Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 452

Her sarcasm always had a way of igniting his fury-

Thinking about her evening antics with Bryce, Ludwik scoffed, "Indeed, I'm afraid Florence would be heartbroken if she found out you're Danny's mom, so better keep it to yourself." Whitney's fists clenched tightly by her sides, her heart feeling as if it were pierced by needles.

She tried to suppress her emotions but couldn't hold back the frustration, her eyes reddening as she growled, "Ludwik, you would do anything for her! I won't help you hide the truth, nor will I let my child suffer because of Florence. Today, you were too busy with your girlfriend, neglecting Danny, which led to the incident at the Lipperts'. If anything had happened to him, I wouldn't have forgiven you! Sammy has already... Sammy..." Her voice broke, choked with anxiety.

A sharp pang of regret stabbed Ludwik's heart as he glanced her way. What was meant to be a jibe had triggered a massive reaction; blinded by anger, he had overlooked the sensitive topic of Sammy's disappearance, which now had her on edge.

"Whitney," he said, his voice laced with a mix of concern and regret as he moved closer, pulling her into a hug without another word, "Don't cry! I just "

How could she not see he was only trying to provoke her?

His long fingers forcibly tilted her chin upward, his dark eyes fixated on her tears, as if they burned him, prompting him to hurriedly reach for a tissue.

"You know well that revealing you're Danny's mom here at the Lipperts' wouldn't do him any good. Jarvis, Riley, didn't you see for yourself that night? You know what you should do."

Ludwik wiped her tears, avoiding directly addressing his earlier attempt to provoke her. His only desire was to hold her close, "Danny's fine; he met my grandma for the first time, and she treasured him like a precious gem."

Whitney's tension eased a bit upon hearing this. She pushed away his hand as it reached to wipe her tears again. Tearfully, she jumped off his lap, turning her back to him with a cold demeanor. Rejecting his attempts to console her. Ludwik, left holding the tissue, felt a wave of loneliness as his expression stiffened, "Do we have to be this distant?"

"What choice do I have? For Florence, our past and even Danny's origins must be buried."

her biting

Ludwik's throat as he disposed of the tissue. Then, noticing the coat she

tossed aside. In its place, Ludwik draped his own coat around her, cold yet distinctly

momentarily transported back to a chaotic restroom encounter, her cheeks flushing with a mix of anger and embarrassment. She gave up trying to toss the coat aside, instead turning to glare at him fiercely. "Don't glare at me. You're wearing it," he stated, unreasonably, in his

couldn't help but ask, "Have you

her tone, "Of course, I have. Do you believe

irrelevant; what mattered was progress,

a black car

was palpable. His people were tirelessly searching, a testament to his guilt

for air, his tone reassuring,

teeth, holding onto faith. Sammy's asthma was her main worry; had he been able to keep his inhaler safe during

Their son was a link between them, and in that moment of shared concern, Ludwik

finally conceded, "Bring Danny to me; if

to me," Ludwik replied tersely, his silhouette standing tall and imposing

-

her face visibly upset, Florence couldn't help but smirk. Whatever had transpired between Whitney and Ludwik in the restroom, it was clear they had quarreled, likely due to Bryce's

did Ludwik not let you in? He's being quite cold to you. I'm here to visit

Whitney glanced at Florence's lone servant and scoffed, "Sister, aren't you tired of this charade? You orchestrated a

was stronger than anticipated. Feigning innocence, Florence blinked, "Sister, I don't understand what

sarcasm was biting as she stared down Florence's frail appearance. Since returning to the Sheldon family, this was their first private confrontation. If Florence wanted to play games, Whitney was ready to call her bluff, "Florence, I know what you're after: the Sheldon Group and the wealthy Ludwik. Your sickly appearance hides big ambitions.

veil cloaking her gaze, all to unsettle