Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 240

In the neonatal ward of the hospital, Ludwik paced the sterile hallway for what felt like an eternity, unsure how he managed to endure the agonizing hours outside the operating room.

His eyes were bloodshot, his fingers stained with the remnants of one cigarette after another as he chain–smoked, waiting for any news.

Ashton and Nolan had also arrived in a rush, their expressions grim.

Soon, the corridor swelled with an influx of people, including police officers.

Voices swirled around him, recounting the night’s harrowing events. Elaine’s fragile sobs echoed against the walls, her body marred by bruises and cuts.

The director of the sanatorium said, “Around seven this evening, a girl disguised as a nurse broke into the sanatorium, drugged many of our staff with sedatives, and kidnapped Ms. Valentine. I was terrified and tried to contact you immediately, but your phone was unreachable. I wanted to show you the hospital’s security footage, but the signal was jammed. With no other option, I reached out to Elaine to come to the sanatorium and figure out what to do.”

“But before I could get there, Tiana abducted me!” Elaine interjected, her voice laced with distress. “She and Whitney were both in the car. They bound me and took me to a B&B. It turns out Whitney was the mastermind behind the plan, instructing Tiana to find a kidney donor at the hospital. They wanted to frame me for a fake organ donation to Natalie, manufacturing evidence to turn you against me, Ludwik. Their aim was likely to make it seem as though I intended to harm her child, securing Whitney’s release from the sanatorium so she could go rescue Bryce.”

At the mention of Bryce, a flicker of life sparked in Ludwik’s otherwise vacant gaze.

Elaine knew words alone carried little weight and produced two pieces of evidence. “Ludwik, I had Jaxon dig up this–Tiana bought two plane tickets to Emperor City tonight.”

Ludwik studied the ticket confirmations, signed by Tiana, for a flight at eight o’clock. Finally, a sardonic laugh escaped him.

She had escaped and was now desperate to save her lover.

“They intended to deal with me first, fabricate evidence, and slander me to you. But at the B&B, they, that girl, and the hired thugs couldn’t agree on a price, and a conflict erupted. Ludwik, Whitney is more deranged than you can imagine. She actually ordered the thugs to…”

Seemingly too fearful to continue, Elaine made a slashing gesture across her throat.

Ms. Valentine could not even bear to kill a chicken at his

was tied up when Whitney and Tiana set the B&B ablaze to erase all traces. Fortunately, Jaxon arrived

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Whitney’s premature birth. Knowing how much you

Jaxon here. We found the baby, but Whitney was nowhere to be seen, and who knows what happened

medical reports, one confirming her throat injury from the fire. The

an examination confirming that I truly only have one kidney left. Whitney’s misunderstanding of me

mention abandoning her child!” Ashton scoffed with disdain. “Ludwik, there’s no need for doubt. I was with Elaine during her medical examination; she has only one kidney. Plus, around nine, she indeed called me for help, saying she was trapped in a B&B. Check the

pinched the bridge of his nose. His eyes and heart felt dead. “Felix, send someone to Bryce’s interrogation

we need to find Tiana Melford to confirm all of this,” Felix cautiously added.

voice even and calm, “Ludwik, since it appears to be my word against theirs, perhaps it would

“With proof of your throat injury and the marks on your wrists from being bound, it’s clear Whitney couldn’t stand being confined to the sanatorium. Desperate to save Bryce, she tried to

sneered bitterly, haunted by the memory of blood from another child’s fall from a cliff, a stain that washed over his hatred time and again. He remembered how that woman made countless excuses in the sanatorium, claiming Elaine was out to get

she would use the premature birth of their child as revenge against him. He was done with

be punished to

uncertain whether to pursue Ms. Melford

smirk, pleased with her successful counter–strike tonight.

to defend herself.

Felix found

overtook the headlines in Banyan City: The Melford

Chapter 240

after her hired thugs turned