Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

"Ah!"

Lizetta gasped, closing her eyes tight.

Remington, already prepared, spread his arms wide and caught the woman tumbling out of the closet into his embrace. He stepped back, and both he and Lizetta fell to the ground together.

Lizetta's chin hit Remington's collarbone, causing a sharp pain that made her nose tingle. When she opened her eyes, she was met with Remington's deep, dark gaze, swirling with a familiar yet dangerous desire. Following his gaze downward, Lizetta's mind buzzed as a wave of heat engulfed her. Her towel had come undone.

"Let go! You jerk!"

She struggled, her voice laced with indignation, but Remington's arms were tightly wrapped around her slender, smooth waist, refusing to release her, not willing to let her get up and leave. Lizetta's face turned a bright shade of red, and Remington, with a pained expression, said, "Don't move, I think I've hurt my back. I can't move."Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

How could he even believe what he was saying? But before she could argue, Remington added, in a tone of self-pity, "Besides, how can you call me a jerk in this situation? After all, this is my room, and Ms. Madden, you're the one who threw yourself at me and... in a very suggestive state."

Lizetta, without letting him finish, angrily placed a hand over his mouth and another over his eyes. "Even if you've hurt your back, your arms are fine, right? Let go, I want to get up."

With him holding her like this, she

had no way to stand. Lizetta tried to wriggle free, only to accidentally touch something she shouldn't have. Remington let out a groan that was embarrassingly arousing, bringing back vivid memories of their past intimacies. Lizetta felt her body weaken.

Feeling the change in her, Remington's hot hand slid up her waist, his lips pressing against her fingers that covered his mouth, whispering temptingly, "Liz, darling..."

Lizetta's heart pounded in her chest, but his hot breath made her shiver in panic. "Remington! If you don't let go now, I'll really get angry!"

Remington stopped, his forehead vein throbbing with the effort of restraint. Sweat trickled down his sharp jawline, but he finally released his grip. Lizetta, face flushed, wrapped herself up and, with trembling legs, managed to get up and run out.

Remington lay on the floor of the

changing room, his chest heaving. The room was empty, but her sweet scent lingered. He looked down at himself and let out a wry smile. Covering his eyes with a hand, he tried to calm himself but couldn't help remembering a similar incident when he came home to find Lizetta bending over to change ber skirt in the changing room. She always teased him unintentionally, yet never allowed him closer, torturing him with desire. If he didn't know her so well, he might have thought she was doing it on purpose.

In the bathroom, Lizetta locked the door behind her, leaning against it and almost sliding to the floor in relief. Her face was burning with ̧

embarrassment, feeling uttithet

humiliated. Even though they had been through everything together, even having a child, this situation now...