Love Beyond the Mask

Chapter 204

The video was only six seconds long, ending abruptly as Natalie coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

The old professor had watched it repeatedly, finally offering his analysis. “Hard to say, Mr. Doonan,

judging by the points where the girl inserted the needles, it looks like she targeted the area near the old

lady’s pancreas. The pancreas is complex; the needling could be harmful or healing. But the color of

the blood she spat out suggests internal bruising.”

Ludwik’s expression froze for a moment.

Parker thanked the professor and personally escorted him to the door.

Returning, he shrugged, “This professor is as credible as they come. At least he didn’t rule out the

possibility that Whitney might have been trying to save your mom. Elaine shot this video, claiming

Whitney was harming Natalie. I wonder, could she have been mistaken?”

Ludwik’s face twitched slightly as he remembered Whitney insisting at the hospital that it was his

mother’s pancreatitis acting up, and that she was needling to release the congestion.

His mother did indeed suffer from pancreatitis!His gaze fixed on the emergency prescription order,

perhaps Whitney was really trying to save her?

Braxton said she was kind–hearted, and he himself had seen her take Braxton’s pulse, claiming her

acupuncture was to save lives, not for money, her expression soft and sincere.

Even Nolan could see she was close to Natalie.

If she was as innocent as Parker suggested, then the whole tender issue wasn’t a setup, and when

Keegan kidnapped Natalie, could she have been trying to stop him? According to her story, was she

trying to sneakily rescue Natalie instead of aiding Keegan in his misdeeds?

Unfortunately, complications later led to his mother suffering renal failure and becoming comatose.

His heart pounded.

Could she be innocent?

Reflecting on his treatment of her these past days, verbal and physical abuse, Ludwik’s brow furrowed

deeply.

If she was innocent, then he was not acting like a man for hurting her this way.

“Figuring anything out?” Parker handed him a glass of wine, teasing him with a look.

Ludwik remained silent, tilting his head back and downing the wine in one go.

“It’s not that I’m making excuses for Whitney,” Parker continued, “but I just feel that she isn’t

irredeemably evil. If she harmed your mother, why is she still enduring your torment and fighting to stay

by your side?”

“She wants redemption,” Ludwik replied coldly.

Parker chuckled, countering, “And what if she’s innocent? She stays, drinking down your hate, why do

you think she’s doing this for?”

Ludwik paused in his drinking, the sharp vodka accentuating the depth in his eyes. He abruptly put

down his glass, closed his eyes for a couple of minutes, feeling a softening in his heart.

Was Parker suggesting that she was in love with him?

He stood up.

“Ludwik, it’s almost dawn. Where are you going? Get some rest, your eyes are red,” Nolan attempted

to stop him.

Parker raised a hand to silence him, his lips curving into a smirk, “Fool, he’s obviously going back to

Whitney. Go back to her, Ludwik. Calm down, ask her what really happened that night, give her a

chance to explain,” Parker said, patting his shoulder with earnest.

At 4:30 AM, Elaine was jolted by a call from Jaxon. “What did you say? Parker had some old professor

analyze that video I shot?”

She sprung from her bed, her face pale as a ghost. That meddlesome Parker!

She had presented that video at the hospital to frame Whitney, convinced that Ludwik’s fury would

ensure he believed it without scrutinizing the footage.

To incriminate Whitney, she had handed the video over to the police as evidence.

But she hadn’t counted on Parker keeping a copy.

Now, with the professor’s expert analysis, her claims were falling apart, and she risked getting burned

herself.

Parker was such a busybody. What if he started digging into the old lady’s hospitalization.

The truth about the kidney transplant – it couldn’t be discovered.

Biting her lip, she hurriedly got out of bed, feeling uneasy, she needed to give strict instructions to the

hospital’s doctors to destroy the evidence and keep their mouths shut.

Otherwise, if Ludwik suspected anything, he might start investigating.

Elaine, with Lyra in tow, rushed out the door.

As the sky began to lighten, Ludwik returned to the villa, where the living room was eerily silent.

Standing tall, he paused in front of a room on the first floor, ran a hand through his handsome face, and

quietly opened the door.

The room was cold, the chill palpable.

He saw a small figure huddled on the bed, her belly round with pregnancy, but she was curled up, her

little face buried in her knees, a picture of self-preservation.

“Whitney?” Ludwik frowned and walked over.

Seeing she had no blanket and was lying there, her face flushed, breathing ragged, lips cracked and

peeling, he touched her forehead, alarmed by the heat.

“Wake up… Whitney, why aren’t you covering up? You’ve got a fever!”

He roused her.

12-2

Whitney, in a daze, opened her e Content provided by NôvelDrama.Org.

lip, “What are you doing here? Dia

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He was silent for a moment. She always knew how to rile him up.

Ludwik clenched his teeth and reproached her, “Have you forgotten you are about to become a

mother? Are you tormenting yourself on purpose just to make me see?”

“I’m tormenting myself? Get out!” Whitney wanted to laugh.

“Then why didn’t you cover up?”

Whitney gave him a self–deprecating look, “My room was locked, and the maid took the blanket.

Someone made sure I had no water to drink, no food to eat, and was left to freeze all night. Do you

believe that?”

“Why would the maid do that?” Ludwik was incredulous.

“Heh, Elaine told her to. I know you won’t believe it, no matter what I say.”

Whitney’s pale lips twitched.

“Elaine has no reason to do something so stupid right under my nose. It’d be too easy to get caught,”

Ludwik reflexively defended Elaine, his tone softening a bit.

Whitney’s heart ached. You blind man, can’t you see?

She closed her eyes, “You conceited bastard, get out.”

In the dim light, Ludwik gazed at her frail body and the desperate disappointment in her eyes.

In his anger these past days, he had been blind to her ‘suffering‘. She was unhappy, indeed, and

seemed so wronged, her eyes filled with countless unsaid words of defense against him.

Was he the one who was conceited?

His jaw clenched, and instead of leaving, he moved closer to her, watching her silently.

“Whitney…” His voice trailed off, deep and hesitant.

His gaze was fixed on her, evaluating, intensely complex.

“What?” Whitney was puzzled. What did his silent stare mean?

It had been ages since he looked at her with such tranquil eyes. Now, it was nothing but hate, disgust,

or blatant longing.

Was he slightly gentler today? A flicker of uncertainty crossed her mind. His look sharpened, he let out

a soft sigh, and suddenly, he scooped her up and strode out of the room.

Enveloped in his heady scent, Whitney felt waves of cold then heat wash over her until her dazed

thoughts snapped back to the present. She realized he was carrying her, heading towards the

backyard, towards the cottage.

Dawn was breaking, a hint of daybreak etched into the sky, making it look tranquil and beautiful.

Whitney found her voice again, “You… you’re taking me to see your mother?”

He didn’t answer, just continued to hold her as they entered the cottage.

Whitney was incredulous. He’d sworn to keep her away from his mother what had changed today?

“Ludwik, what are you doing?”