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Chapter_124
Ludwik’s departure left a suffocating emptiness in Whitney’s apartment. The silence was deafening, and the weight of his words—their implications—hung heavy in the air. She had asked for space, but even in solitude, there was no escaping the storm brewing within her. Her mind raced as she replayed the conversation over and over, desperately searching for a reason, an explanation that made sense of it all.
She had trusted him, believed in him, and now it felt like everything she had built with him—every moment they had shared—was built on lies. How long had he been keeping this from me? The question gnawed at her, relentless and sharp. And why had she never suspected?
The thought of Elaine as Ludwik’s fiancée made her stomach turn. The very idea of her—the woman who had so easily slipped under her radar, who had somehow managed to become such an integral part of his past—felt like a betrayal in itself. How had Ludwik allowed this secret to fester between them? More importantly, why hadn’t he trusted her enough to tell her the truth from the beginning?
Whitney sank onto the couch, burying her face in her hands. Her breath came in short bursts as the emotions threatened to overwhelm her. Anger, hurt, confusion—they all tangled together in a knot that seemed impossible to untangle. How could she have been so blind? How could Ludwik have thought he was protecting her by keeping her in the dark?
The sting of betrayal settled deep into her bones, and for a moment, she wondered if she’d ever be able to look at him the same way again. Could they ever return to what they had? Was trust even something that could be rebuilt after this kind of fracture?
Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her spiraling thoughts. She glanced at the screen and saw Tiana’s name. She had already been through enough for one evening, but she answered anyway, too drained to care about pretending that everything was fine.
“Whitney,” Tiana’s voice was sharp, “What happened? I heard about the confrontation. Are you okay?”
Whitney let out a shaky breath. “I don’t know, Tiana. I really don’t. I feel like everything I thought I knew about Ludwik has just been shattered.”
“I knew something was off. He’s been keeping secrets for far too long,” Tiana replied, her voice tinged with frustration. “But you don’t have to go through this alone. You need to talk to someone—someone who’s not caught up in all the lies.”
Whitney closed her eyes, leaning back into the cushions. “I don’t know who to trust anymore. I thought I knew Ludwik. I thought we were building something real, something solid. And now… now it feels like I don’t even know him.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line before Tiana spoke again, softer this time. “I know it hurts, Whitney. But this is just the beginning. You’ve got to stay strong and hold your ground. Don’t let him manipulate you into believing his excuses. You deserve the truth, and you deserve to make decisions for yourself. Don’t let his guilt trap you into forgiving him too soon.”
Whitney nodded, though Tiana couldn’t see her. The words resonated, but part of her still wanted to believe that Ludwik could change, that he could make it right. But the other part of her—the one that was painfully aware of her own vulnerability—was screaming to protect herself from further hurt.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Whitney admitted quietly, her voice trembling. “I need time. I need to figure out what this all means.”
“Take all the time you need, but don’t let him back in too easily,” Tiana warned. “You deserve better than this, Whitney.”
As the call ended, Whitney placed her phone down and stared out the window, her thoughts a tangled mess of conflicting emotions. There was so much she still didn’t understand about Ludwik, about his past with Elaine, and about the web of lies he had spun around her. But one thing was painfully clear—she couldn’t trust him right now. Not when the truth felt so far out of reach.
She didn’t know what the future held, but in that moment, Whitney knew one thing for sure: she couldn’t let her heart rule her actions any longer. If she was ever going to find peace, she had to take control of her own destiny. She had to learn how to trust herself again before anyone else.
But as she closed her eyes, a faint whisper of doubt lingered. Could she ever truly trust again?
