Love beyond the mask (Whitney)

 noveldrama

"His company, Lutz Group, is now among the top five in Emperor City. Bryce was quite the talk of the town back in Banyan City, even when he was younger. A man like him is rare. And what's even more precious is his devotion to you. He's been through thick and thin with you. Uncle thinks he's a keeper; you shouldn't let him slip away again."

Uncle's words couldn't have been clearer.

Whitney looked down, embarrassed. It was precisely because Bryce was so good that she found it even harder to face him.

"You should take Bryce upstairs to rest," Keegan suggested, playing matchmaker.

Whitney, silent and hesitant, only moved after her uncle went inside. She then turned to face Bryce.

"Bryce, I'm sorry... Sammy finally came home tonight, and I want to spend some time with my boys."

"Of course, they must have a lot to tell you," Bryce replied with a smile, his face full of understanding. He coughed lightly, "I can sleep in the guest room."

Whitney knew she couldn't keep avoiding the issue. She bit her lip and finally said, "Bryce... Maybe it's time we get the divorce papers sorted." Bryce froze.

His gentle face suddenly turned sour, a flash of coldness in his eyes. "Why? Whitney, are you still not over Ludwik?"

"I'm not."

Whitney chuckled bitterly, frank yet ashamed. "Bryce, I just don't want to lie to you. During my time on the island, things between Ludwik and me were complicated... He constantly pressured me to have his child, thinking that would keep me from leaving him.

But I didn't let him succeed. I'm not pregnant.

But I did wrong by you. I don't deserve to be with you anymore. Your family must hate me by now.

Plus, everyone's making fun of you because of me. I think... you deserve someone better. Let's end this." Bryce, hiding his turmoil behind a glass of water, looked up again with a composed, loving gaze. "Whitney, let me ask you one more time. Was it your choice to be with him like that?"

"No!" Whitney, recalling those nights on the island, shook her head in disgust.

"That's all I needed to hear." Bryce pulled her closer, speaking softly, "As a husband, should I wish for my wife to fight back against her captor's abuse to the death, or to do whatever it takes to survive?

I don't know about other men.

But for me, Whitney, your safety and life are what matter most. Really, all I care about is you."

"Bryce..." Whitney's heart throbbed, her eyes welling up.

"When we met three years ago, I was fully aware of your situation. I never expected fidelity from you, and you know that."

"I blame myself for not being strong enough to protect you," Bryce continued tenderly. "I couldn't even call the police for fear of endangering my parents.

These past days, I've been more anxious than you, afraid you'd come back and despise me for my weakness."

"Stop that," Whitney interjected. "Bryce, I understand. I wouldn't have called the police either. It's all Ludwik's fault."

"He underestimated my love for you, thinking I'd reject you. But my love for you transcends all that. All I wanted was for you to come back safely."

As he spoke, Bryce's voice grew somber, his embrace tightening. "Whitney, sometimes I wonder why fate tests us so. I love you; what's so wrong about that? Why must we struggle so much?

I've waited three years for you to agree to marry me, only for disaster to strike. If you really feel guilty, then stay by my side and make it up to me." Whitney, moved by his words, reconsidered her decision to leave him. She had initially agreed to marry him to save Sammy, and now, after causing him so much ridicule, she was thinking of divorce.

She owed Bryce too much.

His love for her was profound. If she insisted on leaving him, it would only hurt him further and let Ludwik win.

"Whitney, let's not scare me with talk

of divorce anymore," Bryce said gently. "And stop overthinking things. Maybe you're just

overwhelmed since you've just

returned. How about I don't stay over tonight?

Take a couple of days to rest. You'll need to focus on the dealings between Skye Gem Ltd. and the Sheldon Group soon. I'll come to pick you up in a few days, and we'll move into our new home."

"Okay, Bryce."

Whitney could only nod. Morally and emotionally, she owed it to him to make amends. Plus, his decision to not stay the night indeed eased her mind.

She appreciated Bryce's

understanding, not pressuring her into anything. She couldn't bear the thought of being intimate with Bryce so soon after her ordeal with Ludwik, even if it was just sharing a room. She felt tainted.

As Bryce's car drove away from Delight Mansion, the warmth on his face was replaced by a chilling stoicism.

Whitney wanted a divorce?

He wouldn't have it.

Bryce didn't believe for a second that her time with Ludwik was against her will. The videos Ludwik sent showed her in a different light, contradicting her claims of reluctance.

He would make her pay for this humiliation, slowly but surely.

To think he had loved Whitney for so long, only for her to deceive him.

It seemed all women were the same!

Back at their new home, Audrey, dressed in a fiery red nightgown, clung to him seductively. "Bryce, I thought you wouldn't come back tonight."

"And where would you have me go?"

Bryce's face was an unreadable

mask, but a wicked smirk played at the corners of his mouth as he

observed Audrey's youthful figure.

She might not possess Whituret

breathtaking beauty, but she was utterly devoted to him, bending over backward to please him in every way. This unquestioning Submission was a balm to his ego.

"I heard you brought Whitney back."

Audrey perched herself on his lap, her eyes wide and pleading. "I'm so worried, Bryce. Now that she's back, you might not want me anymore. After all, she's your wife, at least on paper, but..."

"But what?" Bryce's hands moved to untie her dress as his voice grew deeper, more ominous.

Audrey hesitated, her gaze flickering. "Well, there's talk around the Lutz Group, gossip that Whitney might be carrying Ludwik's child after being gone so long-Ah!"

Her words were cut short as his hand suddenly tightened around her throat.