Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 790

"Ludwik, what in the world are you doing here at this hour?" Whitney asked, surprise flickering through her voice as she picked up the call.

Ludwik's lips were a tight line. "I got you some first aid cream. Felix told me it's the best, works wonders. The bruise on your face should stop hurting in a day or two."

"...How did you know?" Whitney's brow furrowed, realization dawning on her that the kids must have seen her swollen face and told Ludwik.

Her tone slightly uneasy, she said, "I've already applied some herbal paste, it's not hurting anymore."

"Herbal remedies don't work that fast. My ointment is way better. Come out, let me help you apply it," Ludwik insisted.

Whitney felt a headache coming on, remembering this bruise was ultimately because of him. "You're not a doctor, how would you know my herbal paste isn't as good as your cream? Is everything you buy the best in the world? Ludwik, please, I'm begging you, stop bothering me. Every time you're involved, it's never good news."

"...Sorry, Whitney. Did Bryce hit you because he found out about that night in the bathroom when you were helping me?" Ludwik's voice was cold with a chilling undertone, filled with pain as he asked.

Whitney paused, surprised. She thought he only knew about her injury, not that Bryce had hit her. Her thoughts were in turmoil, not wanting to add more trouble, especially knowing his temper, "Don't jump to conclusions, it's not because of you..."

"Darling, stop lying to me," Ludwik's voice was gentle, but his eyes pierced with a cold sharpness. "I went to the Sheldon Group looking for you yesterday, Cody said you didn't show up for work. Did he hit you the night before, and that's why you've been hiding?" His anger grew with every word, his fingers clenched. "That bastard Bryce, I won't let him get away with this. I'm going to make him pay, I could kill him right now."

"Ludwik...have you lost your mind?" Whitney's voice burst out in fear. Knowing his temper, he might actually confront Bryce, and given his current down-and-out status, getting into a fight would land him in jail. Did he not understand?

"Don't you dare go!"

"I'm not insane, I just feel helpless. My woman gets hurt, and I can't tolerate that scumbag. I've left the ointment at your doorstep, make sure to pick it up."

He stooped to place the ointment carefully by the door, then turned, slamming the car door with force.

Whitney, panic-stricken, rushed to the window and saw the resolve in his profile, unmistakably ready for a confrontation. She cursed under her breath and hurried downstairs, blocking his car a few meters away, "What are you doing? Isn't it enough that I came down?" Ludwik hit the brakes, thankfully not too fast. The headlights flashed, illuminating her slender figure almost transparently. She had rushed out so quickly that she hadn't even put on a coat over her silk nightdress, and her bruised face was clearly visible under the light. Ludwik's gaze fixed on her, his heart breaking.

He quickly stepped out, draping his coat around her, pulling her into his arms under the cloak of night. His eyes bore into hers, "Bryce dared to hurt you like this, that son of a bitch."

Whitney saw the rage in his eyes.

Lowering her gaze, her voice trembled with a cold edge, "Ludwik, please don't confront him."

He barely listened, so she pleaded, "It's not entirely his fault. Any man would find it hard to tolerate his wife in the bathroom with another man like that."

"I was drugged," Ludwik said coldly, the memory painful. He lifted her chin gently, guilt-ridden, "It's my fault. If I hadn't been drugged, you wouldn't have had to go through that... Does it hurt a lot?"

His calloused fingers tenderly touched her bruised cheek. Whitney's skin heated under his touch, her heart fluttering, nearly bringing her to tears. But she reminded herself not to fall for it, turning her head away coldly.

Slap-

Ludwik hit himself hard across the face. Whitney stared in shock at his swiftly reddening cheek and split lip, "Have you lost your mind?"

His gaze dark and intense, he took her hand and placed it on his cheek, "Now I can feel your pain. Darling, I'd do anything to make you feel better."

Whitney was speechless, retreating a few steps as she looked into his earnest, dark eyes. Ludwik wouldn't have it, pulling her close.

Exhausted and sweating from the ordeal, she could hardly move, nestled against his chest, the cold night air chilling the sweat on her back and lifting her silk nightdress.

Ludwik's hand gently rested on her leg, his voice heavy, "Whitney, divorce Bryce. He doesn't deserve you! He can't use that as an excuse to hurt you anymore."

Wrapped in his warmth, Whitney paused. But she quickly snapped out of it, biting her lip, pushing him away, "I'll make my own decisions, without your interference. Let me go. If my uncle and Yael see us like this, even jumping into the river won't wash away the rumors. And if Bryce hears, aren't you afraid he'll hit me again?"

"He wouldn't dare!" Ludwik growled.

But her words made him release her gently, his heart tightening at the thought of causing her more trouble. He wanted nothing more than to take her away and care for her, but he couldn't, not yet. Not while she was still married to Bryce.

"You should divorce him, Whitney. You won't be under his control anymore, and he won't have any excuse to hurt you," Ludwik said, his voice hoarse with emotion.

Whitney looked up at his handsome face, her voice deliberately cold, "Ludwik, even if I do divorce Bryce one day, it won't be because of you. It has nothing to do with you. Stop deluding yourself."

Although she maintained a frosty expression, Ludwik's penetrating gaze seemed intent on seeing right through her. "Whitney, am I just fooling myself, or do you know the truth deep down?"

His slender fingers gestured towards her heart from a distance, his lips curving into a smile. "Tell me, if it had been any other guy that night, would you have rushed to his rescue like that?"

His untimely reference made Whitney involuntarily recall the incident in the bathroom, causing her cheeks to flush a deep red.

Irritated, she glared at him, quickly searching for an excuse. "I just couldn't bear the thought of Danny and Sammy losing their dad at such a young age. That's all there was to it."

"Thank you for outright admitting I'm their daddy. I get your message loud and clear, mommy dearest." The curve of his lips widened, and he looked at her with a mischievous arch of his eyebrows, his deep eyes almost setting her ablaze. Whitney felt utterly out of her element. She had intended to distance herself from him, yet somehow their conversation had veered into flirting territory.