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.

In short, the perpetrator had vanished without a trace, 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 slim.

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

"Dad, you have to get the West family on this. How could the salon's surveillance just happen to be down? I..."

Martin cut her off, his voice heavy.

"No point in looking. It won't help."

Clearly, if Remington was behind it, finding the person would be impossible; they could be out of Zion City by now.

Stella choked up. "So I just take a beating for nothing?"

Breathing was painful, and she feared her ribs were broken.

Martin's face was grim. "Lay low for a while."

Stella clenched her fists, her eyes burning with resentment and humiliation.

That night, the West family household was filled with Stella's sobbing and temper tantrums.

Hospital.

The next morning, Yolanda burst out of the bathroom, phone in hand, her face alight with excitement.

"Liz, have

a

y is a b****! You

this video; it's so satisfying, you could devour bowls of chili in one go!" belongs to

You

& wontent

Yolanda's smile faded slightly as gaze

Cited to Lizetta, who was on the bed, instinctive venet

g her abdomen.

Lizetta looked out the window, her

delicate face serene yet

melancholic. Since waking up,

Lizetta had been weak but otherwise

normal, joking and laughing with

them making Yolanda almost forget that Remington mentioned Lizetta was suffering from postpartum depression.

Lizetta seemed a moment too slow to react, blinking at Yolanda before smiling softly.

"Yoli, what video were you talking about?"

Seeing her gentle, tender smile tugged at Yolanda's heart.This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.