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Chapter_174
Ludwik’s silence hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, Whitney feared that no amount of pleading or truth would break through the walls he had built around himself. His expression was a mask of anguish, his mind clearly struggling to reconcile the pieces of a puzzle that no longer fit together.
Elaine, sensing the shift in his demeanor, moved even closer to him, her hand still firmly entwined with his. She leaned in, her voice low and soothing, like a serpent whispering promises of safety and love. “Ludwik, you’ve been through so much. You don’t have to carry this burden alone. Let me take care of you, just like I always have.”
Her words were like poison, carefully crafted to pull him deeper into her web. But Ludwik’s gaze, still distant, flickered with uncertainty. He wasn’t entirely lost to her charm—not yet.
Whitney stepped forward, her resolve unwavering despite the lump in her throat. “You are alone, Ludwik. You don’t need her. You don’t need her lies or her manipulation.” Her voice cracked with emotion, but she steadied herself. “You’ve been lied to. You’ve been hurt, but I’m not the one who’s done this to you.”
Ludwik’s chest tightened, his breath shaky as he looked down at his hand, still holding Elaine’s. There was a deep sadness in his eyes, a regret that went beyond the words spoken in anger or betrayal.
“How did we get here?” he whispered, barely audible. “How did everything get so… broken?”
Elaine’s fingers tightened around his, but she masked it with a tender smile, trying to maintain her grip on him. “We’ve been through so much together, Ludwik. Don’t let her poison your mind now. I’m the only one who’s never abandoned you. She’s just confused, and she’s trying to make you doubt everything.”
But Ludwik was no longer looking at her. His eyes were drawn back to Whitney, who stood at the edge of the room, raw and vulnerable. The fight in her eyes was a challenge—one that seemed to call out to him, to remind him of who he had been before everything had become tainted by lies.
“I… I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. “I don’t know who’s telling me the truth. I just—” His words faltered as he struggled to keep his composure.
Whitney’s heart clenched at the sight of him, torn between the two women who seemed to hold such control over his fate. She could see the conflict warring within him, and it broke her. She stepped closer, her breath steady despite the tremor in her chest. “Ludwik, you don’t need to choose between us. You need to choose the truth. You need to see through the lies she’s told you. You’ve been manipulated, and it’s not too late to change things.”
He stared at her, his eyes searching hers for something he couldn’t quite grasp. He looked at Elaine, and for a brief moment, she saw the flicker of doubt in his gaze—the first crack in the perfect illusion she had built around him. But it was fleeting.
Ludwik’s gaze dropped to the floor, his jaw tightening. “I don’t know how to fix this,” he murmured. “I don’t know how to trust anymore.”
Whitney’s heart shattered at his words. She reached out, her hand trembling as she gently cupped his cheek, forcing him to meet her eyes. “You can fix this, Ludwik. You just have to choose to see the truth. Please, choose me.”
There was a long pause, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she saw a hint of something vulnerable in his eyes—a recognition of her pain, and a deep, desperate longing to believe her.
But then, Elaine’s voice sliced through the silence, her words sharp and calculated. “Ludwik, don’t listen to her. Don’t let her manipulate you any further. You’ve made it this far with me by your side, and I’ll help you keep going. You don’t need her.”
Ludwik flinched at her words, his gaze torn between Whitney and Elaine, the walls closing in on him once again. Elaine’s grip on him was tight, possessive, and though he felt the pull of her presence, there was a distant ache in his chest that he couldn’t ignore.
“I’m not doing this for you anymore, Elaine,” Ludwik said, his voice low but firm. “I’m doing it for me.”
The words hit like a thunderclap. Elaine’s eyes widened, her expression faltering for the briefest of moments. But she quickly regained her composure, her lips curving into a bitter smile. “Fine,” she said softly, her voice dripping with venom. “But don’t come crawling back to me when you realize she’s only using you.”
Ludwik didn’t respond, his gaze turning inward as if battling some invisible force. His hand slipped from Elaine’s, and he slowly, almost reluctantly, reached for Whitney’s. The touch was tentative, uncertain, but it was there—a fragile thread of connection, the first step toward healing.
With a shaky exhale, Whitney took his hand, squeezing it gently, as if to reassure him that she would be there, even if he wasn’t sure of anything yet.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered. “I’m here. I’ll help you through this. I always will.”
The room was still, the weight of their shared history pressing down on them. But in that fragile moment, something shifted—something irrevocable. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, there was a glimmer of hope.
