Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

His hand, bold and invasive, snuck up Lizetta’s dress hem to the softness beneath, grabbing hold and kneading without restraint.

The heat from his palm sent shivers down Lizetta’s spine, triggering broken whimpers to escape from her throat.

The air itself seemed to catch fire. But then, the massive crystal chandelier in the living room suddenly flicked on, its blinding light shattering all that had been suggestive and intimate.

Before Lizetta could even get her bearings, a snarky, mocking voice echoed from the direction of the couch.

“Well, no wonder no one’s picking up the phone, you two seem to be quite the busy bees! Even if you’re in a rush, pick a better spot, for heaven’s sake! Talk about indecent!”

It was Hanna’s voice.

Busted by the mother–in–law in the act, Lizetta was a mix of embarrassment and indignation. She pushed against Remington, trying to straighten her messed–up clothes, aiming to hop down to the ground.

Remington just knitted his brows for a second, and then cool as a cucumber, he chimed in, “This is our house, and the one who needs to mind the occasion is you, Mom! And if you knew we were busy, you shouldn’t have barged in uninvited!”

With that, the man scooped Lizetta up and strode toward the staircase.

Hanna, her face turning white with rage, retorted, “What on earth are you saying! And what, she can’t walk on her own two legs? You’ve been carrying her since she was little!”

Lizetta had indeed been carried by Remington a lot over the years, but that was always just brotherly love.

Hanna’s words, on the other hand, clearly had a subtext.

Lizetta had married Remington and had heard far dirtier gossip than this, but no one dared to say such things to Remington’s face.

Remington’s expression darkened, but before he could speak, Lizetta snuggled into his embrace, flashing a sickly sweet smile.

She shot back at Hanna, “I heard that Remi picked me up when I was just three days old. Not everyone’s that lucky or blessed, to be carried by their husband frequently, right, Hanna?”

Hanna came here to split them up, not to give them blessings. First, her son pissed her off, and now her daughter–in–law was adding insult to injury, making her complexion even worse.

Lizetta, feeling under the weather and emotionally drained, just wanted to retreat to her room for a shower and a change of clothes.

“Put me down; you two talk. I’m heading upstairs.” This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

Lizetta struggled a bit, but Remington didn’t let go. He addressed Hanna firmly, “She’s injured. Today’s not a good day to entertain you. I’ll have someone take you home.”

As he was about to carry Lizetta upstairs, Hanna wouldn’t have it. She had called Remington that day, got hung

on after a few words, and when she tried a few more times, he didn’t pick up. Calling Lizetta resulted in the same; her phone was unreachable.

That was why Hanna had shown up in person and waited, only to find that after waiting for so long, they just got home and now wanted to shoo her awa

Hanna slammed her hand on the coffee table, “Neither of you is going anywhere! I have things to say, and we’re going to clear the air today!”

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Remington, as if deaf, continued upstairs with Lizetta in his arms. Hanna stood up from the couch, raising her

voice.

“I went to the hospital today to get medicine for Joseph and happened to see Evelina heading to the maternity ward with her assistant. I found it odd, so I followed and asked the doctor. Turned out Evelina has been pregnant for over a month! How long were you planning to keep this a secret?”

Lizetta was taken aback. No wonder Hanna was waiting here; she knew about Evelina’s pregnancy.

Any normal parent would scold their son for infidelity and feel sorry for the daughter–in–law, right?

But clearly, Hanna didn’t see it that way. She thought it was justified, because in her eyes, Lizetta never deserved respect to begin with.

Lizetta’s lips curled into a cold, mocking smile, “I know why you’ve come. I can get a di…”

Her sentence was cut off by Remington, who frowned at Hanna and asked sternly, “Who exactly told you that the child in her belly is mine?”

n’t his?

Lizetta was stunned. What did he mean by that? Could it be that Evelina’s child really wasn’t his?

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