Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 979

"Cherry's been hanging out here," Tiana said, glancing up and pointing toward the lounge next door. "When I left Doonan Mansion this afternoon, she was so worried about me and her dad possibly fighting again that she insisted on coming with me." "Cherry always worries too much," Whitney said with a chuckle.

"What did you want to ask her?"

"It's about Elaine again." Whitney's smile faded, her expression turning grim. "She's been released. Endora didn't rat her out. They must've cut some deal in secret."

"What?" Tiana clenched her fists, her disappointment evident.

"Has Endora lost her mind? How does Elaine, that witch, always find a way to slither out of trouble? Just when you think she's done for, she survives!" Tiana seethed, recalling how her daughter almost lost her life because of Elaine. Whitney's gaze darkened. "Elaine's a master at manipulation, preying on Endora's own survival instincts with promises of freedom. Ashton picked her up after she was released. I had a standoff with him right outside the police station.

But Ashton, that blind fool, just trusts the police investigation blindly and believes Elaine wasn't involved in the kidnapping.

'Everyone's got it wrong about her,' he says, thinking this vile woman has turned over a new leaf."

"Damn it! Ashton is just like Ludwik three years ago. Elaine plays the victim, and he sees her as this helpless woman we've all misunderstood. It's infuriating."

Tiana's frustration was palpable.

Whitney patted her arm, "Calm down, your health can't take this stress. Let's talk to Cherry first. And if Ashton insists on protecting Elaine, I've got enough tricks up my sleeve to handle that nuisance!"

"Not just you, Parker would be the first to not let Elaine off the hook," Tiana huffed.

They entered the lounge.

Cherry was lying on the bed, a chubby little hand sticking out from the blankets, an IV needle taped to the back of it.

She was receiving fluids.

Tiana approached the nurse, "Thank you for looking after her. I'll take it from here."

Her presence woke Cherry from her sleep.

The little girl blinked her long lashes, slowly opening her eyes, confused, "Mommy, Whitney? What are you both doing here?"

Seeing her weakened state, Whitney couldn't help but rebuke Tiana, "Her injuries haven't fully healed, and she's still recovering from a mild concussion. You and Parker really need to start being more careful!"

Tiana pursed her lips, ashamed.

Looking at her daughter's thin face, she felt a surge of pity, "Cherry, don't worry. He... he came by the hospital earlier. He's currently talking to your grandma about something important. Whitney's done us a huge favor, and the misunderstanding between him and me has been cleared up."

"What favor?" The little girl was curious.

Whitney pinched her soft ear, smiling, "Would you prefer a little brother or a sister? In a few months, you'll have a new playmate, Cherry."

"Huh?" Cherry was even more confused now, her gaze shifting to her mom's belly, "But didn't you have surgery, mommy? Sammy said that after surgery, the baby wouldn't be in your tummy anymore."

"It's still there," Tiana placed her daughter's hand on her stomach, the realization that they shared the same father bringing a complex look to her face, "This is the great thing Whitney did."

"This baby will be your real brother or sister, sharing the same daddy. Are you excited?"

Cherry was clearly bewildered by adult matters but still exclaimed happily, "That's awesome! So, there's still a baby in mommy's tummy? I want a sister, but anything's fine! Sammy and Danny are close, but they're both boys. Sammy also said he wanted a sister, right, Whitney?"

"What?" Whitney was lost, unaware of Sammy's hopes for a sister, "He never mentioned that to me, Cherry. Let's not drag me into this."

"Okay! Either way, I'm getting my own little playmate. I'll cherish them, but they can't hog Daddy Parker's love!"

Just having acknowledged her real father, the little girl was already showing protective instincts.

Tiana shot her daughter a loving yet admonishing look, quickly briefing her before turning back to the matter at hand, "Cherry, Whitney wanted to ask you something important. Can you try to remember carefully?" "What's that?" Cherry tilted her head, looking up.

Whitney gently stroked the hand with the IV, asking softly, "I need to know if this bad woman was the one who took you. What did she do to you?"

She showed Cherry a picture of Elaine on her phone.

Cherry looked at it, her expression blank as she tried to remember, furrowing her brow.

Whitney started recording, trying to jog her memory, "When the police found you in the van, this bad woman was there too, right? She's the one who had you kidnapped, Cherry. Do you remember now?"

"I..." Cherry tried to recall that frightful night, visibly scared. She was only three, after all. Her face paled, and she began to cry, "I only remember being at the beach, then two bad people tied me up and put me in a car. They took me to a deserted place, then on a boat, far away. They hit me, starved me... but I can't remember this woman being there?"

"She was one of those kidnappers, Cherry. You must have seen her."

Whitney sensed something was off, pressing for deeper memories.

The little girl held her head, thinking hard, then finally said with heartbreaking honesty, "I just remember the police taking me out of the van, and maybe this woman was talking to them... Whitney, I'm sorry, I really can't remember her doing anything bad to me. I don't know

her."

Tiana and Whitney exchanged troubled glances, "How could this be?"

"Elaine orchestrated the kidnapping. She must've shown her face to Cherry. There's no way she'd have managed to cover her tracks completely!"

Both knew the truth, yet the facts remained elusive.

Cherry racked her brain but couldn't for the life of her remember ever meeting that woman. It was baffling.

But Whitney caught on quickly, noticing the befuddled look in the little one's eyes.

After a moment of tense silence, her gaze turned icy, sharp as a blade. She pulled Tiana aside, whispering, "Elaine must have found a way to erase Cherry's memories."

"Really?" Tiana's heart skipped a beat as she looked at her daughter, filled with dread.

"It's the only explanation. Her family owns a big pharma company, and she's been known to dabble in some shady practices, like drugging people and even hypnotizing Ludwik before."

"Is Cherry's health at risk then?" Tiana was livid, wanting nothing more than to give Elaine a piece of her mind. "That venomous witch, always full of schemes. No wonder Cherry can't remember meeting her."