Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Cassius was completely caught off guard by her move, letting out a pained grunt as his face flushed with an unnatural red.

Naturally, this forced him to release his grip on Yolanda's mouth and nose, clutching his own injury instead.

Yolanda quickly rolled off him, seething with anger. "Murderer! Trying to kill me while I'm drunk, Cassius, I can't believe you're such a scumbag!"

Hands on her hips, Yolanda's head throbbed, but her fury was even more intense.

She recalled sitting in the booth at the restaurant, Cassius lording over the table, forcing her to down drink after drink. It made her heart ache with frustration.

But she never expected Cassius to stoop even lower-to try and smother her while she was passed out?noveldrama

Her whole body ached, as if she had been tossed around or run over by a truck.

Yet she couldn't remember what had happened, her memory stuck at the moment they were drinking in the booth.

Surely Cassius had done something while she was unconscious.

"Cassius, did you hit me while I was out cold?"

Yolanda moved her shoulders and back, the soreness intensifying.

But she noticed something was off with Cassius too. Despite her angry rants, the wretched man was still curled up on the floor?

That wasn't like Cassius at all.

Frowning, Yolanda said, "Cassius? What's with you? Don't pretend to be hurt to get sympathy."

"Ugh..."

The man shifted, letting out a faint groan, sounding utterly pained.

Yolanda furrowed her brow even deeper, nervously licking her lips.

"Hey, are you serious right now?"

How could he be so fragile?

She thought she hadn't hit him that hard.

Trying to recall the moment, her

mind still foggy, she realized sheet

might have used a bit more force thanintended-maybe four, five, even seven or eight parts strength?

"Cassius, seriously!"

Yolanda's expression changed to one of alarm. She quickly crouched down to check on him, muttering all the while.

"Stop pretending, you're just waiting for me to get close so you can counterattack, aren't you? If you do, I won't hold back..."

However, seeing Cassius's face

with cold

In

unna sweat, his compressio

pale, and his

filled with agony, she genuinely

started to panic.

"Come on, I just hit you once, how can it be this bad!"

Cassius had just endured a wave of excruciating pain, slowly unclenching his jaw.

He opened his cloudy eyes to look at the clueless woman before him.

"Maybe you should consider where you hit me..."

His voice was tinged with weakness and pain, and Yolanda felt genuinely worried and a bit guilty.

Seeing Cassius like that, she instinctively winced, feeling a phantom pain of her own.

But she was stubborn, retorting, "Well, you attacked me while I was asleep! You... you must have

grabbed my chest or something net

because it hurts too! Did I fight back? Is that why you couldn't succeed and tried to smother me?"

Her logic flowed seamlessly, convincing herself more with each word.

Especially when she glanced down and noticed her clothes were gone, replaced with a flimsy silk robe.

Her deduction seemed flawless.

So, the lousy man deserved no sympathy, getting kicked where it hurts served him right.

Cassius gritted his teeth, of course her chest hurt.

She had lunged headfirst into the pool, and luckily she didn't have any implants,

or they might have flown out.

"Help me... to the bed!" Cassius groaned through gritted teeth.