Love beyond the mask101-200

Novel Catalog

Chapter_160

Whitney’s world had shattered into a thousand jagged pieces, and the reality of what she had done hung around her like a noose. Her body trembled—not just from fear, but from the crushing weight of the betrayal she had inflicted on Ludwik. It was a nightmare, one that twisted through her thoughts relentlessly, unraveling everything they had built together.

Ludwik’s cold presence filled the room as he stepped through the door, his gun steady in his hand. The silence that followed was suffocating, broken only by the hollow, bitter echo of his laugh—an icy wind that seemed to freeze the very air around them. He moved with lethal precision, his eyes never leaving her, and his voice sliced through the room like a blade.

“So, Whitney, you’re in league with Orion?” His words, spoken with a cruel laugh, dripped with venom. His gaze burned through her like fire.

Whitney’s knees buckled, and she collapsed back into the chair, feeling as if the very air had been sucked out of the room. She wanted to scream, to explain herself, to make him understand that this was beyond her control. But the look in Ludwik’s eyes—the betrayal, the fury—told her everything. She had lost him.

“Ludwik… it’s not what you think,” she managed, her voice weak and shaky, barely more than a whisper against the storm of emotions swirling between them. She stood up, but her movements felt futile—like no action she took could undo the damage.

Ludwik’s smile twisted into something sharper, crueler. “When did you find out who I really am? What a flawless act you put on,” he mocked, his words oozing with bitter sarcasm.

Her heart cracked as she saw the coldness in his eyes. She could see the truth in them—there was no chance of him believing her now. Not after everything. The dream they had once shared, the hope of building something real, was now crumbling into dust.

“You said you’d come into my life, into my company, and give it your all. You wouldn’t leave me alone. This morning, you said we’d face it together when you woke up. But now I see it—turns out it was all a sweet trap,” Ludwik continued, his voice devoid of warmth, each word a knife twisting deeper.

The mention of the ring—the symbol of their commitment—felt like a slap in the face. Whitney recoiled, her heart shattering all over again. She had never meant to hurt him. She had never meant for any of this to happen. But now, standing before him, she knew there was no undoing the damage.

“I… I never meant for this to happen, Ludwik,” she sobbed, her voice cracking under the weight of her own guilt. “Please… you have to believe me.”

But Ludwik, his face hardening into a mask of ice, only stepped closer. His gaze cut through her like a spear, and she could feel the heat of his anger even as the room grew colder. “Love? This? You conspired with your uncle and Orion to take everything from me. Do you call that love?” His voice was quiet, but the fury behind it radiated in waves. “I felt it, Whitney. I trusted you.”

Her chest tightened, a painful lump in her throat threatening to choke her. She had been so blind, so naive. She hadn’t seen the webs her uncle had woven around her. She hadn’t realized that the man she had trusted—Orion—was Ludwik’s worst enemy, the one who had taken everything from him.

Her body shook with the bitter truth. Not only had she betrayed Ludwik’s trust, but she had been complicit in the destruction of everything he had built. The thought of it tore her apart.

As she struggled to find the words to explain herself, her uncle’s voice echoed in her mind: This is our revenge. With Ludwik’s assets, we will restore the Tennyson family legacy. It was never about her or Ludwik. It had always been about power, manipulation, and greed.

The sharp sound of footsteps broke her thoughts, and she turned to see Elaine step forward, positioning herself in front of Ludwik. The cold smirk on Elaine’s face was the last straw. Whitney’s stomach churned with disgust as she realized just how deeply Elaine was entangled in this betrayal. The woman who had once been her ally was now relishing in Ludwik’s pain.

“Don’t you touch Ludwik, Whitney!” Elaine spat, her voice venomous. She placed herself between Whitney and Ludwik, her body language defensive and possessive.

Whitney’s gaze flickered back to Ludwik, but his face was a stone mask, his eyes void of the warmth and tenderness she had once seen in them. She had lost him. And there was no going back from this.

Her heart shattered into pieces, and she let out a silent, agonized cry. She had ruined everything.

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