Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 384

"Elaine, did you have anything to do with my mom's abduction from Skyfaith Hospital?" Ludwik's voice cut through the air with icy directness.

"What? Isn't your mom resting up at the villa? Why on earth would she be at Skyfaith Hospital? Ludwik, I've been laid up here at TriMed Hospital nursing my injuries. You haven't even dropped by to check on me. How could I possibly know anything about this? Could it be that her health took a turn for the worse? Abduction?" Elaine's voice was weak, brimming with worry and innocence. Ludwik's gaze hardened as he turned to Whitney.

After hanging up the phone, he wasn't one to leap to conclusions without evidence. He immediately instructed Felix, "Pull the surveillance footage from the hallway outside Elaine's room. I want footage from 1 PM today until now. I need to see if she ever left her room!" This would directly verify whether Elaine had any involvement in Natalie's kidnapping.

However, the truth was, after speeding through the footage, Felix found no evidence of Elaine leaving her room.

"Mr. Lippert, Elaine was wearing a red dress. We could see her occasionally passing by the doorway, but she never left. Though, there was a nurse wearing a mask who went into and out of Elaine's room around half-past two."

Whitney leaned in, utterly convinced that Elaine had indeed visited Natalie's room and likely had a confrontation with Sammy, resulting in Sammy's abduction.

Whitney squinted her eyes in determination.

Yet, Ludwik had already made up his mind, his piercing gaze fixed on Whitney, "Elaine hasn't left TriMed Hospital, so what else do you have to say?"

"There's definitely something fishy about Elaine..." Parker chimed in.

"Then explain, what's fishy? Danny handed Whitney's phone to my mom, and she managed to contact her, threatening her to leave her room. Next thing we know, she's abducted at the staircase. Isn't it obvious?" Ludwik interrogated Whitney.

phone wasn't even from Danny to Natalie..." Whitney was in turmoil, knowing well that both Sammy and

assaulting Natalie in the room, and his fate now seemed

that room to coax my mother into walking out just to be kidnapped?" Ludwik's grip tightened around her neck, his

eyes welled up with tears, gazing at the man before her with a mix of heartbreak and disillusion. "Mom's not well enough to leave her room, Whitney. I swear, if anything happens to her, you'll wish I had ended you! Where is she?"

let her go!" Tiana ran over, knowing the stakes were high, and

Ludwik commanded, his heart turning to

regret this, Ludwik, you monster!" Tiana cried out as she watched Whitney

shaking with a cold rage, lit a cigarette, his nerves on edge, turning to Felix, "Did you start a full sweep of the hospital's surveillance? And call the cops, do it

he prepared to leave, Tiana clutched at Whitney's numb face, "Whitney, won't you tell him about Sammy? If he doesn't know to look for Sammy, Elaine might... It's a dead end if you don't confess Sammy was in that room. Ludwik won't realize you were trying to help Natalie by bringing Sammy in for a consultation, and he'll just blame you for her abduction. It's unjust! At this moment, for the sake of the child's safety... I know, I know, Sammy is your last line, you can't speak up. Revealing him means Ludwik will surely take him away. But if you stay silent, you'll be misunderstood, detained, and Sammy's only chance might be

streamed down Whitney's face, a heart-wrenching decision at

keep her son close, but Ludwik's repeated distrust had chilled

Sammy, his domineering nature would

risking Sammy's slim chance

heart. She

rawness in her voice made him turn

approached him, her voice barely a whisper, "The one in your mother's room was our other son! His name's Sammy... He wanted to use the phone, to connect me and your mother. I did it all to consult on your mother's health. You disagreed, so I had to find another way! Ludwik, you're the one without a heart.

control slipping away as she beat

The only thing resonating

her right? Another