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Chapter_146
Whitney’s heart pounded in her chest, each beat louder than the last, as she stared at the cold, unforgiving knife in her hand. The metal gleamed under the dim light of the room, its weight a cruel reminder of the choice that lay before her. Her uncle’s voice, smooth and insidious, echoed in her mind, filling every corner of her thoughts with doubt and dread.
Keegan’s laughter, low and mocking, rang in her ears as he leaned back in his chair, as if he held all the power in the world, as if he were the one pulling the strings of her life. “You still don’t understand, do you?” he said, his voice tinged with venom. “This isn’t just about business, Whitney. This is about what was taken from me. Ludwik has everything. Everything I should have had. And now, it’s time for him to feel the same way. You’re going to help me make that happen.”
Her hands shook as she gripped the knife, its cold surface sending a shiver up her spine. The very thought of using it, of betraying Ludwik—the man she had loved so deeply, the man who had never asked for this—was enough to make her stomach twist in knots. But Keegan’s words, like poison, seeped into her mind. Her uncle was relentless, a storm that would consume everything in its path if she didn’t give in.
“Keegan,” Whitney whispered, her voice quivering as she tried to steady herself. “You want me to betray him. But what about the truth? The real reason you hate him? Is this really about business? Or is there something deeper?”
For a moment, Keegan’s face darkened, his eyes flashing with a dangerous intensity. A low chuckle escaped his lips. “You still don’t get it, do you, Whitney?” he sneered. “It’s not just business. It’s about everything I’ve lost. The years I’ve spent in his shadow, the opportunities that slipped through my fingers because of him. Ludwik took everything from me. And now, it’s my turn. My turn to make him feel the same pain I’ve endured. You’re going to help me do that, whether you want to or not.”
The words hit Whitney like a slap. She could feel the truth of them, the weight of the years Keegan had suffered. But something in her rebelled against his vision of revenge. She closed her eyes, willing herself to hold on to the last shreds of her humanity. This wasn’t right. Hurting Ludwik wouldn’t fix anything. It would only deepen the wounds, create a cycle of pain that would never end.
Her throat tightened as she looked down at the knife in her hand, the metal gleaming in the dim light. She didn’t want to do this. She couldn’t.
“Please, Uncle,” she begged, her voice breaking. “I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to be part of your revenge. This won’t fix anything. It won’t make us whole again.”
Keegan’s expression remained cold, his eyes narrowing with disdain. “Then you’re just as weak as he is,” he spat. “You think you can walk away from this? You think you can hide behind your love for him and pretend like everything will be fine? No, Whitney. You’re already involved. You can’t escape this. There’s no turning back now.”
Her hand trembled, and she could feel the weight of the decision pressing on her chest, suffocating her. The knife in her hand seemed to grow heavier with each passing second, as if it were the only thing holding her in place, the only thing anchoring her to reality. She wanted to scream, to throw the knife away, to tell her uncle to leave her alone. But something—something deep inside her—kept her there, frozen, caught between loyalty to her family and the love she still felt for Ludwik.
Keegan’s voice softened, but there was no warmth in it, only a twisted semblance of caring. “I’m doing this for us, Whitney. For your future. For our family,” he said, his tone coaxing, almost affectionate. “You’ll see. In the end, it’ll all make sense. You’ll thank me for this.”
Whitney’s chest tightened as she tried to comprehend the depths of her uncle’s manipulation. She wanted to believe that there was still a way out, that she could escape this nightmare and hold on to the parts of herself that still mattered. But how could she? How could she walk away from the man who had raised her, the man who claimed to care for her future, when every step she took seemed to lead her deeper into the darkness?
The knife in her hand felt like an anchor, but it was also a shackle, chaining her to a future she could never have imagined. She glanced at Keegan, his face twisted with a mixture of determination and triumph, and then, for the briefest moment, she thought of Ludwik. She thought of his cold detachment, the way he had looked at her, and how much she had longed for him to care for her in return. She thought of his kindness, his generosity—and the hurt in his eyes when everything fell apart.
Could she betray him? Could she go along with her uncle’s plan, knowing it would hurt the man she loved?
Her mind spun in circles, her thoughts crashing together like waves on the shore. The weight of her decision pressed down on her, suffocating her with its finality. If she chose her uncle, if she followed through with his plan, there would be no going back. She would lose Ludwik forever. But if she chose to defy her uncle, to fight back, she risked everything—her family, her future, and perhaps even herself.
The knife in her hand seemed to burn with its own dark promise. It was a weapon, yes, but it was also a symbol of everything she had lost—and everything she stood to lose. She wanted to run, to escape, to find some way out of this nightmare, but all she could do was stand there, trembling, caught in the web her uncle had woven for her.
The choice was hers, but the consequences were too great. Would she be able to live with what she chose? Or would she forever be haunted by the path she took?
