Love beyond the mask (Whitney) novel Chapter 419

Florence offered a gentle smile, "Do you think so too, Ludwik? It's my first attempt at pottery; it might look a bit rough. Growing up, my health kept me indoors, so I never really got the chance to take art classes. I'm sorry, sis. Next time, I'll pick a gift you'd like..."

"There's no need," Whitney suddenly interjected, taking the mug with a hint of a cold smile lighting up her otherwise stoic face under the dim light. It surprisingly made her look radiant.

She examined the mug, lips curling up, "It's ugly, but it's genuine. Just like when one betrays in a relationship, showing their true, ugly face, just like these cracks here, revealing everything there is."

Ludwik felt a sharp sting in his heart, her words hitting him hard, making his heart feel tight.

The sound of his knuckles cracking was overshadowed by Whitney suddenly letting go of the mug, letting it crash to the floor, shattering into pieces!

"Sis..." Florence tried to mask the hurt on her face, looking up with a wounded expression.

Grandma and Sienna immediately shot disapproving glances at Whitney.

"What's the meaning of this, Whitney? Florence made that mug for you with all her heart, and you just smash it in front of her?!" Sienna's voice was sharp, stirring the pot.

"Whitney, your sister meant no harm..." Holly's tone conveyed disappointment, pushing Whitney further into the role of the villain in everyone's eyes.

Hudson frowned, "Surely it was just a slip of the hand. Whitney wouldn't do that on purpose. Sienna, don't start trouble."

Whitney feigned innocence, "Dad's right, it just slipped. I was going to 'take care' of my sister's thoughtful gift. But now that it's broken, it hardly seems fair to accuse me of trying to upset her. Sienna, Holly, you're making too much of this."

She boldly called them out by name, sending their accusations right back.

Holly and Sienna were taken aback, and Hudson realized they might have been too quick to judge.

Florence smiled innocently, "Sienna is making a mountain out of a molehill, but it's a shame about the mug. Ludwik, shall we try making another one next time?"

Ludwik stood silent, lost in thought, his cold gaze still fixed on Whitney.

"Ludwik, why are you looking at my sister like that?" Florence asked naively, then turned to Whitney curiously. "Speaking of which, when you first met Ludwik, you said something I didn't quite catch..."

She coughed suddenly, clutching her chest, seemingly anxious for Ludwik's response.

The man hesitated, seeing her discomfort. Now, in front of the Sheldon family, he had to take control. The truth, neither Florence nor the Sheldons could know. It would cause chaos.

Ludwik's deep gaze slowly shifted away from Whitney, like a bridge snapping over a chasm, marking an insurmountable distance between them.

So be it, he thought. She's moved on with Bryce, and there's no going back for us.

Better to end the pain now. After the pain, there's a new life.

Let us both give up hope.

With a self-mocking smile and a heart turned to ice, Ludwik coldly replied, "I don't know her. Why would I?"

His fists clenched tight.

Whitney, waiting for his answer, felt a pang of ridicule pierce her heart when he denied knowing her.

She bore him two children, and yet, this was her fate.

To appease his new lover, she wasn't even allowed to have existed in his world.