Love Beyond the Mask novel Chapter 109

The night was deep when Nolan ordered a special meal from the five-star hotel's room service—a pregnancy-friendly dinner for Whitney.

She felt a pang of sympathy for L, who was still recovering from surgery and unable to eat, so she turned away to eat, not wanting to tempt him with the scent of food.

As Whitney quietly nibbled on her meal, a cozy rollaway bed was brought into the room and placed snugly beside Ludwik’s hospital bed. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "L, aren't you planning on hiring a nurse?" She asked.

"Why would I do that when I have you?" He responded dryly, eyes closed and lips pale. "Money doesn't grow on trees."

Whitney was not bothered by the prospect of caring for him—it was not fatigue that concerned her. It was just that the restroom situation earlier had been so inconvenient. Although they were legally married, their relationship was still in its early stages, and physical intimacy had not yet been a part of it. She felt shy about such matters.

Ludwik’s gaze landed on the petite figure of his pregnant wife. Weakly, he patted the bed beside him. "Are you done eating? Hurry up and come sleep next to me. I'm in pain."

With a sigh, Whitney hastily finished her food and climbed into the rollaway bed, worried that he was in pain. The moonlight softly filtered through the window as she drifted to sleep beside him, her intended role as a caregiver forgotten in her exhaustion.

Ludwik, however, lay awake, silently enduring the pain that made even shifting his position agonizing. He did not have the heart to disturb Whitney; her delicate features were shadowed with fatigue.

...

The next morning, Whitney awoke from a rare good sleep to Ludwik’s stern voice as he instructed his subordinates, with several police officers in attendance. She blinked away sleep to find her head buried under the covers.

One of the subordinates could not help but sneak a glance at the small figure on the bed next to their boss, her pink cheeks peaking from under the covers.

The subordinate said, "The assailant who attacked you has been identified. He's a relative of a deceased worker from the Elate City Sea Bay project. You did not make amends after the accident, which probably sparked resentment. The local manager tried to settle the matter cheaply to report back to you, leading to the family seeking revenge."

"How did he manage to track down Whitney?" Ludwik asked, his brow furrowed.

Whitney caught snippets of the conversation about last night's incident and chimed in from under the covers, "It's strange. Hardly anyone knows about my relationship with you, L. Last night, I was forced into the construction site by motorcycles."

Ludwik's eyes narrowed as Felix speculated, "Could the relative have planned to force Madam onto the site to take revenge on you? But how did he find out about her? Maybe he saw her with you while tailing you a while back?"

Realization dawned on Ludwik—he had indeed taken Whitney out publicly when times were good between them. They had even been spotted eating on the street.

The police suggested, "Since the attacker is skilled and dangerous, and you are injured, we hope Madam could act as bait..."

"Absolutely not! It's your job to catch him, and I'm giving you three days. Dismissed!" Ludwik cut them off sharply, leaving no room for argument. The officers left immediately without daring to say another word.

Then, Ludwik ordered Felix to increase security at the hospital, ensuring Whitney would be safe.

Once they were alone, he turned to Whitney, who was still hiding under the covers, and said with a slight smirk, "Smart girl, hiding like that."

Whitney just rolled her eyes, all too aware of the misconceptions that always seemed to follow them around. As she moved under the cover, Felix wisely turned away.

Whitney quickly got dressed, her movements prompting Ludwik to say with his pale lips, “I need to go to the restroom.”

It was as if he had been waiting for her to wake up so he could say this.

Whitney was speechless.

Why did he not ask Felix to help him?

Ludwik added, “I couldn’t sleep all night because of the pain.”

"Fine," Whitney conceded, getting out of bed. After all, he got injured because of her.

Felix was speechless.

However, remembering how inconvenient the previous night was, Whitney brought over a new basin with a blushed face and said, “It’s bad for your recovery if you keep moving around. Can you do it in bed?”

Ludwik’s brows twitched. However, it was her intensive care that he sought, so it was all the same.