Love beyond the mask (Whitney) novel Chapter 1163

Whitney flinched at his shout, startled and on edge. “What’s in there?” she asked, her voice shaky.

Parker whipped around, eyes wide when he saw Whitney unzipping the duffel bag. He froze for a split second, glancing at Ludwik’s icy, murderous face, then lunged forward, yanking Whitney away. “Don’t open it!” he barked.

Whitney stumbled back, catching a glimpse inside the bag—bloody, mangled flesh, impossible to make out but terrifying enough. Bile rose in her throat and her heart pounded like a jackhammer. Some awful suspicion took hold, but she forced herself to stay steady. “What’s in there, Ludwik?” she pressed, voice trembling. “Is that… is that Bryce’s body?”

Ludwik’s lips pressed into a thin, grim line. He said nothing, his skin pale and cold as marble.

Parker kicked the bag away, disgust twisting his features. “It’s Bryce’s leg,” he spat. “Ludwik cut it clean off, but those bastards still dragged Bryce onto the chopper. You should’ve seen Ludwik—never seen him like that before, totally lost it. Wouldn’t leave without bringing the limb back.”

Whitney’s heart nearly stopped.

She’d rarely seen this side of Ludwik before—the blood, the violence, the fury.

He must really, truly hate Bryce.

Parker gave a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Bryce lost a leg thanks to Ludwik. Even if he made it out, what’s he got left? Maybe he survives, but he’ll never be whole again. Not worth risking everything over a scumbag like him. That’s why I pulled Ludwik out—no point dying for a lost cause.”

Whitney watched in numb silence as the nurses pushed Ludwik into the operating room, her heart sinking. “You did the right thing, Parker,” she murmured.

She refused to look at the bag again, moving quickly to the surgery doors, arms wrapped tight around herself.

Parker glanced at her, sympathy flickering in his eyes. He knew she’d been through enough—bad news piling up, loved ones falling one after another.

He tried to reassure her. “Whitney, Ludwik’s tough as nails. He’ll pull through.”

With that, Parker headed out, bag in hand. Outside, Phineas’s men were already waiting for him.

Whitney realized then—Phineas was in on this, too.

She didn’t care about Bryce anymore. All she wanted was for Ludwik to come out of that operating room alive. The news that he’d been shot—twice—hit her hard, pain blooming in her chest.

That fear, that aching dread, was the same as when she’d first fallen for him, terrified of losing him.

After all these years, Ludwik still mattered to her—more than she wanted to admit. No matter how angry she’d been, his life, his role as her child’s father, was something she cherished.

Somewhere deep inside, Whitney finally understood her own heart.