Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 170

In the hospital room, Parker struggled to restrain Ludwik’s shaking hands. Peering into the man’s bloodshot eyes, Parker felt a wave of helplessness. “Ludwik, hang in there, buddy. Just take it easy, the doc’s on his way. You need a sedative.”

“It won’t work. Regular docs won’t work,” Ludwik panted, his body trembling violently, beads of sweat dotting his forehead as his right hand twitched uncontrollably.

A brutal headache clawed at his temples, inciting a mad desire to smash everything in sight. Slowly, his vision. began to blur.

He collapsed to the floor, his large, heavy frame jostling his mother’s hospital bed.

Ludwik’s eyes reddened with distress as he reached out desperately to steady his mother’s bed.

The sight wrenched Parker’s heart. He rushed to Ludwik’s aid, only to be met with an uncontrolled punch that burst open his forehead, blood trickling down.

“Ludwik, what’s wrong with you?” Suddenly, a faint, trembling voice cut through the tension at the door, tinged with concern.

A slender figure dashed into the

e room.

Whitney hurried to Ludwik’s side. His symptoms mirrored those of a violent psychotic episode, where initially. the patient might exhibit aggressive, bloodthirsty behavior, escalating to self–harm, confusion, and insanity.

She reached out to check his pulse, but Ludwik caught sight of her.

His consciousness still intact, the image of her face, along with the sight of his mother lying quietly in bed, pierced his heart with agonizing pain.

“Why is she here?” he looked up at Parker.

Tell her to get out. I don’t want to see her.”

“Get out!” Ludwik’s uncontrollable rage sent objects flying toward her.

Parker saw a porcelain piece heading straight for Whitney’s stomach and kicked her out of harm’s way just in time.

Whitney stood frozen, her mind echoing with his hateful, disgusted curses.

noble frame so vulnerable, shaking as he clutched his head. Suddenly,

could save him–his breaths shallow, he muttered,

Elaine was a patient herself;

I need her!” Ludwik gritted his teeth in pain.

hysterical episode, it was Elaine who had stayed with him through the night, saving him. She might know what

he still had a lucid moment, Ludwik

repeated pleas for Elaine battered

it had been pierced by a thousand needles,

Had he lost all faith in her?

bear to look at Whitney, as if a single glance would exacerbate his

Whitney and Elaine had switched places in an

still here? Ludwik’s sick because

roughly pulling her toward

drained of color. Seeing Ludwik in agony shook her to her core. She recalled what Natalie had said, that he had been troubled since childhood, prone to

couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly

you the main culprit? Haven’t I told you that he’s not ordinary, that his childhood was harsh, that he has severe emotional issues? It’s been

in her eyes. A thousand apologies choked in her throat, all dissipating into a sharp pain

didn’t hurt Natalie.” she stammered in defense.

making excuses!” Nolan

her wheelchair, noting Nolan’s harsh demeanor toward Whitney. Everyone around

filling her as she feigned concern, “What happened to Ludwik? Nolan, did he ask for

and he asked for you.

addressing Elaine. After all,

for medicine; I’ll take a look at

“Ms. Valentine, are you lingering here to continue agitating Ludwik? Don’t you understand that you are the cause of his outbreak?” Whitney had no rebuttal for this, but she glared coldly at Elaine, her fists clenched. “If his illness is because his mother was his last thread of sanity, then you are the real culprit. Elaine, you know what I’m talking about. His mother’s vegetative

at the departing Nolan, her face freezing for a moment

to Whitney’s side, and she whispered with a chilling laugh, “Right now, everyone sees you as the culprit, while I’m the one who donated a kidney, and Ludwik is touched by my

whether it’s his body or his heart.

last sentence was spoken with a particularly sinister

gaze was icy, not understanding her

know why he’s calling for me, why he relies on me so much, don’t you? You’ll never know.” The smugness, in Elaine’s laugh was evident as she thought of the half

thought with a twisted smile, “From now on, his beloved will only be me. You just watch as I