Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 483

Here's the revised version of the translated text:

---

Luke gritted his teeth against the stabbing pain, not letting out a sound. He forced himself to stand, positioning his body in front of hers to fight off the three thugs. But the wound was too deep.

Within minutes, his strength waned under the assault, and the thugs knocked him down, pulling the knife from his body with intentions of striking again.

Whitney, fueled by desperation, scrambled to her feet and grabbed a torch, charging at them. "Back off! Or I swear I'll burn this place down and take us all with it!" The masked intruders exchanged wary glances. Clearly, their plans had gone awry thanks to this man's intervention.

Taking Whitney now would only draw unwanted attention.

The best move was to flee before the cops showed up.

Casting a glance at Whitney, who was menacingly igniting the torch with alcohol, they dropped their weapons and ran.

Trembling, Whitney held the torch aloft until she reached a dry patch of floor, then stomped it out.

Catching her breath, she turned to see Luke's towering frame crumpled on the ground, his leg drawn up, shaking from pain. Her heart raced with complex emotions as she saw his blood staining the floor, her panic rising.

Without a word, she helped him up and they made for the basement door.

"It's locked..." Luke gasped, hearing the sound of chains.

Whitney tried to shake the iron door, but a heavy chain held it shut.

"How did you get in?"

"There were three doors. When I came in, only the first was locked. They must've locked the others on their way out." "The police?"

"I sent them this location, but it's not easy to replace like a pin dropped on a map. It takes time."

Luke's breathing slowed, his complexion pale, his grip tight on her hand as he pulled her closer.

All this time, Whitney had avoided his gaze, her emotions a rollercoaster of fear and confusion. Why had he come for her?

Opening his phone, Luke saw no signal. With the dim light, he painstakingly inspected her for injuries, relieved to replace her unharmed.

Her sudden outburst cut through the tension. "What are you doing here?!"

She wanted to scream at him for not answering her calls, for leaving her in danger, for choosing to be with someone else over saving her. Tears shook her frame.

Luke, feeling her despair, clenched his jaw. "Whitney, don't be afraid. I'm here with you."

His voice was barely a whisper, his eyes closing.

Whitney sprang into action, applying makeshift bandages to his wound, her own body trembling with shock and adrenaline.

"Why haven't the cops arrived?" she muttered, her voice edged with frustration.

Luke, seeing her distress, tried to comfort her, but Whitney, feeling the onset of an inexplicable and intense reaction, moved away, her body betraying her with signs of distress she couldn't understand or control. Amid the chaos, they waited for help to arrive, their bond tested by violence and vulnerability, their future uncertain in the dim light of the basement.

She tried to press on her pressure points, but it was no use.

"Police... where are the damn cops!" she began pounding on the walls.

This couldn't go on. If she didn't replace an antidote, the drug coursing through her veins might kill her. Luke curled his long legs, gritting his teeth to muster the last ounce of his strength, and started crawling towards her. "Stay away from me."

"Luke, did you hear me?!"