Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



"I'm at the hospital, the car got totally smashed."

Whitney's heart skipped a beat listening to the sobbing on the other end of the phone. How could such a terrible thing happen to such a young kid?

Panic-stricken and without thinking twice, she said, "Okay, mommy's coming right over, honey. Don't cry, let the doctor take a look first."

After hanging up, Whitney rushed to the study to inform Bryce.

On impulse, she lied, saying there was a little emergency at work she needed to handle.

After all, mentioning Danny could potentially upset Bryce, especially since they had a disagreement earlier that day at the police station.

At the hospital.

Ashton reluctantly drove over the Bentley that Ludwik had damaged a couple of days ago.

"It's been quite the effort to stage this scene," Danny said in a cold, pleasing tone.

"You guys are unbelievable, tricking Whitney with the same old tricks."

Ashton couldn't help but complain.

However, Ludwik, ever so composed, directed him, "That dent isn't enough; drive it under that tree and hit it again."

Ashton was flabbergasted. "Are you out of your mind? You're bankrupt, Ludwik, how many more Bentleys can you afford to crash?"

"There are a few more in the underground garage," he said nonchalantly.

Ashton was on the verge of losing it.

Danny, too, looked helplessly at his father, "Mommy won't notice that much detail."

"That's because you don't know her well. She's been managing the Sheldon Group; you think she's easy to fool? Besides, didn't you say the car was completely smashed?"

Danny was speechless. "Now you're blaming me? Would mommy have come if I hadn't exaggerated? Remember when I had a fishbone stuck and you told me to tell mommy I was getting surgery? You're the master scammer; I learned from the best."

"...Shut up." Ludwik's stern face darkened, "Stop bringing up the past. Just get on the bed and lie down; she must be arriving soon."

The man's deep gaze then turned to Ashton, "Is everything sorted with the doctor?"

"Don't worry, everything's been taken care of. The medical report is ready; there won't be any loopholes."

Ashton was speechless. Ludwik had gone to great lengths to deceive Whitney.

"Then you better lie down quickly, and apply more iodine."

He left the room, shaking his head.

Soon after, Whitney arrived at the hospital in a flurry, pushing open the door of the room-

Danny, who was munching on candy, almost choked but managed to swallow it quickly and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep in Ludwik's arms.

"Danny..."

"Shh, he just fell asleep," Ludwik said, looking up at Whitney with a calm face.

Whitney nodded and, removing her high heels, tiptoed into the room.

Seeing father and son at the bedside, with Danny quietly asleep and tear stains on his eyelashes, she assumed he must have been terrified by the accident and cried his heart out.

The hospital lights cast a gloomy shadow over the room. The sight of a large bandage soaked with iodine on Danny's forehead brought tears to her eyes.

Suppressing her anger, she asked the man watching her intently, "What happened? How could you let this happen to him?"

Ludwik, feeling a twinge of guilt, lied, "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention while driving. I've been preoccupied with a lot. He was in the back seat when we hit. But he had his seatbelt on, just some bruises on his forehead and arm, nothing serious."

"This is serious?" Whitney glared at him, her maternal instincts overwhelming her, "Danny has been with me for months and hasn't even caught a cold."

"Well, that goes without saying. You're so caring and skilled in traditional medicine. Our son has been in good hands." Whitney felt awkward, leaning over to inspect her son's wound, "Let me see how bad this scrape on his forehead is." Ludwik panicked, knowing there was only a bit of iodine under the bandage. If she found out, they'd be exposed. Worse, he had forgotten she was skilled in traditional medicine and would immediately know something was off. He quickly pinched his son's arm.

"Cough. Cough cough!" Danny, catching on, coughed violently, keeping his eyes tightly shut.

"What's wrong?" Whitney's focus shifted, her concern growing.

Ludwik quickly covered up, "Oh, Danny has a bit of a cold. He had a fever the day before yesterday, so he's been coughing a lot."

Whitney was speechless, her anger and worry for her son mixing into a potent fury.

She glared at Ludwik, "How do you even dad? Letting him get hurt, and now he has a cold. How did he catch a cold?"

"Just... he kicked off his blankets at night." Ludwik scrambled for an excuse.

Danny mentally rolled his eyes, blaming Ludwik for hogging the blankets, the real bed hog.

Whitney fumed, "What about the nanny? Didn't she watch him?"

"He sleeps with me. I've been so exhausted lately; I didn't notice..." Ludwik trailed off, realizing he had dug himself into a deeper hole by admitting to negligence.

Whitney was livid, disbelief written all over her face, "I doubt how you managed to keep him alive till three. You said you could take care of him, and yet you can't even keep blankets on him. Taking care of a child means you can't afford to sleep too soundly at night. When I was with Sammy, I'd always hold his little hand. The slightest movement, and I'd wake up, always aware of his condition."

She rambled on, while Ludwik watched her with a look of admiration and guilt. "I've always known you're a wonderful mother, Whitney. Men can't match a woman's attentiveness. I'll learn from you, please don't give up on me."

Whitney was speechless, especially seeing Ludwik, usually so proud and tough, looking at her with such earnest, almost tender eyes. It was like seeing a lion being gentle, both mesmerizing and out of character.

She cleared her throat awkwardly, "Your praise isn't necessary. I've raised Sammy through thick and thin. You really need to step up when it comes to caring for him. If you're going to take your son back, you need to take full responsibility."

"Sure, you're right about everything," Ludwik said, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

"

The slight twitch at the corners of his eyes, a look of indulgence, made Whitney feel oddly uneasy.noveldrama

What's gotten into him today? Has he been taking some weird vitamins or something? Admitting his faults like a good little boy, like a student eager to please.

But Whitney knew him too well, deep down. This was just the class clown playing nice for a change.

She fought off the shiver of disgust his act was about to summon, her tone turning icy, "Okay, let's not argue, especially now with the kid being sick. It's pointless.

So, are we spending the night at the hospital then?"