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Chapter_228
Ludwik’s eyes locked onto Whitney, his gaze cold, calculating. The smoke from his cigarette swirled around them, adding a sense of finality to the tense silence between them. He exhaled slowly, the soft glow of the embers in the darkness flickering like his resolve. His posture was relaxed, but the atmosphere around them was charged with something far darker.
“Am I satisfied?” His voice was a smooth, almost bored drawl, as though he were speaking about something trivial, something unimportant. “I don’t need satisfaction, Whitney. I just need control.”
Whitney’s chest tightened with fury. The words hit her like a slap—this wasn’t about vengeance, or justice, or even the betrayal he claimed to feel. It was about power. And it always had been.
She stepped forward, fists clenched at her sides, her breath coming in sharp bursts. “This isn’t just about control. It’s destruction. You’ve ruined everything—everything people have worked for, their lives, their health… you’ve torn them apart.”
Ludwik’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of something dark flashing behind them. His lips pressed into a thin line, but his voice remained cold, indifferent. “The people you surround yourself with, Whitney—they can’t be trusted. They’ll turn on you when it suits them. They always do. You’re just a pawn in this game, and I’m only making sure that I’m the one who wins in the end.”
Her breath caught in her throat, the weight of his words crashing over her. A pawn. That’s all she had ever been to him. The realization twisted her stomach into knots. She couldn’t let him keep talking like this. She had to stand her ground. She had to confront him.
“What do you want from me, Ludwik?” she demanded, her voice shaking with raw emotion. “Why are you doing this?”
For a moment, Ludwik said nothing. He just watched her, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he stood, his towering figure casting a shadow over her. He took another drag from his cigarette, savoring the last few moments of his control before flicking it into an ashtray with deliberate finality.
“I want you to understand that you never should have left me,” he said, his voice laced with a bitter calm. “You wanted to move on, to play this little charade with Bryce. But there’s always a price for that kind of betrayal, Whitney. And I want you to feel it. Every second of it.”
Whitney recoiled as his words sank in, a wave of disgust and disbelief flooding her. “I didn’t betray you. I tried to escape from the nightmare you created. You didn’t love me. You only cared about having control over me—over everything around you. I was just another part of your twisted plan.”
Ludwik’s eyes glinted with cruel amusement. “You’re delusional if you think you’re the victim here. You think Bryce will be there for you when everything comes crashing down? You think he’ll protect you from the storm I’ve created? I’ve made sure his family knows exactly who you really are.”
The impact of his words struck her like a physical blow. It was like the world was crumbling beneath her feet. No matter how hard she tried to escape, Ludwik had ensured she’d never be free from his reach. Everything she had built, everything she had hoped for, was slipping away.
“I didn’t ask for this,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, as if the weight of the words alone was too much to bear. “I didn’t ask for any of it.”
Ludwik took a slow step toward her, his presence suffocating. He was closer now, towering over her with the kind of power he wielded effortlessly. He leaned in, the air thick with tension. “Life doesn’t ask for your permission. But you’ve already made your choice, Whitney. You chose him over me. And now, you’ll see what happens when you make the wrong choice.”
Her heart skipped a beat, but the fury that had been building inside her refused to break. She could feel it—like fire rising within her. A surge of defiance. Despite the terror, despite everything he had done, she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her broken.
“I’m not afraid of you,” Whitney said, her voice steady, her heart racing but resolute. “You don’t control me anymore. I will fight for my future, for what’s right, no matter what you do.”
For a split second, Ludwik’s expression faltered. His lips tightened, and the amusement faded from his face. The air between them thickened with unspoken threats, but Whitney stood tall, her resolve as strong as ever.
“You’re making a mistake, Whitney,” Ludwik murmured, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. “But I’ll let you have your illusions for now. In the end, I always get what I want.”
Whitney didn’t flinch. She met his gaze, holding it with everything she had. “Not this time.”
With one last look at him, she turned on her heel, the weight of the world pressing down on her, but her spirit unbroken. She didn’t have time for this. There was still too much at stake. She had to get to Bryce. She had to fix this.
As she made her way out of the apartment, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Without hesitation, she pulled it out, her mind set on one goal—making sure Ludwik’s twisted game would not be the one that triumphed.
“Whitney,” Valerie’s voice crackled through the line, urgent and sharp. “We’ve got news. We might have a way to help Bryce. Meet me at the safe house. We need to move fast.”
The faintest spark of hope flickered inside her. For the first time in what felt like forever, she wasn’t alone in this anymore. Together, they could find a way out of the storm.
