Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Stella endured the humiliation with remarkable grace, which only deepened Lizetta's admiration for her.

After all, it's not easy to have both a thick skin and the talent of a first-rate actor, but Stella seemed to possess both qualities.

Stella's intention was clear: she wanted to remind Fiona of that time she had forced her to chug a bottle of wine at the country club. Yet, Stella conveniently left out why she had done it in the first place.

Just as Lizetta was about to expose Stella's real motives, Remington cut in with a tone full of disdain.

"We're about to have dinner, and your nagging is really killing my appetite!"

His voice was deep, and his choice of words carried a double meaning, seemingly aimed at Stella herself.

Stella's eyes welled up with tears, utterly embarrassed and at a loss for words.

"Remington, what did I do wrong? Why are you humiliating me like this?"

She hadn't been nagging incessantly; she had merely mentioned it once, yet he accused her of being a nuisance.

Was it that, in his eyes, her mere presence was now a source of disgust?

As Stella pondered, tears rolled down her cheeks.

Remington, with his lips pressed tightly, retorted, "You know exactly what you did wrong."

The atmosphere turned awkward until Fiona tried to smooth things over.

"Oh, Stella, don't stoop to Remington's level."

Stella looked at Fiona with a faint sense of gratitude, thinking she was being sympathetic. But then Fiona continued.

"Remington here got dumped by his wife. What's the phrase? Oh yes, 'chasing after a lost cause.' He's

been taking it out on Liz becausen et

he's too shy to confront her, so he's

sour to everyone. Don't take it personally."

Remington couldn't help but offer a bitter smile, unsure if his grandmother was supporting him or mocking him.

After a moment, Stella managed a weak smile towards Fiona, trying to convince her.

"Fiona, you know, in our country, the chances of getting back together after a divorce are pretty slim. If the love's already gone, it's hard to mend, let alone a marriage. Liz has obviously moved on." Fiona frowned, clearly displeased.

"It all depends on the situation! For those abusive, cheating types with bad habits, no chance. But if there's still love, Just misunderstandingscor someone else's interference, then why not? It's like they say, 'True love conquers all, through thick and thin.' Right, Miss West?" This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

Fiona's smile was sweet, but her words were a clear jab at Stella.

Fiona wasn't blind or naive. She knew the West family's intentions and how much they owed to Remington.

Over the years, Fiona had seen how much Remington had done for the West family, even missing his own wedding to help Stella.

And now, the stark difference in his behavior towards Stella?

There had to be a reason. If the Wests had done nothing wrong, Fiona wouldn't believe it.

She had let Stella in today to make her stance clear in front of them all. She hoped for Remington and Lizetta to reconcile and didn't want Stella harboring any unrealisti hopes or lingering around their

family home.

Fiona hoped her blunt words would make Stella back off.

But after a moment of stiffness, Stella asked in surprise.

"Fiona, do Remington and Liz still love each other? You might be mistaken. Liz, do you still love Remington?"

Stella turned to Lizetta, posing the question in front of everyone.