Once upon a time, no one had ever mentioned this to Lizetta, leaving her stunned as she gazed at Remington.
"You're kidding, right?"
Cradling her face gently, Remington's gaze softened, and a faint smile played on his lips.
"I'm not kidding. When you were a little over two, you visited the Dashiell estate. The servants were frantic, unable to find you anywhere. It wasn't until I came home from school that I discovered you had somehow commandeered my bed.
Liz, you were the first to claim my bed, and so far, the only one. And I intend to keep it that way. Don't you think you owe it to me?"
This revelation made Lizetta's cheeks inexplicably warm.
She figured it must be from the warmth of Remington's palm.
As Remington's smile faded slightly, his voice grew husky.
"When I was eight, my grandfather took me fishing. I wandered off, and by the time I returned, he had collapsed from a heart attack. The delay in finding help... it cost him his life. I locked myself away, overwhelmed with guilt, refusing food and water, shunning everyone's concern..."
Lizetta's breath hitched. Mr. Dashiell and Fiona shared a close bond, and since the old man's early demise, the Dashiell family seldom spoke of the circumstances surrounding his death.
Lizetta had always assumed it was a simple case of passing away due to illness, never imagining it to be so tragic.
Noticing Remington lost in his painful memories, she instinctively reached out, softly stroking his hair, her gaze turning tender.
Remington caught her hand, bringing it to his lips for a gentle kiss, locking eyes with her.
"Guess who finally pulled me out of that darkness?"
Lizetta felt a stir in her heart but dared not believe it.
With a slight lift at the corners of his eyes, Remington revealed, "It was you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. Finding your way into my room by accident, you tumbled through the darkness to my side, insisting on holding my hand, urging 'don't cry, big brother."
"I tried to push you away, but you were relentless, coming back to me. You even pulled off the pacifier hanging around your neck, trying to shove it into my mouth, covered in your drool. Liz, see, we've been exchanging spit since way back."
Hearing his increasingly outrageous tale, Lizetta felt her ears burn with embarrassment.
Covering his mouth, she retorted, annoyed,
"Stop it, I don't want to hear any of this. It's all meaningless now!"
But Remington gently pulled her hand away, his voice deep and serious.
"How is it meaningless? I want you to know, when Thaddeus brought you to the Dashiell estate, I took you in, not because of Stella, but because you had already saved me without even knowing it!" Lizetta felt a sudden warmth in her eyes as Remington caressed the slight redness at the corners, continuing,
"Liz, even before you could remember, I was already cherishing you. If a man is to have a true love, none could be more cunning, more early in my life than you.
"See, my memories of you start from your birth, and now, twenty-two years on.
How long have I known Stella West? But you and I, we've been entwined for twenty-two years. Liz, we are the real deal, an irreplaceable fate no one else can match.
I was too late to understand, too quick to misunderstand, hurting you in the process. You can scold me, ignore me, hit me, even make me chase you for two, five, ten years if you want, but never doubt my heart. I know who I love!"
Lizetta had never realized Remington could be so eloquent, his words pressing relentlessly into her heart, striking deep.
She didn't want to be swayed by him, to have her emotions so easily manipulated, yet she found herself overwhelmed, tears falling uncontrollably, her thoughts a turbulent mess.
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