Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

It felt as if these weren't decisions she had pondered and made, but rather sudden, overpowering urges that bubbled up from nowhere. Why was this happening?

The more she tried to think, the more her mind seemed to stagnate. Lizetta couldn't help but raise her hand, forming a fist, wanting to knock some sense into her befuddled brain. "Don't move." Remington's timely intervention, grasping her wrist, snapped her back to reality.

Only then did Lizetta whirl back to the moment, but the sight of the man before her, his face etched with concern and tension, sent a jolt of agitation through her.

"Don't touch me!"

Her voice was sharp, laced with a kind of terror.

Taken aback, Remington's complexion shifted slightly as he instinctively let go of her hand.

Lizetta stepped back, only to be steadied by Hogan's outstretched hand. Her complexion was pale, a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead.

Remington watched her, his forehead throbbing with visible veins.

He felt humiliated. He had previously scoffed at Ray for suggesting that a therapist could be so influential.

But now, he was beginning to think he might have severely underestimated their capabilities.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Remington reached out and pulled Lizetta into his arms.

Lizetta was forcibly brought close, and Hogan, with a look of fury, exclaimed, "Liz! Let her go!"

He moved to pull Lizetta away, but Remington suddenly grabbed Hogan by the collar, his voice ominously cold.

"What exactly did Daphne do to her!?"

Suspicious of Daphne, Remington had sent Ray to her therapy office.

But they were too late. After leaving the hospital, Daphne had gone straight to the airport with her new French husband, leaving the country.

"Mr. Dashiell, what are you trying to do?! I don't understand what you're saying. Please, let me go. You're frightening Liz."

Hogan frowned, reaching for Remington's wrist.

Remington's eyes were icy, but before he could respond, Lizetta suddenly pushed him away with such force that she staggered a few steps to the side, leaning against the wall. She wrapped her arms around herself, looking both anxious and pained.

Remington froze, his fists clenched, not daring to make another move.

All he could do was watch as Hogan rushed over to Lizetta, saying with concern, "Liz the postpartum depression is acting up again because of him. Have you

forgotten? It's because of his broken promises and lingering presence that you decided to leave the country. And staying at my place

was Dr. Daphne's suggestion, to avoid the painful memories and help you relax in a completely new environment."

Lizetta looked at Hogan, her eyes slightly confused yet somewhat reassured by his words.

Was that what he said?

She nodded, "I want to leave this place."

"Alright, let's go."

Hogan smiled slightly, supporting Lizetta as they moved to leave.

"Mr. Dashiell, step aside. You see, she wants to go with me, and you can't take her. Not unless you want to completely disregard her mental health and push her over the edge. Let us pass!" Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

Remington's fists were tightly clenched, his arms trembling.

And Ray, anxious and desperate, wondered how they could just let Hogan take her away.

In just a couple of days, Hogan had managed to distress Lizetta to this extent. If she truly ended up in his care, who knew what he might do?

She might end up like that woman in the parking lot, vanishing without a trace.

But preventing them from leaving seemed impossible given Lizetta's current state-it might indeed cause her mental breakdown.

Hogan clearly knew this, leveraging Remington's reluctance to act rashly, which emboldened his brazen stance.

Just as the standoff reached a tense peak, an aged voice suddenly echoed from the doorway.

"Liz refuses to go with the Dashiell

family brat, and that Dashiell family brat has no right to take her. So, what about us? We surely have more right than you, a White family kid, who's nothing but a stranger to Liz