Love beyond the mask1-100

Novel Catalog

Chapter_17

Whitney paused mid-note, her breath hitching as she looked at Ludwik, his grip on her shoulders firm yet trembling with intensity. His question echoed in the room, its weight heavy with an unspoken urgency. She was taken aback, her mind racing as she tried to piece together his reaction.

Her voice faltered as she met his gaze, confusion written across her face. “What do you mean?” she asked softly, her words barely escaping as she tried to make sense of his sudden shift in demeanor.

Ludwik’s eyes were no longer soft, but piercing, as if he were seeing something far deeper than just her performance. “This song,” he murmured, his voice low and strained, “You know it. But it’s… it’s not a song most people would know, not just anyone.”

Whitney’s stomach twisted in a knot. The song she had chosen was one of her late mother’s favorites, a lullaby she had sung to her as a child. She hadn’t thought twice about singing it, its soft melody calming her nerves. But now, with Ludwik’s intense gaze locking onto hers, it felt like something more.

She pulled back slightly, her voice trembling as she replied, “It’s just a lullaby. My mother used to sing it to me when I was little. I… I didn’t think it would mean anything.”

Ludwik’s hand slowly dropped from her shoulders, and for a moment, silence filled the room. His expression shifted, like he was processing something he hadn’t expected. He leaned back slightly, his posture less commanding now, but still charged with a quiet intensity.

“You… didn’t think it would mean anything?” Ludwik repeated softly, almost to himself. His gaze softened for just a moment, before hardening again. “You don’t know the full story, do you, Whitney?”

Her heart skipped a beat, confusion blending with a growing sense of unease. “What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

He let out a long, slow breath, his eyes briefly flicking away before returning to hers. “That lullaby… I’ve heard it before. In a different time. A different place.” His voice was gravelly, the words laced with an unspoken history. “Your mother… she was connected to people I know, people I’ve tried to forget.”

Whitney’s pulse quickened, a cold shiver running down her spine. “What do you mean?” she pressed, her anxiety building with each passing second. “Who are you talking about?”

Ludwik didn’t answer immediately. He seemed to be weighing something, his face contorting as if he was debating whether or not to tell her. Finally, he spoke, his voice steady but laced with something heavier. “You’re involved in a story bigger than you realize, Whitney. A story that goes beyond just your mother.”

Whitney’s breath caught in her throat as she searched his eyes for any sign of deceit, but all she found was an unsettling truth she wasn’t sure she was ready to face. “What are you saying?” she asked again, her heart hammering in her chest.

Ludwik exhaled sharply and leaned back in the chair, his gaze unwavering. “You’ll understand soon enough,” he said, his voice low. “But first, you need to be careful. Not everyone around you can be trusted.”

Whitney felt the weight of his words settle in her chest. She didn’t know where this conversation was going, but something told her that whatever Ludwik was hinting at, it was something that would change everything she thought she knew.

As she stared at him, her thoughts raced. Who was Ludwik really? What was his connection to her mother, and what did it have to do with her? The answers she sought seemed just out of reach, but one thing was certain—her life was no longer as simple as it had seemed. And the secrets Ludwik hinted at would soon demand to be uncovered.

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