Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 165

In the darkness, Elaine emerged from the bushes like a ghost in the night, with two men trailing behind

her.

Instinctively, Whitney shielded Natalie behind her, her mind racing with possibilities. Confusedly, She

frowned. “Elaine, what are you doing here?”

Whitney was certain she was up to no good no matter why she was there.

Elaine’s cold laugh sliced through the night air as she advanced on Whitney, suddenly shoving her to

the ground.

“Ah!” Whitney, already exhausted from a long night and without food or drink, collapsed onto the grass,

a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.

“Whitney! Elaine, what the hell are you doing?” Natalie cried out weakly, trying to get up.

Elaine signaled to one of the men, who immediately grabbed Natalie, forcibly separating her from

Whitney.

“Elaine, stop this! Let her go; she needs to get to the hospital; she’s in danger.”

Whitney’s eyes widened in panic. She struggled to rise, but Elaine pressed down on her wrist.

Crouching down, Elaine’s eyes were cold, but her lips curled into a sinister smile. “She is indeed in

danger, which is why I’m here to ‘save‘ her. Who would believe you’re the rescuer? You and your uncle

plotted her kidnapping. What do you think Ludwik would do if he found out?”

Whitney’s heart ached, but she quickly regained her wits. “How could you possibly know about the

kidnapping? It happened so suddenly, yet you arrived even before the cops!”

Elaine remained silent, her eyes glinting with malice. She lifted Whitney’s chin forcefully, revealing a

scar on her wrist. “When you forced me to leave Banyan City, I paid a heavy price to return. This scar is

a permanent ugliness, a reminder of my humiliation. I swore then to win back Ludwik and crush you

beneath my feet.”

Whitney knew arguing was futile. “You left Banyan City because you endangered my innocent child and

tried to kill me multiple times. Ludwik’s punishment was not my fault. His heart was never yours to

claim; even without me, your engagement was long broken. He has no desire to marry you.”

“You’re full of it. Without you, he would have been mine! But soon, you’ll see how I take him from you.

Bearing his child, loving him, standing by his side? You’ll never get to do any of those things in your

life!”

Elaine’s mocking certainty sent shivers down Whitney’s spine. “What do you mean by that?”

Elaine stood, looking down at Whitney’s belly, and smirked with envy. “You’ll understand soon enough.”

With that, she kicked Whitney’s abdomen.

Whitney screamed in agony, her vision darkening with pain. She reached for a silver needle hidden

away, but another man struck her neck with force.

“Whitney! Whitney!” Natalie tried to rush over, coughing up blood in her panic.

“Mom…” Whitney’s world went black as she felt blood trickling down her legs. In her final moments of

consciousness, she saw Elaine dragging Natalie away.

She needed to get Natalie to the hospital, or it would be too late.

“Ugh!” Whitney woke up in a panic.

It was still dark above her. Was she being moved? She trembled slightly.

“Whitney?!” Keegan’s voice, tinged with pain, called out to her.

“Uncle? How did you find me?”

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Keegan, carrying her through the bushes, stumbled in his haste. “Some guy with glasses led the cops

right to me. I barely escaped. Then I found you here in the bushes. What were you thinking, dragging

that woman with you? Where is she?”

“Mom’s been taken.” Whitney’s heart raced with worry about what Elaine might do to her mother–in–

law, whether she would get her to a hospital

“Your belly is bleeding!” Keegan paled, “My leg is injured too. That man’s still after me with the cops. I

need to hide you somewhere first”

Whitney’s face was ashen as she clutched her aching belly.

Keegan, limping badly, finally found a remote cabin in the woods.

He laid her down, and Whitney, gasping for air, asked him to retrieve a medicine packet from her

pocket. She took a pill to stop the bleeding

The baby inside her kicked frantically, likely hurt by Elaine’s kick.

Whitney’s eyes filled with tears as she gently touched her belly, unsure if the baby was alright. She took

out some first–aid supplies and instructed Keegan to tear open his pants.

The area around his prosthetic was a bloody mess, throbbing with pain. Whitney looked on with sorrow

as she managed to administer the medicine.

Keegan passed out from the pain

Whitney waited through the night, holding her stomach and drenched in sweat.

The next morning, Keegan woke with a fever from the infected wound despite Whitney’s attempts.

Whitney spoke softly. “Uncle, you should turn yourself in. That man must be Parker, Ludwik’s friend. If

he’s brought the police, it means we can’t hide this anymore. I wanted to take Mom home last night for

treatment to prevent you from making a grave mistake. But now….

The police are involved. It’s too late. You need medical treatment for your leg, and I don’t know if my

baby is okay. Plus, Elaine has taken Mom, and that woman’s nothing but bad news. I’m really worried

about Mom. I want to go out and find her, okay?”

As she spoke, she broke down in tears.

Keegan looked defeated, covering his face with his hands.

His face turned pale and ashen. “I’ve been in agony for a decade and got nothing. Ludwik has no

mercy! My daughter is still in his hands!”

“I’ll ask him for mercy,” Whitney said, “I still have his child, and he’ll surely show me some mercy.

Uncle, don’t walk down this wrong path anymore. If you keep going and forcing him to a corner, he’ll

really kill your daughter!”

Keegan had gained absolutely nothing from the kidnapping. The arrival of the police was way too soon,

and now, he was silent and in fear.

Eventually, he nodded as if resigning to fate.

Whitney released a pent–up breath, her voice tinged with urgency. “Let’s get out of here soon. By the

way, how did you pull off kidnapping Mom yesterday?” The villa was always crawling with security, and

Ludwik was super protective of Natalie.

Keegan said honestly, “Someone slipped me Ludwik’s mother’s number, and knowing that the villa was

Fort Knox, I had to lure her out. Once she stepped out, it was game over–i snatched her.”

“Who told you?” Whitney’s face suddenly turned ashen.

“A woman’s voice I’d never heard, and it was a burner number. I was desperate and had no choice at

the time!”

Chapter 165

Whitney’s heart skipped a beat.

A woman? Her thoughts flashed back to Elaine, who had eerily pinpointed her and her mother’s

location last night, appearing out of nowhere.

Could Elaine have tipped off her uncle, using Natalie as a pawn against Ludwik?

This woman was up to no good, harboring ill intentions towards Natalie!

*Uncle, we need to go now. I have to find Mom as soon as possible…” Whitney tried to steady herself,

pushing off the wall to stand up.

Keegan, however, stared at her thoughtfully. After strapping on his prosthetic, he moved slowly to the

cabin door, then suddenly slammed it shut with force!

“Uncle?” Whitney was taken aback, rushing over to yank at the door!

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Chapter 166