Love Beyond the Mask novel Chapter 1171

Ludwik’s face changed ever so slightly, clearly dreading what she might bring up next.

He only heard her mumble, trying to defend herself, “It’s not like I’m purposely poking at your sore spot, alright? But honestly, who told you to keep running your mouth when you’re sick as a dog. You’d better be a little nicer to me, or you can just hire your own nurse and see how that works out for you.”

With that, she pretended she was about to get up.

He shot her a look, voice turning soft and sulky, “Where are you even going? I’m practically on my deathbed here, and you just want to walk out? Do you even have a heart?”

Whitney wasn’t buying it for a second. This wasn’t the first time he tried to milk his illness for sympathy.

Suddenly, memories flashed through her mind—four years ago, he’d taken a blow to the head on a construction site, saving her from a falling pane of glass. Back then, she’d been so young and foolish, absolutely overwhelmed by gratitude.

While he was in the hospital, that cunning wolf milked every bit of sympathy he could get, guilt-tripping her into running all sorts of errands.

Thinking back on those sweet moments, it all felt like a lifetime ago. But if those memories had really faded, why did they still linger so vividly in her mind?

Whitney’s lashes fluttered as she tried to make sense of her tangled feelings.

She hid the frustration in her eyes and looked back at his infuriatingly handsome face, softening her tone just a touch. “I’m going to check on the baby… you know, our daughter.”

She paused mid-sentence, the word “daughter” coming out as if she was making a deliberate choice, saying it with a rare gravity.

At that, Ludwik froze.

His eyes grew darker, deep with emotion, almost as if they could swallow her whole.

Truth was, he’d orchestrated so much of this, pushing her, step by step, until she had no choice but to accept everything.

But this child… she felt differently now. She wanted to embrace her baby. That bond of blood was impossible to cut away. All the bitter feelings she’d carried seemed to dissolve the moment her daughter was fighting for her life.

Ludwik wasn’t done. He grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “And hey, if you could be a little more gentle to me too, that’d be just perfect.”

Whitney yanked her hand back in a flash, shooting him a look that said “are you serious right now?” “...Just shut up, will you?”

Ludwik got the hint and let it go.

Finally, some good news. He smiled, a real one this time, and nodded. “Go see our little girl. Tell her her dad will come visit soon. We’ll all be together—just like a real family.”