Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

"Liz, try this, a little sugar might sweeten your mood."

Hogan unwrapped a piece of candy and offered it to Lizetta with a smile.

Lizetta glanced at the candy, guessing it was orange-flavored, a flavor that could bring back a flood of memories.

She managed a smile, "Just set it aside for now, Hogan. I'll have it later. I just want to rest a bit..."

Hogan's hand froze for a moment, but then he placed the candy aside and didn't get up to leave.

He picked up an apple from the fruit bowl and grabbed a paring knife, "Let me peel you an apple..."

"Hogan, I really don't want to eat anything. I just want to rest... Hogan!"

Lizetta softly interrupted Hogan, her emotions unstable, craving solitude.

However, before she could finish, she saw Hogan's paring knife slip from his hand, cutting his finger and staining the apple with blood.

Lizetta gasped, leaning over to take the knife and apple away, her voice laced with concern.

"Be careful, Hogan, don't move. Let me see!"

Lizetta grabbed Hogan's hand, her expression filled with anxious concern.

Hogan was a neurosurgeon, his hands infinitely precious. If he injured himself further while peeling an apple for her, she'd never forgive herself.

"It's nothing, just a small cut from being distracted."

Seeing Lizetta's worried look, Hogan's face broke into a smile.

"Even a small cut can't be ignored. Let me get the first aid kit and take care of it for you."

As Lizetta attempted to get off the bed, Hogan suddenly grasped her wrist tightly.

Lizetta looked up, meeting Hogan's usually gentle eyes, now shadowed and intense behind his glasses.

Feeling a sudden panic, Lizetta tried to pull away, but Hogan's grip was firm. He asked,

"Liz, Zion City is filled with sad

I.ne

memories. Wouldn't it be better to start fresh abroad? I'll arrange everything for us overseas! Leave this place behind and start anew. I promise everything will get better!"

Lizetta pulled her hand away, frowning slightly.

Although Hogan made sense, and it seemed like a good option, Lizetta couldn't shake off the feeling that Hogan was pushing her too hard, forcing her into a corner, which she didn't appreciate.

"Hogan, like I told you before, I still feel like Daisyy is here..."

Before Lizetta could finish, Hogan abruptly tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"Liz, that child is gone! She's dead! How can you still be so delusional!"

Lizetta was startled by Hogan's suddenly harsh tone and the cruelty in his words, turning pale.

She stared at him wide-eyed, shocked by his sharpness.

"I'm sorry, I just can't bear to see you drowning in the pain of losing a child. I'm too worried about you."

Hogan looked remorseful, holding Lizetta's hand again, "Liz, you were unconscious from the surgery, and everyone told you the child didn't make it when you woke up. It's naturato cling to false hope since you never saw her for yourself. But illusions can't become reality. You know that, which is why you couldn't bring yourself to see the child, right?"

Lizetta bit her tongue, her heart twisting in pain.

Hogan was right. She had never dared to actually look at her Daisyy.

She always felt that by not seeing her, Daisyy would still be there, a living, kicking baby.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

"Liz, that child was stillborn! Hospitals dispose of stillborns with medical waste, incinerated together. You need to stop fantasizing and move on, okay?!"

Hogan's grip on Lizetta's frail shoulders tightened as he stared into her eyes, his words echoing with finality.

The image of babies and diseased limbs thrown together for incineration flashed through Lizetta's mind, her eyes brimming with tears.