Love beyond the mask101-200

Novel Catalog

Chapter_199

Whitney stood frozen for a moment, her mind reeling in the wake of Ludwik’s departure. The cold air that followed him into the eatery felt like a weight on her shoulders, and yet, it wasn’t just the chill of the outside world that pressed down on her. It was the unspoken tension, the reality of what had just transpired. The confrontation, the accusations, the underlying bitterness between them—it was all too much. And yet, there was an undeniable pull within her, one that wanted to chase after him, to make sense of the mess they had created together.

But she couldn’t.

Bryce’s voice brought her back to the moment, his words soft, like a balm to the wound Ludwik had just inflicted. “You don’t have to deal with him like this,” he repeated, his eyes steady with a mixture of sympathy and concern. “You’re not the one who’s wrong here. He’s the one who’s lost, Whitney.”

She wanted to believe him. Really, she did. But every time she tried to move on, to let go of the toxic pull that Ludwik seemed to have on her, she found herself right back where she started. Lost in the labyrinth of emotions, of uncertainty. She couldn’t decide whether the hold he had on her was a curse or a twisted form of love.

“Thanks, Bryce,” she said quietly, forcing the words through a throat that felt tighter with each passing second. She didn’t look at him directly, her eyes still fixed on the door where Ludwik had disappeared. The man who once held her heart, now a stranger with a coldness she wasn’t sure how to navigate.

Bryce studied her for a moment, his expression softening further, before he reached out to gently touch her arm. “You know, you don’t owe him anything,” he said again, this time with a bit more conviction. “You’ve been through enough. Don’t let him make you feel like you’re still caught in his web. You’re better than that.”

Whitney turned toward him, finally meeting his gaze, the sincerity in his eyes offering a brief flicker of comfort. But the truth of his words felt distant, like a truth she wasn’t yet ready to accept. She had spent too many years wrapped in Ludwik’s world, losing herself in his needs, his expectations, and her own fear of losing him. The idea of walking away from it all—of truly letting go—felt impossible.

“I wish it were that easy,” she murmured, her voice barely audible, as she let her eyes drop to the table between them. “But it’s not, Bryce. It never has been.”

A quiet silence stretched between them, filled only with the distant hum of the eatery, as both of them sat in their own thoughts. Whitney’s mind was a battleground, torn between the man who had once been her everything and the realization that perhaps she needed to start caring for herself first. She didn’t know how to take that first step, or if it was even possible anymore.

Bryce, sensing the weight of her inner struggle, sat back in his chair, giving her the space she needed. “Take it one step at a time,” he suggested softly. “You don’t have to have all the answers right now.”

Whitney nodded, though she wasn’t sure if she believed him. She wasn’t sure of much anymore. But one thing was clear—whatever came next, she couldn’t keep living in the shadows of Ludwik’s decisions. She had to find a way to take control of her own path, even if it meant starting from scratch.

The night was far from over, but for the first time in a long while, Whitney allowed herself to breathe—just a little bit easier.

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