She threw herself at the window, snatching up the receiver with trembling hands. "Jerome! You came to see me," she sobbed, overwhelmed with joy. "You finally came. It's... it's a nightmare in here, you have no idea—"
Her hair had been chopped into a jagged, unflattering cut. She was alarmingly thin, her complexion a sickly yellow, and dark purple bags weighed down her eyes. Dark bruises peeked out from the collar of her jumpsuit. Clearly, prison life had been utterly brutal. She was only in her early twenties, yet deep stress lines were already etching into the corners of her eyes.
She wept, a pathetic display of gratitude, foolishly assuming Jerome was there out of some lingering childhood loyalty. But Jerome cut her sob story short with icy indifference. "You brought this entirely on yourself. Frankly, it would be a miracle if you were comfortable in a place like this."
Andrea stared at him in utter disbelief. "Jerome... you're not here to check on me, are you? You just came to kick me while I'm down?"
Unable to process his coldness, her entire frame began to shake violently. Jerome had zero patience for her theatrics. "I don't care enough about you to gloat. I'm here for a single answer. You remember that business banquet at The Regency Hotel in July, years ago, right? What exactly happened after I blacked out that night?"
The question hit Andrea like a physical blow. Even though four or five years had passed, Jerome was infamous for his strict self-discipline; he rarely ever got drunk. Coupled with the fallout of that specific night, Andrea didn't even need a second to understand exactly what he was demanding to know.
A flash of sheer panic and venomous jealousy crossed her face. She rapidly lowered her head, feigning confusion. "What banquet? Jerome, what are you talking about? That was years ago. How am I supposed to remember..."
Seeing her outright refuse to cooperate, still trying to spin a web of lies even in her miserable state, Jerome's expression turned lethal. He let out a dark scoff. "Fine. Take it to the grave."


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Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Shattered Illusions Love Lies and Redemption (Lizetta and Remington)
Does evil really triumph always above the good in this novel ? How comes Stella's evilness has no end? Does the author believes that by giving justice and importance to bad people like Stella will make this novel interesring? I am starting to lose my patience and ask when will the writer finally will realize that the protagonist is Lizetta and not Stella....
Update pls thanks!...
This novel is too sad. When will Lizetta experience real happiness. Why is her life so miserable.. Author pls bring changes in the story....
Removed the 5 Chapters per day if you can't keep up to it....