Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



She furrowed her brows, halting her thoughts and shaking her head, "It's okay, Danny should know by now. Keeping it from him isn't right. Better sooner than later. I'll find a way to make it up to him."

Whitney stared out the window, a look of helplessness on her face.

Nighttime.

Ludwik got off work and rushed to the hospital owned by the Lippert family. However, Natalie was not in her room. His face tensed, and he immediately ordered his bodyguards to summon the nursing staff. As a group of them stood in the room, too scared to even breathe, Natalie returned looking distraught.

A servant by her side reminded her, "Ma'am, Ludwik is here."

Natalie looked up absent-mindedly, only then noticing her son standing by the window, tall and imposing, with a row of pale-faced bodyguards behind him.

"What is this, Ludwik?"

Ludwik stubbed out his cigarette, frowning deeply as he walked toward his mother, his voice cold, "Why did you leave the hospital without telling me? Have you forgotten the trouble Thea caused last time? Don't be so reckless again."

"You're scolding me now." Natalie shook her head. "If it weren't for your insistence on buying that villa near Whitney, I wouldn't have had to rush to explain things to her..."

She stopped mid-sentence, falling silent for a long while before she waved the bodyguards away with a gentle gesture. The room was lit by a single lamp, its soft glow barely illuminating Natalie's face. Ludwik stepped closer, trying to see clearly, only to find his mother in tears.

"What's wrong?" His voice rough, "Did Whitney treat you harshly again?"

Natalie, barely holding back her sobs, shook her head and slowly looked up at her son, her voice weak, "Ludwik, let's let Whitney go. Stop making things difficult for her. She's getting married next month. The boy proposed to her today, and she said she accepted. I didn't even know she had started a new relationship. Since she's made such a big decision, I've come to terms with it. We can't be selfish. I love you, and I love her too; she's so lovable. It's you, my boy, who's being stubborn!"

Natalie's emotions ran high, her hand hitting her son's chest, "I met Parker on my way back and found out that Florence is pregnant with your child! Whitney must have given up on you completely to choose someone else. How could you do this to her, hurt her like this, my son?"

Her tears stung Ludwik. His voice was hoarse and cold, "That child might not even be mine."

"You're not even sure if it's yours!" Natalie shook her head in disappointment, "Whitney has no mother to care for her. If she did, her mother would be heartbroken. I can't let you hurt her anymore. If she's decided to get married, let her go, son. There are plenty of women in the world, but there's only one Whitney. Don't force her anymore."

"I'm forcing her? Hasn't she been forcing me!" Ludwik's eyes were deep and cold, the pack of cigarettes in his hand crushed to bits. He bowed his head, laughing bitterly, "Sure, there are plenty of women out there, but none of them are her."

"Can you let her go? You owe it to Ms. Sheldon to take responsibility!" Natalie looked at her son, heartbroken.

Ludwik held her hand and placed it back on the bed, his expression casual, "That woman and the child inside her won't last long! Don't worry about it."

"What do you mean? I don't want you ruining Whitney's wedding. Stop acting childishly."

"Childish?" The corners of Ludwik's eyes were cold and reckless.

Natalie was shocked, shaking her head in sorrow, "You've lost her, my son... Go see Danny. He's so much like you. He's been crying all afternoon, and I couldn't comfort him. This separation is hardest on the child. Can you help him through this?"

Her words were cruel. Her heart ached for Whitney. But who would help him through this? He would never move on, nor did he choose to. Ludwik clenched his fist and left the room, "You get some rest."

As his figure disappeared at the door, Natalie heard him make a call, "Parker, let's go for a drink."

Natalie sighed deeply. These days, he was drunk every night! If not for the Lippert Group holding him up, he might have fallen apart long ago. She knew her son's pain all too well. But Whitney had made up her mind.

Deep in the night.

Whitney woke up from a dream, feeling uneasy. She immediately got out of bed and walked to the next room, the children's room.

"Danny?" In her dream, Danny was taken away by Ludwik. She knocked on the door, but there was no response!

Whitney's face paled, and she quickly turned to run outside.

Tiana bumped into her, "Whitney, what's wrong?"

"Danny's gone! I had a bit of a fever and slept very deeply. Did you see him? How could he just disappear?" Whitney asked, intending to go back for her phone.

Tiana grabbed her hand, her eyes changing as she soothed, "Ludwik came for him. Danny has been in a bad mood, and he went with his dad! You were sleeping so deeply; I didn't want to wake you. I was the one who let Danny go with him, don't worry."

"Was it really him?" Whitney clutched her chest; her dream felt too real. Or perhaps, was it the noise outside that had woken her subconsciously? "When did Danny leave?"

Whitney didn't directly ask why Ludwik had come. Tiana, however, took the initiative to say, "Around ten, Ludwik's car showed up outside the villa, its headlights flashing. It woke me up; I thought it was a burglar. When went out to check, Parker was leaning against the car door, throwing up, and there was Ludwik, acting crazy drunk. I've never seen them like this before, especially Ludwik; those bloodshot at

eyes were frightening

me, motionless, then got out of the car and grabbed my neck, calling out your name. I was terrified, standing there frozen, too scared to even call for help. In the end, he mentioned he wanted to see Danny, and I agreed without hesitation... Danny wanted to see his dad too, and nestled into Ludwik's arms as soon as he saw him. They spent over an hour outside before Felix came to pick them up. Ludwik kept staring at your window, lost in thought, probably heartbroken. I guess Natalie got back to him and told him that Bryce had successfully proposed to you."

Whitney went silent immediately.

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She didn't speak for a long while, cold sweat slowly drying along her, slender spine, bringing a chilling breeze that seemed to pierce through her chest. She shivered involuntarily, avoiding the topic, and merely said, "It's too late now, I'll contact Danny tomorrow? You should go to bed too."

"Whitney..." Tiana looked at her with

a face that was both merciless and cold, conceding as she explained, "I just suddenly felt that Ludwik, looking like that, was both frightening and pitiable. Before the car lights hit me, I didn't even realize

et

how long he had been waiting outside. Parker also told me he had

been driving here alone ad

the past few nights, just sitting in his car all night, and then heading straight to work at the Lippert family's the next day. We never noticed him keeping watch outside your house... But it's too late now, whatever he's doing, it's all in vain!"