Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



The man raised his large hand, trying to calm her down. "Whitney, just hear me out..."

"Hear you out about what? About how you and he conned me, or about how this child was brought back by Ludwik from Florence?"

Her eyes couldn't help but tremble with anger. It all came back to her now. When she had asked Ludwik what he was up to in Eurovoria, he said he was retrieving something important from Florence.

She felt so foolish, having thought it was some documents or critical business secrets. How could she have imagined it was a person, a child, a living, breathing infant?!

Whitney was on the brink of being overwhelmed by the insane speculations swirling in her mind. She stared directly at Shane, her eyes blazing, "Is this baby Florence's?"

"Whitney, I..." Shane was at a loss for words.

His silence only made Whitney's composure crumble further.

Flashes of memories from eight months ago surged through her mind. She vividly remembered Ludwik and Florence having a drunken night together, though he had fervently explained afterward that nothing happened between them. Even when Florence turned out to be pregnant, he insisted the child wasn't his.

Whitney had been so disillusioned back then, forcing herself not to care whether Florence's child was his. Then, so many things happened. They were both too caught up in their own issues.

Yet, oddly enough, Ludwik had never once pressured Florence to terminate the pregnancy. Now, looking back, Whitney realized the signs had been there all along.

Even when Florence was ousted from the Sheldon Group, she was still very much pregnant. Ludwik never made her get rid of the child.

And Whitney had believed his lies, thinking the baby had nothing to do with him. But now... ten months later, Ludwik had gone all the way to Eurovoria to bring back his own flesh and blood.

"This baby, it's the child Florence carried for Ludwik, isn't it? It's his own flesh and blood, isn't it?" Whitney asked Shane, her voice hoarse with tears and accusation.

Shane watched her face crumble, the beauty marred by heartbreak and anger. He hesitated, unsure of what to say, but he could only state what he knew. "Whitney..."noveldrama

"Please, just tell me," she said, tears in her eyes.

"...It was the day Ludwik came back to the country. He brought the baby with him. The moment I saw that bundle, I knew something was off, because you certainly weren't pregnant during those months. I asked Ludwik, but he said nothing. And you know his nature better than I do, ruthless, threatening me to ensure the child's well-being. He did admit... it was his child."

Whitney stumbled back a couple of steps.

All the pieces fit together now.

He had returned from Eurovoria with a newborn baby. Without a word, he had quietly placed the baby in Shane's care at the hospital.

"Yeah, I wasn't pregnant," Whitney said with a bitter, ironic smile. "The child couldn't possibly be mine."

"Try to stay calm for a moment. I know you're furious right now. But there's something I still don't understand. Why are your two sons visiting this baby they were supposed to resent? It's a girl. I asked them, but they wouldn't say. I think maybe they just like the baby girl..."

Whitney froze for a moment, her mind going blank.

She couldn't comprehend it!

And this was what hurt the most. Sammy and Danny also knew about Ludwik bringing back a child, a child only half-related to them by blood.

The three of them had conspired to keep her in the dark!

They had kept her so deeply in the dark, she was completely clueless!

And why were they visiting this baby? Didn't they know it was Florence's child?!

It was too disappointing.

Even Sammy, who had been by her side since he was little, had betrayed her this time, standing with Ludwik.

A wave of unprecedented desolation and emptiness washed over Whitney's entire being.

She was lost in a sea of anger and disappointment, unable to pull herself out, unable to remain calm.

With a cold, bitter nod, she smiled humorlessly, her eyes losing their spark. "Sure, of course. It's his own flesh and blood. He couldn't bear to lose it, especially since it was almost born! So, he tells me sweet lies of regret, while secretly going to Eurovoria to claim his child. Fine. He's even convinced Sammy and Danny to join his side. And I... have nothing left..."

This overwhelming sense of despair and fury left Whitney unable to stand there any longer. Every second felt like torture and humiliation.

Her fists clenched tight, her face pale as snow, she stopped thinking entirely.

She turned and bolted out of the hallway.

"Whitney!" Shane called out, panic rising in his chest. Whitney was usually a calm, collected woman, excellent at handling problems. But now, she was clearly in shock and distress.

Shane could deeply empathize with her turmoil.

Outwardly, Whitney refused to reconcile with Ludwik, acted indifferent, calm, as if she didn't need him.

But Shane had guessed she still cared for him, unable to forget their past.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be this devastated to find out Ludwik had brought back his illegitimate child.

She was furious beyond measure.

Moreover, her two proud sons had been visiting this baby.

To her, that was betrayal.

And it made her feel even more hurt.

Shane rubbed his forehead in frustration, ready to chase after her and try to talk some sense into her...

Suddenly, a small set of footsteps ran up behind him.

"Mommy..." Sammy, with his little brows furrowed in distress, came running out, murmuring "Mommy" under his breath.

As soon as he spotted Shane, he came to an abrupt halt, clutching a black hair tie in his tiny hand. He held it up and asked, "Uncle Shane, when did you get here? Is my mom here?"

"Sammy."

"This is her hair tie! I found it in the

nét

hallway after left the room. It's hers, with those little flowers on it, and it even smells just like her." Sammy's face was a mix of urgency and desperation, his usual composure gone. "Did you see her? Is she here?"

"Sammy. She did come by," Shane replied, a hint of resignation in his voice.

Sammy's dark eyes widened with a sudden flicker of panic. "Did she see..."

"She saw everything," Shane

admitted, lowering his gaze, his tone somber. "She saw you and Danny in the room with the baby. She lost it, came to me, demanding to know

who the baby was, if it was someone your dad brought home."

MS

"She pretty much figured it out. It's the baby Florence had..."