Love beyond the mask (Whitney) novel Chapter 1200

Parisa squeezed her cold hands together, trying to hold back the ache twisting inside her chest.

This feeling had haunted her for over a decade, yet the memories from back then always remained out of reach.

Now, the source of her torment stood right in front of her. The man’s eyes held a deep, aching sorrow. He had come with the truth. So why shouldn’t she finally dig up the past, just like Whitney had said? It was time to close that chapter for good.

If she did this, maybe she could move on. Maybe she could finally say goodbye to everything that had held her back.

She took a shallow breath, raised her chin, and looked Hudson square in the face. His features were striking, and her gaze grew resolute. “If healing means tearing open old wounds, then I want you, Mr. Sheldon, to be honest and fair. Don’t lie to me just to protect yourself. I need to end this, once and for all.”

End it, completely?

Hudson’s heart thudded painfully in his chest. Of course he understood. She wanted to move on from him, too. She was saying goodbye.

Even with that ache inside, he managed a gentle, wry smile. “I understand. You’ve always been rational—maybe a little cold.”

He paused, the corners of his mouth twitching with a bittersweet memory. “You were like that as a kid, too. I remember the first day of college, when I was helping freshmen move in. That’s when I met you...”

Parisa caught the soft, almost wistful look in his dark eyes. She listened to his low, magnetic voice and felt herself tense up, as if she were falling into those memories—black and white snapshots of their awkward, youthful days together...

...

When Whitney returned to Ludwik’s hospital room, Parker was already there.

The doctor was still explaining, “Mr. Doonan, I’m afraid it’s true. When I examined Ludwik earlier, I noticed some distinct changes. Ludwik, you’re usually the first to notice any issues. In the mornings, when you wake up, has there been any—?”

“Yeah,” Ludwik interrupted, brows furrowed. His answer was vague, almost dismissive.

Ludwik’s eyes, dark and unreadable, flicked over to Whitney’s pretty face. Whatever he was thinking, it brought the faintest smirk to his lips—gone in a flash, but Parker definitely caught it. Was Ludwik actually happy about this?

That intent, meaningful look lingered as Ludwik forced himself to play it cool. He cleared his throat, cutting the doctor off before he could ask anything more embarrassing in front of Whitney. “I don’t know, Dr. Horatio. If you can’t give me a clear answer, maybe you should bring in a specialist.”

A specialist? What was going on that needed a specialist?

Whitney’s mind was spinning. She stepped further into the room, looking from Ludwik—pale and sharp-featured in the hospital bed—to Dr. Horatio, who looked like he wanted to say more but was holding back. Frowning, Whitney asked, “Seriously, what’s going on here? You’re all being weirdly cagey. Ludwik, you’re okay after the surgery, right? Why do you need another doctor? What’s actually going on?”