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Chapter_108
As Whitney helped Ludwik ease back into the hospital bed, her thoughts swirled in chaotic embarrassment. The memory of the awkward encounter with Nolan still burned hot in her cheeks, and the weight of Ludwik’s gaze—half amused, half something else entirely—made her pulse flutter.
He grimaced as he settled in, pain tightening the lines around his eyes, but his smirk remained intact. “You don’t have to be so flustered,” he rasped, his voice rough but laced with teasing warmth.
Whitney stiffened, avoiding his eyes. “You think this is funny?”
Ludwik said nothing, but the deepening curve of his mouth said enough. He was clearly enjoying her discomfort—his default defense, always a little too cocky, always pulling her in even when she didn’t want to be pulled.
Trying to regain a semblance of control, she crossed her arms and asked coolly, “Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”
His expression softened. “I think you’ve done enough for today,” he said quietly. Then, more gently, “But if you’re offering… you could stay.”
Whitney blinked, thrown off by the shift in his tone. Gone was the teasing edge. In its place was something quieter, more vulnerable.
“You really know how to make things difficult,” she murmured, though her voice lacked its usual edge.
Ludwik looked away, his jaw tightening. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. “I just… I don’t want to lose you.”
The confession struck her harder than she expected. Her breath hitched, emotion rising fast in her chest.
“You didn’t scare me,” she said, voice barely audible. “But I can’t act like everything’s okay, either.”
She leaned lightly against the edge of the bed, arms hugging herself as she watched him. “I’ve been through so much, Ludwik. We both have. And it’s hard trying to make sense of us when we haven’t even figured out what we are.”
His gaze met hers, steady but shadowed. “What do you mean?”
Whitney hesitated. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. “I’m scared,” she admitted. “Scared of losing you. Of getting too close. Of letting myself care and watching it all fall apart. But… at the same time…” She paused, swallowing thickly. “At the same time, I don’t know how I’d walk away from you.”
He reached for her then, his fingers brushing hers with unexpected gentleness. “Then don’t,” he whispered. “Don’t walk away.”
His voice—low and earnest—silenced every other thought in her mind.
“I’m not perfect, Whitney,” Ludwik went on, his tone vulnerable in a way she had rarely heard. “I’ve made mistakes. But if you stay—really stay—I’ll figure it out. I’ll fight for this. For you.”
Her heart twisted. And for the first time in what felt like forever, the fear inside her began to give way to something else—hope. Tentative, fragile, but real.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said softly, her fingers lacing with his. “I’m here. I’m just… not ready to let go yet.”
Relief washed over his face like a tide. His smile was faint, but honest. “Then we’ll take it one step at a time.”
Just outside the room, Nolan and Parker stood quietly, their earlier teasing replaced by a more solemn understanding. The tension in the air had shifted. Nothing was resolved. Nothing was perfect.
But for now, it was enough.
And as Whitney remained at Ludwik’s side, her hand tucked safely in his, she found herself wondering if this moment—unexpected, uncertain—wasn’t the end of something broken, but the beginning of something new.
A chapter they’d never planned for.
But one they were finally ready to face.
Together.
