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Chapter_262
Ludwik burst into the bathroom, heart pounding, his breath catching in his throat as he took in the scene.
Elaine lay sprawled on the tiled floor, one hand clutching her temple where blood trickled from a shallow wound. Her face twisted in pain and disbelief. A few feet away, Sammy stood motionless—his posture unnervingly calm, hands folded neatly behind his back, like a child in a portrait. But it was the look in his eyes that froze Ludwik in place: cold, detached, far too knowing for someone so young.
Elaine gasped, her voice rising in a frantic pitch. “Ludwik, help me! That little monster attacked me!”
Ludwik’s eyes snapped to his son. Sammy stared back at him—unflinching, unreadable. For a moment, Ludwik couldn’t speak. There was something in those young eyes—calculating, controlled—that didn’t match the panic Elaine tried to conjure.
“Sammy,” Ludwik said slowly, his voice low and taut, “what happened?”
Elaine cut in before the boy could respond, her tone wild. “He threw a soap dish at me! I tried to discipline him and he went crazy!” She struggled to sit up, her hand trembling as it reached toward Ludwik. “He’s dangerous, Ludwik! I told you he’s not right—”
But Sammy’s voice interrupted, clear and chillingly calm. “Mommy pushed me underwater and hurt me. I didn’t do anything to her. She just… wouldn’t let me breathe.”
The words struck like a thunderclap.
Ludwik’s breath caught. Underwater. The bruises. The fear in Sammy’s voice earlier. His mistrust. Suddenly, it all snapped into place.
He turned back to Elaine, his expression darkening. “Is that true?” he asked, his tone barely human.
Elaine’s eyes widened. “What? No! Of course not—he’s making it up! Ludwik, you know how he is. He’s always had problems. I’ve been doing my best to manage him—”
“Don’t,” Ludwik said, voice like ice. He stepped closer, his glare cutting through her lies. “I’ve seen the marks on his skin. I knew something was off. And now I see the truth.”
Elaine’s mask began to crack. “I didn’t mean to hurt him,” she muttered, her tone turning desperate. “He just… he pushes me! He’s not even mine! He doesn’t listen, he—he makes me crazy sometimes!”
There it was. The final confession. The line Ludwik hadn’t realized he’d been waiting for.
“You tortured a child,” he said quietly, every word laced with contempt. “My child.”
Elaine tried to stand, swaying on her feet. “Ludwik, please—don’t do this. You’re overreacting. We’re supposed to be a family—”
“Stop talking.”
He moved swiftly, stepping between her and the boy, shielding Sammy with his body. He crouched and gently pulled Sammy into his arms, feeling the small tremor in the boy’s limbs. Holding him close, Ludwik’s voice dropped to a soft murmur.
“You’re safe now, son. I’ve got you.”
Elaine’s expression twisted in fury. “You can’t just throw me out! I’m your fiancée! You—”
“You were my fiancée,” Ludwik snapped, rising to his full height with Sammy in his arms. “But you were never a mother. You’re not welcome in this house again.”
Elaine’s face drained of color.
“You used me,” he added bitterly. “And worse—you hurt the one person I should have protected most. That ends now.”
A tense silence filled the room as Ludwik turned to leave.
At the doorway, a shadow shifted. Lyra, the housemaid, stood frozen, pale and wide-eyed, having witnessed the last minutes of the chaos.
“Mr. Lippert,” she whispered, “is everything… alright?”
“Get her things,” Ludwik said without looking back. “She’s leaving. Tonight.”
Lyra nodded, stunned into silence.
Without another word, Ludwik climbed the stairs with Sammy cradled against his chest, the boy’s small hands clutching his shirt. His thoughts spun, torn between guilt and resolve.
He had been blind. But not anymore.
He would never let anyone hurt his son again—not even someone he once thought he loved.
