Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 788

Danny was still going on about it, "I'm not about to let good ol' Dad get off easy. If we're expected to look after him when he's old and grey, then he's gotta pull his weight and take care of us while we're kids. It's only fair." Whitney & Sammy: "..."

"And besides, I was watching TikToks with Granny the other day, and saw this mom of two so overwhelmed she tried to jump off a building!

Sammy, don't you worry about Mom getting too stressed out?

We love Mom so much, we can't let her get worn out. If you hate Dad so much, you should let him take us more often. When you're mad, dump us on him - that's the best revenge, they say. As for Mom, we just gotta keep her happy." "..." Unbelievably, they couldn't fault his logic.

It was the first time Sammy started to see his usually naive little brother in a new light. Danny was unexpectedly optimistic.

Whitney was speechless, Danny, that little schemer, was going out of his way to defend Ludwik, even stooping to badmouth him, all to make a point.

She couldn't help but laugh and pinch the little guy's cheek, "Mom will never get tired of taking care of you, and definitely won't be jumping off any buildings. Maybe lay off the TikToks a bit, Daniel Lippert."

"But Sammy told me that back when you were abroad, you stayed up all night taking care of him, learning new medical treatments for his cold spells. Sammy said you barely made it through those three years."

Danny looked at his mom with a pained expression.

Whitney's eyes welled up unexpectedly, and she ruffled his hair, "There were tough times, but seeing how sweet and caring you guys are, it's all been worth it."

Listening to the conversation between his mom and brother, Sammy sat quietly on the couch, pondering.

Danny's carefree approach was undeniably reasonable.

If he continued to resent Ludwik and refused to let him play the role of a father, wouldn't that just be letting him off easy?

Danny glanced at his brother, knowing his words had taken effect, and raised an eyebrow, "Sammy, we gotta keep close to deadbeat Dad, make him work like a horse. Plus, we can keep him from meeting any other women. We gotta ruin his love life to make him atone to Mom, make him stay a bachelor forever. That's the ultimate punishment!"

"..." Sammy couldn't bother to argue with that logic, simply replying with a cold tone, "Your plan's not bad, let's do that."

Whitney watched her sons plot with a mix of amusement and helplessness.

Please, even if he met someone else, he'd still end up a bachelor for life anyway.

Your dad... he's beyond help.

She thought to herself with a smirk, then coughed to change the subject as her uncle brought out dinner, "Uncle's made dinner, let's eat."

Keegan looked at her, "Where are you off to? Why are you wearing a mask to dinner?"

Whitney froze, having been worried about the bruise on her face.

She had planned to sneak off to the bathroom.

She lied awkwardly, "Uncle, didn't I tell you over the phone? I caught a cold, that's why I haven't visited these past few days, nor have I seen Dad."

"It's just a cold," raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Danny and Sammy aren't that fragile; they won't catch it. But you need to eat."

"It's okay, to avoid spreading germs, I'll just take my plate to my room."

"Sis, it's not even flu season," Yael Thompson found it odd.

With Aunt mentioning it, Danny and Sammy suddenly realized Mom had been wearing the mask for too long.

Seeing her refusal to take off the mask, Keegan gave her a scrutinizing look, signaling Danny with his eyes.

Danny got the hint. Standing next to Whitney, he stepped on a stool and yanked down her mask when she least expected it, revealing the swollen cheek to Keegan's sight. "Mom... who hit you?!"

Sammy's face instantly hardened with anger, standing up abruptly, flames in his eyes.

"Mom, how did you get this?"

Danny's eyes welled up with worry too.

"I knew something was off, that's why I had Danny take a look. You were trying to hide it from us, who did this?" Keegan's face was filled with indignation as he demanded answers.

With no choice left, Whitney covered her face, her eyes flickering as she admitted, "It's nothing. You don't need to get so worked up. I had a dispute at work the other day and got slapped...

I've already fired that troublesome employee, Mom's already taken her revenge, no need to worry about me."

She tried to lighten the mood with a smile for her sons, "How is it? Ugly, right? Then don't look at Mom, eat your dinner."

Keegan and Yael exchanged glances, knowing full well kids could be fooled, but could they?

After dinner.

Following his father's instructions, Yael called Whitney into the study.

As expected, Keegan sat in his wheelchair waiting for her, starting off with a sigh, "Whitney, tell your uncle the truth, who really hit you?

The injury's severe, it looks like a man's doing. No woman could inflict such damage."

"It was a male employee at the company."

"Nonsense! Stop lying." Keegan slammed his cane, making a resounding statement.

Whitney, seeing his worried gaze, couldn't help but feel a sting in her eyes. After a moment, she admitted, "It was Bryce."

"What!" Keegan was utterly shocked, unable to believe it.

He could never have imagined Bryce, so cultured and refined, his chosen nephew-in-law, could raise a hand to Whitney. Keegan's heart ached, "The scoundrel!"

Enraged, he threw his cane, managing to stand, "He dared to abuse you, I was blind to think he was a good man who cherished you all these years. Whitney, your uncle will confront him for you. Although I'm disabled, I won't let him bully you!" "Uncle, please don't."

Whitney quickly stopped his impulsive move, speaking softly yet with a chill, "This situation, I admit, was initially my fault."

"What on earth did you do?" Keegan asked, a mix of confusion, anger, and pain in his voice. "Even if you did something, that's no reason for him to lay a hand on you! And to hurt you this badly? You've only been married for such a short time." "Uncle, the other night, I guess I really got under his skin," Whitney replied, her delicate brows knitted together, her eyes a cool shade of detachment. "But lately, I've come to realize that he's not the Bryce I thought I knew for all these years. He's been keeping so many things from me, even his personality and moral compass seem off from what I believed.

After that argument, it became clear to me that we're just not compatible.

I'm thinking about divorcing him, trying to figure out how to bring it up."

Keegan was taken aback. Was Whitney implying Bryce was leading a double life?

He frowned and let out a sigh, "I blame myself for playing matchmaker with you two...

Whitney, you've barely been married, and now you're talking about divorce? This would be your third marriage that didn't work out. What will people say about you..."