Lizetta stepped forward, reaching out to hold Remington's hand. But the man quickly withdrew his hand, leaving Lizetta momentarily stunned, her fingertips curling back.
She couldn't decipher his thoughts or what his instinctive reaction meant, but it left a void in her heart, like grasping at thin air.
Remington seemed to realize his overreaction. He turned to Lizetta, his gaze deep, "Could you wait outside for me, please?"
He probably thought her presence would only escalate Barbara's emotions further. Lizetta nodded, not saying a word, and turned to leave.
As she was closing the hospital room door, she saw Remington pulling out a tissue and leaning down to whisper comforting words to Barbara. Eileen was there too, standing on the other side of Barbara's bed, both of them like a devoted couple circling their parents in their hour of need. Lizetta hesitated for a moment before closing the door and turning around, only to find herself face-to-face with Martin.
"Mr. West," Lizetta greeted him respectfully with a nod.
Martin's hair was peppered with gray, perhaps weary from life's burdens, with deep furrows between his brows.
He appeared a decade older than Nathan, despite being around the same age, but he carried an air of authority. His stern gaze when he looked at someone silently was quite intimidating.
He didn't respond to Lizetta's greeting, his eyes instead fixating on her right hand and saying, "The Dashiell family and the West family had a marriage arrangement long ago. Picking up something that shouldn't be yours will only burn your hands eventually."
Lizetta's right hand was adorned with a wedding ring, its diamond sparkling brilliantly, a symbol of Remington's commitment to her.
Martin's gaze lingered on that ring as he spoke. Lizetta didn't retract her hand or attempt to hide it; she displayed it openly, saying.
"This ring was chosen by my grandmother, and my husband personally put it on my finger. I'm truly sorry about Stella's situation, but Mr. West, being the elder, you surely understand that we must live in the present."
Right now, she was Remington's wife. Bringing up a long-forgotten betrothal agreement seemed absurd.
After speaking, Lizetta nodded politely at Martin, making way for him, and headed towards the restroom.
Martin watched her go, murmuring, "Young people should be careful not to speak too confidently."
Lizetta didn't look back, quickening her pace instead. When she emerged from the restroom, washing her hands at the sink, Eileen came in too.
"Mrs. Dashiell, you okay?"
Lizetta smiled and shook her head, "I'm fine. Why are you out here too?"
"Oh, Mr. West came by. He asked me to step out. I guess he wanted to try and talk some sense into Barbara himself. Barbara really listens to Mr. West, and he seems like a reasonable man. With Mr. Dashiell being so resolute, Mrs. Dashiell, you need not worry."
Lizetta pressed her lips, realizing that Martin seemed to share Barbara's stance. If Mr. and Mrs. West couldn't understand, even if Remington and she had a smooth wedding, it would still weigh heavily on his heart.
Seeing her forced smile, Eileen stepped closer, taking Lizetta's hand, saying, "Really, Mrs. Dashiell, don't worry. I'm not the real Stella, after all. If it comes to it, I'll just tell Barbara I'm already married with kids. That way, she can't possibly keep pressing Mr. Dashiell, right?"
Remington had arranged for Eileen to impersonate Stella, merely to spare Barbara any regrets. Since it was all a pretense, a lie, they wanted to involve as few people as possible, hence not revealing Eileen's marriage and children to Barbara.
They had even fabricated a decent backstory for Eileen, saying she was saved by someone years ago but lost her memory due to a fever. The family that saved her took her in and treated her well. Bringing up marriage and children now would seem out of place.
Lizetta shook her head at Eileen, "Don't take any rash actions. If Barbara gets suspicious, it could get messy."
Eileen nodded in agreement, "Just let me know how I can help, Mrs. Dashiell."
Lizetta thanked her, and as they talked, they were unaware of a shadow passing by outside the restroom.
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