Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Evelina yelped in pain, exerting quite a bit of effort as she lifted her teary, mascara–streaked eyes.

“I just feel so crappy for caring about you. What else is a pregnant woman supposed to think about? It hurts so much.”

Only then did Remington let go and back off, his voice tinged with an edge of harshness.

“You should be well aware that all my promises to you are mostly because of the kid you’re carrying. If there’s another abortion, I’ll take back everything, got it?”

Evelina bit her lip. “Remington, four years ago, you pretty much agreed to be with me. If it weren’t for my sister butting in.”

“She’s not an intruder, and we were never really an item, you know that.”

Evelina’s face went pale, she choked up a bit and seeing the man’s handsome face turn stern with impatience, she went back and sat by the bed.

“I get it. This baby was an accident, not something I wanted, but it’s growing inside me. I’m its mother. How could I cruelly abandon it unless I had no choice? But being a single mom is so tough. You clearly promised me you’d treat this child as your own. My sister has bullied me over and over, and you’ve turned a blind eye. How can I trust you’ll always look after us?”

She stroked her belly as tears splashed onto her dress.

Remington softened a bit for the sake of the child.

“Just stay away from Lizetta, and you won’t get hurt.”

Evelina nearly choked on those words, her eyes welling up with injustice. She opened her mouth to counter, but Remington interjected.

“I won’t neglect the child when it’s born. The support I promised you, and the funding for the Hawthorne family will be delivered. You should know the Hawthorne family’s current situation. Don’t make the wrong choice and regret it later!”

With that, he turned and left.

Downstairs, he picked up his phone from the coffee table and strode

away.

His pants had gotten wet earlier, and he’d taken out his phone and set it down without a second thought, never expecting to miss out on something significant in just that short time.

At the police station.

A silver sports car screeched to a halt at the entrance. Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

The scissor doors opened, and a tall, lean man stepped out from the driver’s seat, his face frosty, and he strode into the police station like a gust of wind.

“Litchi!”

When Lucian saw Lizetta, she was curled up in a chair, a senior policewoman comforting her non–stop.

Lizetta was head–down, her long hair hanging down, shivering.

She seemed lost in her own world, unresponsive to the policewoman’s consolations.

Her hands were clasped over her head, those beautiful, unblemished hands stained with dark, blotchy blood.

Lucian paused for a moment, emotion and severity swirling in his eyes, before stepping forward and calling out.

14:23

“I’m her brother,” he told the policewoman.

The policewoman nodded and stepped aside.

Lucian crouched in front of Lizetta, carefully reaching for her bloodied hands.

“Ah! Don’t touch me! Let go! Get away!”

Lizetta reacted violently, flailing and scratching with her hands.

Lucian grasped her hands firmly, “Litchi, it’s me, Lucian! Lucian’s here, can you look up at me?”

He held her hands tightly, his large palm enveloping hers, trying to transfer warmth.

Slowly, Lizetta lifted her head, her eyes focusing on Lucian’s face, seeing the concem in his eyes.

The tears she had been holding back tumbled down, and her lips quivered.

“Lucian, I think I killed someone! He’s dead, he’s not moving, not breathing, I’ve killed someone.”

Lizetta had used a dumbbell, usually kept by the door for arm workouts by Yolanda, to hit Daniel. She had to strike true, using all her strength to bring it down on his head.

Daniel had fallen and lay motionless. In a panic, Lizetta ran outside, tripped, and her hands were covered in sticky blood.

There was so much of it, warm and thick, the smell of blood overwhelming.

She trembled as she checked for Daniel’s breath, but there was none.

She stumbled down to call the police. At the station, after a brief statement, they asked her to contact a family member. Lizetta gave them Lucian’s number.

Now, all that was on Lizetta’s mind was one thought: she had killed someone.