Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 1017

Shane was left utterly speechless.

That was until he caught the menacing glare from Ludwik's eyes.

In an instant, he silenced all his questions, yet his eyes darted around, filled with speculation. If the child belonged to Florence, Ludwik wouldn't have anything to do with it. Yet, here he was, looking haggard and pleading for Shane's help to save his child. Something didn't add up. Whose child was this, anyway?

With countless questions swirling in his mind, Shane also felt a chill from the man's aura of danger and decided not to probe further.

The baby lay motionless in the incubator, her skin so tender and pink, invoking a surge of compassion, yet she appeared so fragile and pitiful.

Shane had once taken care of Sandy Turner's child, right from the start, and his heart softened at the sight.

He quickly made a call, "Doc, you need to get over here, and bring your best pediatricians, and hurry!"

Before long, a team of pediatric specialists arrived, filing into the emergency room.

"Looks like a preterm birth. What's the weight, barely 4 pounds?"

"Severe jaundice over here."

"She might have a lung infection too. Quick, let's check her breathing and get started."

"We can't delay; this is Mr. Nelson's friend's daughter. Everyone, let's get to it!"

Inside the emergency room, the doctors' voices echoed, organized and efficient.

Ludwik stood by the door, an immovable figure carved from ice, gazing through the glass without a flicker of movement.

It was only when he saw the doctors beginning to treat his daughter, their skilled medical interventions and experienced consultations, that he finally let out the breath he'd been holding, easing the tension in his chest.

His lips barely moved as he glanced at Shane, "Thanks."

"There's no need for thanks among friends!" Shane clapped him on the back with a hearty gesture.

Though Shane's eyes were brimming with questions, seeing Ludwik's stony, expressionless face made him hold his tongue, offering comfort instead, "Don't worry, we've got the best pediatric team in the country right here. They won't let anything happen to your daughter. They're experts at fighting against time.

All you need to do is wait and keep hope alive.

By the way, have you let Whitney know you're back?"

Ludwik's gaze withdrew from the window, as if suddenly reminded,

Of course, he hadn't forgotten the most important person.

He took out his phone, his rugged fingers pressing the screen with a deliberate force, and sent a message to Whitney.

Ludwik's lips tightened, his hand brushing over his chiseled jaw, "Please, Mr. Nelson, look after her for a few hours. Let me know immediately if anything changes with the doctors!"

"Where are you headed?" Shane turned, as if to follow him.

Ludwik's strides were long and decisive, "I need to head home."

Whitney would surely come looking for him as soon as she got the message.

He couldn't stay here!

Not yet, not with his daughter's condition so precarious and their situation so rushed.

Besides, Ludwik hadn't prepared for this sudden revelation, afraid that it might bring Whitney more shock and sorrow than joy...

Reaching the door, the morning sun emerged, its golden rays stinging Ludwik's cold eyes. He stood still for a moment, making a silent wish in the sunlight that his daughter would get to see the sun of her homeland.

"Felix, drive to the Lippert family mansion right away, before Whitney comes looking for me."

With that, Ludwik got into the car and leaned back, closing his eyes.

Felix, unsure of Mr. Lippert's intentions, simply followed orders without question.

-

At 6:15 a.m., Whitney was already awake.

Ever since learning about the threat to her children, she had been restless.

Bryce, always stirring trouble from the shadows, made her fear for the safety of the Lippert family mansion without Ludwik's presence. She had Sammy reach out to Ludwik to come back.

After waiting for two days without Ludwik's return, Whitney heard from Tiana about Phineas being attacked.

The news, coming late at night, kept her awake until dawn. Planning to call Parker, who Tiana mentioned had arrived in Emperor City, she felt a sense of unease about Phineas's attack, fearing its unusual nature and the possibility of it being linked to Bryce or the Patrick family. A sudden chill ran through her as she contemplated the implications, deepening her frown.

Sitting up, Whitney got out of bed, tiptoeing to open the curtains to a sliver of morning light.

Turning back, she reached for her phone to check the time and possibly call Parker, when a message notification caught her eye.

A message from a long-missed number... Ludwik's.

"Ludwik..." Her breath hitched, her heart racing as she processed the notification, her complexion paling but her eyes darkening with emotion. Was he finally reaching out to her?

After struggling to open the message, she read the brief, characteristic words: Whitney, I'm back.

He was back?

The man who had left without a word, venturing to Eurovoria for reasons unknown, was finally back?!

Whitney paused, taking deep breaths, clutching her phone tightly.

He was back, but where? Home, or somewhere else?

Her eyes, misty with barely contained emotions, betrayed her attempt at calmness as she hurried out of the bedroom, still in her pajamas, clutching her phone.

She had been staying at the Lippert family mansion, watching over her two sons.

out.

The house was still quiet, everyone nestled in their beds, dreaming the last of their night's dreams. Whitney was tiptoeing through the hallway, trying not to wake anyone, when suddenly, as if by magic, the door to the children's room creaked open. A tiny, alert head popped Sammy, having caught the faint sounds of his mom moving about, was rubbing his sleepy eyes, barely able to keep them open. Yet, his voice was surprisingly clear, "Mommy, why are you up so early? Is something going on?"

His intuition was uncanny, almost as if he had ears like a hawk, always alert to the slightest rustle.

And his instincts were often right on the mark.

Whitney clutched her phone a bit tighter, her voice soft but hoarse as she whispered, "Your dad's home."

Sammy paused, his big eyes widening in shock.

After a few seconds of silence, he dashed back into the room, hastily pulling at Danny, who was still drooling in his sleep, "Danny, come on, downstairs, now!"

Dad's back... Could it be that sis is back from her trip abroad too? Sammy's heart was pounding, his little hands trembling with excitement.

"What's going on? I was still dreaming..."