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Chapter_81
Whitney stood at the threshold of the hospital room, her heart heavy with conflicting emotions as she watched Ludwik and Elaine interact. The way he had so tenderly draped his jacket over Elaine’s shoulders, his touch soft, his care evident—she could feel the sting of betrayal deep within her chest. It was clear now that she had been wrong all along. It wasn’t her he was concerned about. He hadn’t stayed to check on her, to offer even the barest form of comfort. No, he had stayed for Elaine.
Her hands tightened around the cup of water, her knuckles white with the force. When it slipped from her grip, shattering on the floor, the sudden pain that shot through her foot almost felt like a release. But as Ludwik’s hand reached out to steady her, she recoiled, too hurt, too angry, to accept even that small gesture. His regret, if it existed, meant nothing now.
“You need to be more careful,” he scolded, his voice laced with irritation, not concern. Whitney’s lip curled into a bitter smile. The care he’d shown Elaine, the tenderness, the soft words—none of it was for her. Not tonight.
Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she shot back, “No problem at all. I wouldn’t want to keep you from playing dress-up with your sister.” The words left her mouth before she could stop them, a mixture of resentment and self-pity clouding her judgment.
Ludwik’s expression turned stormy, but Whitney didn’t care anymore. He had already made his position clear. His anger at her, his frustration with her supposed attitude—it all felt hollow, like nothing more than an excuse to avoid the real issue. She could already see him retreating into his fortress of pride, and she couldn’t bring herself to chase after him anymore.
Elaine’s voice, soft and feigned with concern, cut through the tension. “Whitney, it was just because I was wet, and he was trying to be nice. You don’t have to misunderstand.”
Whitney’s gaze sharpened, her distaste for Elaine evident. “I’m not misunderstanding anything, Elaine. I couldn’t care less about your drama,” she snapped, the words tasting bitter as they left her lips. But what did it matter now? She had long stopped caring about playing nice, about pretending to fit into a world where she was nothing more than a pawn.
Ludwik scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. “Why bother explaining anything to her? She doesn’t care. If I had put my jacket on you, I would’ve done it for the same reason. But she won’t appreciate anything I do.”
Elaine’s gaze flickered with something dark, but before she could respond, Ludwik was already turning away, his frustration evident in every step. “Since you don’t care, Elaine, I’ll take you home,” he declared, his anger fueling his words.
“But you can’t just leave Whitney here,” Elaine pleaded, her voice laced with faux concern. But Ludwik was past caring. With a cold and decisive movement, he grabbed Elaine’s arm and stormed off.
Whitney remained standing in the hallway, watching them leave. The bitterness in her chest only grew as she leaned heavily against the IV stand. She had imagined this night would be different, that Ludwik would come to her, would be the man she needed him to be. But now, she realized, it wasn’t about her. It never had been.
She sank back into her room, the door closing behind her with a quiet finality. Exhaustion overwhelmed her as she collapsed onto the bed, her body aching in places she hadn’t realized, the emotional weight of the night pressing down on her. She called weakly for the nurse, her voice breaking with the strain of holding it all together. “Nurse…” Her eyes welled up with tears, but she had no strength to cry. She was too tired, too drained from everything.
The nurse rushed over, but Whitney barely registered the comforting words that followed. Her mind was far away, replaying the image of Ludwik walking away, hand in hand with Elaine. It was a cold, bitter reality, and she had no strength left to fight it.
Meanwhile, outside, the downpour continued, the rain falling in sheets. Elaine, her heart twisted with satisfaction, slid into the car, but the glint of triumph in her eyes didn’t go unnoticed by Ludwik. His anger hadn’t dissipated, but as he glanced over at her, he saw her smile, and it made him uneasy. Elaine had played her part perfectly tonight, and she knew it.
Ludwik’s thoughts were a chaotic mess as he sat in the back of the Bentley, staring out into the rain. His cigarette burned between his fingers as he contemplated the events of the night, the gnawing questions about Whitney, about his decisions, and about the path they had taken. Had he really known her? Was he just a fool in this game? Or had he been wrong all along to trust her, to care?
His hand clenched around his phone, and he dialed the hospital with a sharp, cold voice, giving orders for a nurse to check on Whitney. He couldn’t ignore her, not after everything. Despite everything, the child they shared couldn’t be left to suffer.
The car sped through the downpour, Ludwik’s mind as turbulent as the storm outside.
