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.

frame so vulnerable, shaking as he

him–his breaths shallow, he

Parker was puzzled. Elaine was a

I need her!” Ludwik

had stayed with

he still had a lucid moment, Ludwik repeated his command.

pleas for Elaine battered

thousand needles, bleeding

now trusted Elaine so completely. Had he lost all faith in her?

to look at Whitney, as if a single

heart, Whitney and Elaine had switched places in

are you still here? Ludwik’s sick because of

in, roughly pulling her toward the

shook her to her core. She recalled what Natalie had said, that he had been troubled since childhood, prone to violent outbursts.

she couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly is

nerve to ask?” Nolan fumed. “Aren’t 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 years since he’s had an episode, you malignant woman,

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

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

Nolan

harsh demeanor toward Whitney. Everyone around Ludwik had turned icy cold toward

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

him. He’s having a hysterical fit and he asked for you. He probably thinks

addressing Elaine. After all, even psychiatrists were often helpless against

a knack for medicine; I’ll take a look

his illness is because his mother was his last thread of sanity, then

at the departing Nolan, her face freezing for a moment before she sneered.

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 gesture. You’ve

have Ludwik, whether it’s his body or his heart. Oh,

spoken with a particularly sinister tone.

not understanding her meaning.

want to 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 with a twisted smile, “From now on, his beloved will only be me. You just