Love beyond the mask (Whitney) novel Chapter 301

But when it came to affairs of the heart, he was rather dense, wasn't he? After all, it had been three years since he'd had any romantic involvement.

So, when she left Jarvis’s office that afternoon, she didn’t think much of it. Could it be that he didn’t believe Endora’s explanation and noticed something off about her?

Ludwik’s deep, icy gaze was impenetrable, pushing Elaine to clench her fists tighter. He eyed her guilt, leaning in close with his lips pressed thin, “What were you up to last night and this afternoon? I could easily find out with a bit of digging. But I don’t want to, because I still trust you.”

It was also because, deep down, he seemed indifferent to Elaine’s personal life, so much so that he couldn’t muster the energy to investigate. He couldn’t feel the same jealousy he had three years ago when he was obsessed with Whitney, constantly feeling threatened and keeping tabs on her whereabouts.

His feelings for Elaine were lukewarm at best, and even he couldn’t tell if it was gratitude that made him want to marry her, or love. But today, his trust in her had cracked!

Under Elaine’s growing anxiety, Ludwik coldly changed the subject, “It seems you’re not truly affectionate towards Danny. When he was in the NICU three years ago, you promised to treat him as your own. I believed you. You’ve been kind and gentle to him all this time. But today, after he was bullied at preschool and you hid it from me, even possibly contributing to it, I can’t help but wonder!”

“Ludwik, I didn’t! I admit, Danny and I have been butting heads recently, and I’ve been disappointed, maybe not as devoted as before, but I would never harm him. How could I? I’m too soft-hearted...” Elaine frantically tried to defend herself.

“Whether you did or not, you know the truth.”

Ludwik no longer bought her excuses, his anger finally boiling over. He stared at her, deciding, “I’ve said before, the child is your responsibility. If you can’t accept that and fail to bond with him, then you shouldn’t stay in the main house. The estate has plenty of villas, move to another one for a while. Danny needs some peace.”

“What do you mean?” Elaine panicked at the thought of living separately from him. She shook her head, pleading, “Ludwik, you can’t just take the child’s word for it. Danny has issues with me, yes, but are you really letting him manipulate you? You’re spoiling him, and it’s unfair to me! I’m your fiancée.”

“Have you shown the patience a fiancée of the Fuller family should? Lately, you’ve been keen on meeting up with your girlfriends. If you don’t want to move to another villa, maybe you can stay at Endora’s for a few days, give us both some time to cool off,” Ludwik said dismissively.

“No, I won’t move out...” Elaine couldn’t believe he was so angry over the preschool incident, stirred up by that little schemer, hitting her where it hurt. Faced with Ludwik’s ultimatum of moving out or going to Endora’s, Elaine panicked and then got furious. Unable to contain her anger, she burst out, “We’re getting married next month, and now you want space? Ludwik, have you ever truly loved me? Sometimes, I wonder if you see me as nothing more than a free nanny, only showing me affection when I’m good to the child. Have you ever cared about my feelings? I’ve given you so much, even lost a kidney, and still, you demand more? Things were fine between us until Whitney came back, and then you started acting strangely. Are you using the child as an excuse to drive me away so Ms. Valentine can return? If that’s what you want, just say it. I’ll step aside; I have some dignity left... It hurts so much...”

Elaine clutched her abdomen, sobbing uncontrollably. Ludwik frowned, unfamiliar with her hysterical behavior. Since Whitney’s return, Elaine had become unreasonable and paranoid, wearing him out.

“Elaine, calm down!”

“How can I calm down when you’re kicking me out of the main house? Ludwik, you’ve forgotten my condition can’t handle stress, ah...!”