Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



Sam stood in his small bedroom, his eyes still warm and gentle, the deep black orbs shining with an intelligence that seemed to pierce through the dimness. When Danny locked eyes with him, he could see the longing shining back.

"Danny, I'm back," Sam said with a smile, catching Danny in a tight embrace.

The two brothers, small in stature but large in heart, clung to each other.

Danny was overwhelmed, tears streaming down his face. "Sam! I thought I'd lost you so many times...I thought you were gone for good. But Mom kept telling me to hold on, that you'd make it back to us. We never stopped looking for you. Even when we knew who had you, we felt so helpless. We could only wait...wait for the right moment."

Tears also welled up in Sam's eyes. The mental anguish that Mom and Danny had gone through was no less painful than the physical injuries he had endured.

Parker, observing the heartfelt reunion of two brothers who were so alike yet so different in personality, couldn't help but feel his own eyes grow misty. "They're finally back together," he whispered to himself.

Natalie, wiping away tears hurriedly, found some solace in the moment. "Danny, Sam, my precious grandsons... It was Ludwik who managed to rescue Sam, and for that, I'm grateful. He did the right thing."

Parker understood Natalie's mixed feelings, her relief tinged with frustration over Ludwik's current disappearance. He glanced at the boys, noting Sam's knowing look that suggested he had much to discuss with Danny privately. Recognizing the need for privacy, Parker sighed, a gesture of understanding.

"Natalie, let's give them some space to talk," Parker suggested. "They've got some catching up to do."

"Sure! Thanks, Mr. Doonan," Sam gratefully acknowledged.

"Thanks for bringing me, Mr. Doonan!" Danny chimed in, both boys waving him off.

Natalie, her emotions a mix of sadness and excitement, followed Parker out of the room, leaving the brothers to their privacy.

Once alone, Danny finally released Sam, trying to compose himself amidst the flood of questions racing through his mind. His eyes, wide and filled with concern, scanned Sam from head to toe. "Sam, are you okay? Florence had you for over two months... Did she hurt you?"

"I was hurt. But Dad rescued me, and he was too scared to bring me to see you and Mom right away," Sam replied, weaving a compassionate lie. "What?!" Danny's heart ached as he clutched Sam's arm. "Where did she hurt you? That witch Florence, did she starve you, beat you, lock you up? I feel so guilty, Sam. It should have been me, not you."

Sam gently patted Danny's head, trying to soothe him while wiping away his tears, "It's all in the past now, Danny. We shouldn't dwell on it." "But I can't help it. I'm so angry, Sam. I wish I could confront Florence myself," Danny fumed, his fists hitting the bed in frustration.

Sam shared the truth hesitantly, "It

was actually because I chose to stay with Ryan. He was one of Florence's accomplices, a doctor in the lab. I did it for a reason. I tricked Dad into thinking I had severe amnesia and didn't recognize him. He was devastated and probably didn't want Mom to see me like that, which worked in my favor for what I had planned."

Danny was confused and concerned, checking Sam's head for injuries. "So, were you hurt or not? Is your brain okay? I'm so worried."

Sam chuckled at Danny's concern,

"I'm fine, really, Florence did intend

to have Ryan perform surgery to

alter my memory, making me heret

puppet. But Ryan, seeing potential in me, spared me from that fate in exchange for my promise to learn medicine from him and inherit his controversial knowledge."

et

Listening to Sam, Danny was awash with relief and pride, "Sam, I knew your cleverness would see you through. You always know how to turn a bad situation to your advantage. Mom always believed in your intelligence, and she was right."

"Is Ryan a good person, though?" Sam pondered aloud, not fully convinced despite owing his current wellbeing to the man.

"Sam, what's your plan? Why did you pretend with Dad?" Danny was quick to refocus on the unanswered question.

Sam looked into Danny's eyes, ready to share the deeper purpose behind his actions, a plan that could change everything for them.

Sam glanced quickly at the door, which was securely shut, then moved over to the window, drawing the blinds closed before flicking on a small device.

"Blocks signals," he murmured.

Danny's eyes sparkled with intrigue as he gave Sam a thumbs up, half-joking, "You've got quite the setup here! Even managed to snag a signal jammer."

"Made it myself, using sensors," Sam replied nonchalantly.noveldrama

Danny felt a slight sting to his ego and rubbed his nose, "Can you spill the beans now?"

Sam pulled him over to the bed, lowering his voice to a whisper, "Because it's only by sticking close to Ryan that I can get closer to the truth about what happened to Florence.

There's a mystery gnawing at me, and I have to stay here to unravel it!"