she's taken care of. You're a busy man, Mr. Madden; no need to come by all the time..."

The two men then left the room together.

Yolanda, having escorted them to the door and closed it, returned to Lizetta's bedside and couldn't help but chuckle at the visibly relaxed demeanor of her friend.

"Seems like juggling admirers isn't as fun as it sounds, huh?"

Lizetta let out an exasperated laugh and reached out to Yolanda.

"And you're laughing! I was giving you signals to help me out, and you just ignored them. Come on, I need to use the restroom!"

Seeing the urgency in her friend's request, Yolanda moved to assist her, letting out another chuckle.

"Maybe it was a miscalculation? Honestly, I think you'd be better off going back with Mrs. Bernice Madden. At least then you wouldn't be caught in a crossfire. Between Mr. Madden and Dr. White, I still think Mr. Madden is a better match."

The Maddens clearly favored Lizetta, and Jerome wasn't really the heir to the Madden estate, so the likelihood of facing a terrible mother-in-lawdike Hanna seemed slim. Moving to Tranquil Meadows and leaving behind the heartache of Zion City might not be such a bad idea.

Hogan's situation was different. The White family might not be as prestigious as the Dashiell family, but they were still well-off.

When the White family approached

the Dashiell family for a marriage

proposal, Hogan was

wheelchair-bound. Helen White didn't even bother to consult Lizetta before showing up, leaving no foom for rejection. Perhaps Helen thought Lizetta marrying Hogan, even in his condition, was a step up Now that Hogan has recovered, who knows what Helen is thinking.

If Lizetta did marry into that family, she might end up dealing with another Hanna.

Lizetta waved her hand dismissively, her smile tinged with bitterness. She was still healing from her wounds, far from ready to entertain such thoughts. Thankfully, the hospital's strict policies and the reminders from the nurses kept her from being overwhelmed.

Unknown to her, in the neighboring room, Ray let out a sigh of relief as he heard footsteps fade away.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

"Mr. Remington Dashiell, they've left."

"I have ears," Remington replied curtly, placing the documents he had been holding all night on the table before lying down to rest.

Ray, internally rolling his eyes at the repeated inquiries, was interrupted by a notification on his phone.

Glancing down, he saw a video sent by one of his subordinates. Opening it, he was immediately greeted by the familiar screams of Stella. The video showed a scene in a club where Stella was being held down by two servants. A heavy-set woman, dressed lavishly, was cursing and stomping on Stella.

Ray looked up after a brief glance and said, "Mr. Remington Dashiell, we've received a response from Ms. West's side. Would you like to personally review the outcome?"

Remington, already lying down, didn't bother to look at the phone, showing no interest as he coldly responded.

"The club isn't far from Dashiell Hospital. She'll likely seek treatment nearby. Order that Dashiell Hospital will no longer accept the Wests for treatment."