"I'm showing them to my aunt, of course. To prove I came to see you."

Connor looked like he was about to pass out. "Leonie, can you do one decent thing for a change?"

He had always maintained a cool, dashing persona in front of Gwyneth—the idealized man from her past. He hadn't been awake when she visited before, so his appearance hadn't mattered. But now, in this pathetic state? He couldn't let the woman he loved see him like this.

"Delete those pictures right now!"

Leonie just gave him a wicked grin as she continued snapping photos. "What's wrong? Afraid she'll see you like this? Next time the orderlies come to change you, I'll get a few more shots. We can compare you to my uncle..."

Connor was about to have an aneurysm. He was completely immobilized, and this woman was about to ruin his reputation forever. "Leonie, if you send those, I'll kill you!"

He truly felt murderous, but Leonie was unfazed. She quickly typed a message to go with the pictures: "Aunt Gwyneth, I've checked on Connor for you. Besides being unable to move, he's doing fine. Though he does seem a bit mentally unstable. Reporting in, mission accomplished."

Gwyneth was scrolling through her phone when Leonie's message popped up. She opened it, and a close-up of Connor's sulking, bedridden face filled the screen.

She read the message, and a smile she couldn't suppress touched her lips.

Hawthorne saw her smile from a distance. He hadn't seen her smile in a long time and wondered what message could have brought such a change. He watched her quietly, not wanting to approach and cause her to retreat into her shell again.

Gwyneth had lost the baby fat from her cheeks since their early days of marriage in Greenvale, and Hawthorne knew why. This period was a critical one, and he knew she was feeling wronged.

Only when her smile faded did Hawthorne walk over to her.

"Would you like to visit the Langford patriarch today?"

The only thing that seemed to hold her interest lately was visiting her great- grandfather, a time when she would play the part of a loving wife with him.

Gwyneth pulled her attention away from her phone. Every picture Leonie had sent made her want to laugh.

"We are going to the estate today, but not just to see him. Mom told me yesterday that our wedding is the day after tomorrow. She wants us to come over to discuss the details."

Hawthorne's eyes flickered. "Alright. I'll have my brother and the others prepare to come to Starfall City. The family elders will come as well."

Gwyneth didn't respond. She didn't care. No matter how grand the wedding was, it was just a formality.

Seeing her lack of reaction, Hawthorne fell silent. His phone rang, and with a glance at her, he stepped out to take the call.

Gwyneth sensed his departure and looked over assuming it was Patti Yale. A sharp pain lanced through her chest, but she forced herself to ignore it. He had nothing to do with her anymore, this marriage was solely for her family.

She tried to distract herself with her phone, but her mind was anything but calm. An

hour later, Hawthorne returned to find she had already changed into her outdoor clothes.

"Why aren't you wearing the silk dress I gave you?" He thought it suited her perfectly.

"I don't feel like it. Maybe later." Because it was a gift from him. She had left at the previous dresses he'd given her in Greenvale and had no intention of wearing the new ones. After the wedding, she planned to have them all sen back Greenvale for him to deal with.