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Chapter_194
Felix paused for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden intensity in Ludwik’s voice. He had been preparing to leave, but Ludwik’s question made him stop and reconsider his words.
“Yes, Mr. Lippert,” Felix replied, his voice steady but laced with a hint of uncertainty. “I saw her. She was there at the door. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but… now I see things differently. There was something in her eyes. She wasn’t just standing there; she was waiting—waiting for you, but also… she looked like she was holding something back.”
Ludwik’s brow furrowed, the pieces of the puzzle shifting, though still elusive. He had always believed Whitney’s actions were a game, a form of manipulation. But the more he thought about it now, the more it didn’t quite fit. If she had truly saved Braxton, if she had helped him that night—why hadn’t she told him? What had she been protecting? And why had she kept her feelings hidden for so long?
“Are you sure she didn’t tell you anything?” Ludwik pressed, his voice low but insistent. He couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling that there was something significant he had missed.
Felix hesitated, sensing the change in Ludwik’s demeanor. His boss was no longer just angry or suspicious—there was something deeper in his eyes, a mixture of curiosity and… vulnerability. It was a side of Ludwik he rarely showed, and it made Felix pause before answering.
“She never said a word to me, sir. But… there were moments. I can’t say for sure, but when she was helping you, when she was treating you, I saw something in her. It was like she was… willing to sacrifice herself for you, and not just because of the obligation of being your wife.”
Ludwik ran a hand through his hair, his thoughts spiraling. If Whitney had indeed been trying to protect him—and if she had been hiding something to shield him from the truth—then it made sense, in a twisted way. It wasn’t about manipulation. It wasn’t about trying to control him. It was about care—something he hadn’t expected, especially after everything that had transpired between them.
But still, a part of him hesitated. The lies, the distance… the hurt. Was it all really just a facade? Or had he pushed her into a corner where she felt she had no choice but to conceal the truth?
His mind raced as he spoke again, his voice quieter now, almost contemplative. “Find out everything, Felix. I need to know what happened that night, and why she kept it from me. I can’t… I can’t keep living in the dark.”
Felix nodded and left without another word, understanding the gravity of the situation. As he walked down the hall, Ludwik stood still, lost in his thoughts.
A knock at the door interrupted his reverie, and he looked up to see Whitney standing in the doorway. Her gaze flickered to his, but she didn’t speak at first. She seemed hesitant, as though she was waiting for him to say something—anything.
“Ludwik,” she began softly, her voice almost a whisper, “I need to talk to you.”
Ludwik’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for this conversation—wasn’t sure if he ever would be. But there was a strange pull inside him, a yearning for answers, for clarity.
“Come in,” he said quietly, his voice strained but genuine.
She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them felt heavier now, charged with the tension of unspoken truths and unresolved emotions.
Finally, Whitney looked up, meeting his gaze. “I owe you an explanation,” she said, her voice steady but filled with uncertainty.
Ludwik’s chest tightened as he looked at her. He didn’t know if he was ready to hear the truth, but part of him felt like he had to. He couldn’t keep pretending that everything was fine. He couldn’t keep ignoring the things he had pushed aside for so long.
“I don’t know if I can trust you anymore, Whitney,” Ludwik said, his voice strained but firm. “But I need to know why. Why you kept the truth from me. What really happened that night?”
Whitney’s face softened at his words, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of him.
“Because I didn’t know how to explain it to you without you hating me even more,” she admitted quietly. “I did it for you, Ludwik. I saved Braxton because I knew it would protect you. But I never told you because… I knew you would never believe me. And I couldn’t bear the thought of you thinking I was trying to manipulate you again.”
Her words hung in the air between them, raw and honest. Ludwik didn’t know how to respond. The anger he had felt toward her seemed so distant now, replaced by something else—something complicated, something he couldn’t quite define.
For a moment, neither of them moved, both caught in the gravity of their shared past, their fractured relationship. Then, Ludwik spoke again, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I don’t know if I can forgive you for everything, Whitney. But… I don’t want to keep living like this either.”
The words were like a fragile truce, a tentative step forward. But they were a step. And in that moment, that was all that mattered.
