Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



"I had no choice but to let the old man believe I'd turned into a fool. His reaction? Well, Florence saw it all, believing I'd become the perfect puppet she could manipulate at will. She let down her guard around me.

That's my ticket in. To snoop around, unearth the secrets she's hiding with Ryan."

Danny caught on, "Got it! You're staying close, pretending to be loyal, acting like you don't recognize your own folks!"

Sammy nodded.

"But what's your end game? What's the mystery you haven't solved?"

Sammy's expression darkened, "It's about Mom."

"Mom?!"

"Before she fell ill, Ryan sneakily had her laid up in a hospital surgery room. At that time, I was trapped in that same hospital and happened to see her."

Danny's eyes widened as he remembered, "Was it a month ago? No wonder Mom said she thought she saw you after her hospital visit for a stomach check-up.

We even searched that hospital for you afterward, but you were gone.

Mom started to believe she had hallucinations.

But it wasn't! You were actually locked up by Florence in the hospital!"

Sammy nodded, signaling silence, "Ryan's not around now, but his household staff and daughter are.

Danny, long story short, there are speculations I'd rather not disclose just yet.

All I know is something must've happened to Mom in that surgery room. I'm worried Florence and Ryan implanted something in her... like a bomb. I have to dig out this secret.

So, I must stay, keep my cover. I want to ensure Mom's safety. Do you understand?"

Danny's heart raced with anxiety, "You mean Mom's in danger?" His voice quivered, "God, I had no clue, and neither did she!

She thought she just had an endoscopy that day."

"It was more than an endoscopy, but what exactly, I'm not sure," Sammy frowned.

Danny hugged him, admiring yet feeling ashamed, "Sammy, you're incredible. Compared to you, I'm nothing!

You've been suffering outside while I was being pampered by Mom.

You've gone through so much to escape Florence's clutches, I can only imagine how much you wanted to see Mom!

But to protect her, you chose to stay here as a spy, risking it all!

I'm proud to have a brother like you for Mom. She'd be heartbroken to know all this."

Sammy touched his cold cheeks, "So, this stays between us until I find solid answers. Don't tell Parker, Grandma, or even Dad when he returns."

Danny nodded, his expression turning gloomy, "Dad's whereabouts are unknown, right?

The rumors are nasty, claiming he's abandoned his career and family, eloped with Mom.

Mr. Doonan mentioned The Lippert Group's stocks are plummeting, causing chaos internally. Our grandfather is furious.

Though Dad's actions may embarrass Florence, making her marriage into the Lippert family a joke, it's not a sustainable solution."

Danny couldn't help but feel a bit gleeful, "But what I'm most glad about is Mom no longer has to live with that jerk Bryce.

She's been blind to what Bryce has been up to. Sneaky and manipulative, I knew from the start he wanted to marry Mom to climb the Sheldon family ladder. His ambitions are too big!

Plus, last month, Mom seemed to be pregnant...

I overheard Bryce mocking Dad, saying he convinced Mom to have an abortion, getting rid of Dad's baby!

That must've filled Dad with hatred towards Mom.

Mr. Doonan and he think I'm clueless, but I'm not stupid. I always catch bits and pieces of the adults' conversations.

I'm not sure if Mom being pregnant

was a good thing, but the baby was

gone before we knew it, and Mom

wouldn't admit she had the

abortion... Dad thought she did it out

of spite!

Adults' affairs are too complicated, Sammy, you don't know how much I've missed you.

Their grudges only deepen, leaving me to watch them drift further apart.

Then, when Florence announced her pregnancy with Dad's child, it was the last straw for Mom..."

Danny's tearful confession inadvertently connected the dots for Sammy, "Wait, what did you say? Mom seemed to be pregnant?

Are you sure she was pregnant last month?!"noveldrama

Sammy's breathing halted.

Danny, stunned, shook his head before nodding, "I only heard it from their arguments.

Last month, Dad took Mom to the hospital for a long check-up. Tiana was furious with Dad.

But then Mom told Tiana it was all Dad's overreaction; she was never pregnant.

I'm so confused. How could Mom not know she was pregnant?"

Danny's words troubled Sammy. Indeed, how could Mom, having experienced childbirth before, not know she was pregnant? Was Dad hiding it?

Thus, Mom was unaware, but how was the baby aborted?

A clue clicked for Sammy regarding Florence's pregnancy.

He had overheard something fishy about Florence's pregnancy, and it seemed connected to Mom?

Suddenly, everything in his mind came together!

When exactly did Florence get pregnant?

He needed to find out the exact timeline, fast.

"Danny! Tell me, when exactly did Mom have the miscarriage? How far along was she?"

"Just... just at the end of the month

ne

before last. After she had the endoscopy, Dad came back from a trip and found out she'd had miscarriage.

Bryce claimed it was because Mom didn't want the baby!

I don't know how far along she was... I just know, one problem led to another, and immediately after, Florence announced her pregnancy.

After that, to protect me, Mom, under the threat from Florence, announced she was dating Bryce."

In Sammy's mind, the pieces of the puzzle aligned.

So, Florence's pregnancy was also revealed last month? She was pregnant after Mom, by about half a month.

Mom was pregnant first, but she had a miscarriage!

But what if... just what if, mom never had a miscarriage?

What if the baby in mom's belly somehow ended up in Florence's?

That could explain why, after just a simple endoscopy under anesthesia, mom ended up unconscious on Ryan's operating table, a victim of something horrendous she knew nothing about!

Ryan was the top surgeon in Florence's OR, known for his expertise in procedures that were, let's say, less than orthodox.

What are we talking about when we say less orthodox?

A chill ran down Sammy's spine at the thought... Oh my God.

He clenched his fists tighter, his breaths became shallow and caught in his throat, utterly speechless and overwhelmed by his own speculation.