Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 379

At that time, she was living in your house, treated like a queen while you kicked me out. She was able to monitor Natalie's condition every single day. And there I was, on the outside, unable to protect Mom. I had no choice but to humbly beg Taryn to trust me and secretly swap out Natalie's food, because I had no clue what Elaine was feeding her. The pills, especially, needed utmost caution to slip past the family doctor's scrutiny. So, the pills contained a very special concoction, some ingredients to fight poison with poison in Natalie, and others that seemed more lethal on the surface. Only when Natalie's superficial health appeared to decline under the family doctor's watch, would certain people be reassured! You wouldn't have suspected a thing. It was a risky move... but three years later, the results proved that Mom's internal organs were actually recovering. It's just that the family doctor couldn't detect it.

If this was true, her intentions were indeed pure and her efforts, unbearably painstaking. Regardless of the truth, or the veracity of her words, Mother's awakening was indeed linked to those two kinds of pills. Ludwik's gaze was deep and complex as he murmured, "Thank you for Mother's awakening."

Whitney sensed the reservation in his voice! Her eyes darted to the operating room door, her expression turning urgent, "Ludwik, now that you're aware of these matters, it's imperative that you let me examine your mother. I've developed her medication; I should be the most capable of understanding and curing her condition. I'm skilled in herbal and alternative treatments; I've dealt with many complicated cases abroad, please believe me. Natalie vomited blood earlier, we're clueless about her condition, I need to check on her as soon as possible..."

Whitney wanted to stress that they couldn't delay treatment for the elderly woman who had just regained consciousness. But Ludwik merely shook his head, his gaze firm, "Mother is currently undergoing a series of physical examinations, the hospital has top-notch experts."

"But they don't understand your mother's condition as I do, understanding takes time!"

"Why are you so eager to treat her?" Ludwik asked, his tone light yet piercing.

Whitney felt a sting in her heart. He didn't trust her... even after knowing she had painstakingly administered medicine to his mother for three years. It seemed the shadow of the past, where she and her uncle abducted Natalie, loomed too large for him. She clenched her fingertips, "I'm grateful to your mother, I simply wish for her speedy recovery. Is that so wrong?"

"Taryn, do you still have the medicine Ms. Valentine gave you?" Ludwik turned to ask.

Whitney closed her eyes. Taryn looked stunned for a moment before rummaging through her medicine bag, defending Whitney, "Sir, Ms. Valentine's medicine is truly effective, you should know since the lady woke up..."

"What about the pill from three years ago?" Ludwik asked further.

Whitney said directly, "Taryn doesn't have it anymore, but I had it prepared at a herbal clinic, they should have the prescription on file. If you're worried, you can have both medicines thoroughly tested."

Ludwik's gaze darkened; he was determined to have a thorough analysis. His mother's life was at stake, and he couldn't afford any mistakes.

Whitney proposed, "The two medicines contain about three hundred ingredients; testing will take a few days. In the meantime, I hope to be allowed to examine your mother."

Ludwik pressed his lips together, "Let's wait for the results of Mother's physical examinations first."

Whitney knew the answer then; he wanted to check if Natalie's organs were indeed unharmed, which indirectly might prove the safety of her medicine. She nodded, "Alright, I'll wait. Some of the results should be available by this afternoon."

Whitney didn't leave. Natalie was wheeled out at two in the afternoon, appearing very weak. Whitney couldn't even get a clear look at her before Natalie was escorted directly into the ICU by security and medical staff. The results that came in showed that Natalie's abdominal organs, brain, and limbs were not in immediate danger. However, after being comatose for three years, her body was in various states of decline, requiring a long period of careful rehabilitation. Whitney breathed a sigh of relief.

The only results pending were the blood tests, which involved the most complex data and could take days to process. Ludwik emerged from Natalie's room, closing the heavy door behind him. Whitney immediately stood up, "Ludwik, I need to check on Natalie's condition to understand her illness better."

"There are top experts attending to her."

"But I told you, your mother had many complications before her incident three years ago, she has been on my medication, I know best how to approach her condition."

"Whitney, thank you, but it's not necessary right now. I won't let anyone near her." Ludwik said coldly. His gaze was sharp and resolute. Whitney was struck by his unyielding stance, his words implying she was especially unwelcome. In matters concerning his mother, she was still considered the number one threat in his eyes. Even though she had repeatedly mentioned Elaine poisoning Natalie, hinting that the kidney donation was a plot.

"So, you still don't believe me, that I didn't harm Mom three years ago?" Whitney murmured, her eyes reddening as she looked deeply at him. Ludwik's pupils contracted, her look of helplessness and slight redness in her eyes, was it truly innocence? But could he afford to trust her again? That night, three years ago, changed his life forever. If not for Keegan and her abducting his mother, the most important person to him wouldn't have become a vegetative presence by his side. Ludwik didn't have the courage to trust again. "You don't believe me, you can ask your mother once she tells you everything, you'll regret it."

"You say Elaine is a suspect, I too am waiting to ask Mother, only her words hold the truth. But her condition is dire, she can only see and hear, unable to speak, both her vocal and cognitive functions need recovery." "That's why I'm asking you to let me see her! Just a visit, can't I?" Whitney pleaded once more!

Ludwik shook his head, his refusal cold and final, adding, "The more desperate you are to see her, the more I doubt your intentions. Whitney, Mother has the best doctors, until she regains her basic functions, no one can see her."

He was dead set on keeping Natalie under lock and key, ostensibly for her own protection. But when you got down to it, it was all about guarding against her. Even Whitney, with her typically tough exterior, felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart. After all, she'd moved heaven and earth to save his mother. She'd shown nothing but kindness, treating him and his entire world with love and care three years ago, and even now, changing bandages was done out of gratitude for past kindness. And he thought she had ulterior motives? Please. Whitney took two steps back, her face devoid of emotion as she stared at the man's newly hardened heart. Clenching her teeth in utter disappointment, she turned and walked away. Parker stepped closer, watching Whitney's retreating figure and sighed heavily. "Ludwik, I think Whitney's intentions were pure. Once the lab results come back clean, how are you going to face her? Besides, I told you three years ago, the security footage from that countryside clinic showed her buying emergency medicine for Natalie. And the video Elaine showed you, of Natalie vomiting black bile, was taken out of context. Have you forgotten all that?"

Ludwik froze for a moment, his gaze darkening as he looked at the fragile figure of the woman, his fists clenched tight. "Parker, it's a gamble I can't take with my mother's life."

Parker understood the turmoil inside him. Taking a step toward trusting Whitney again, especially when it came to Natalie, was proving to be an uphill battle.

"We just have to wait until Natalie can speak for herself. The truth lies with her."

"Yeah," Ludwik said, closing his eyes.