The Langford patriarch spoke to Hawthorne not as an elder to a junior, but with the casual warmth of an old friend. Thorpe had never used such a tone with anyone before, a clear sign of how much he treasured his great-granddaughter.


    "Yes, Patriarch, I understand. I will never let Gwyn suffer any hardship," Hawthorne promised. He felt Gwh''s hand go slightly limp in his and tightened his grip, afraid she would pull away.


    Seeing this, Thorpe''s smile widened, convinced of their deep affection. Standing nearby, Victoria sped her hands together. Her new son-inw was more formidable than she had imaginedposed, meticulous, and deep. She feared Gwh would be no match for him.


    "Hawthorne, when will your family be arriving?" Victoria asked. With the wedding preparationsplete, she found herself growing nervous. She worried that Hawthorne, being far more cunning than his age suggested, might be using this marriage to settle old scores and strike a blow against the Langford family.


    It wasn''t that Gwh couldn''t find another husband; if the Langfords sought an alliance, countless eligible young men in Starfall City would line up. But Victoria had never seen her daughter so taken with a man before.


    She knew Gwh''s personality well. Her severe depression had only worsened with age, and as a mother, she was terrified. She''d seen news reports about young people with depression taking their own lives. While Gwh wasn''t at that point, she was isted, had few friends, and seemed to withdraw even further the more her family tried to connect with her. Victoria could always sense a profound guilt radiating from her daughter whenever they were together.


    It wasn''t Gwh''s fault. The world of adults wasplicated, and the past wasn''t something a child could have changed What McNeilch had nothing to do with Gwh''s falling out with Violet. Victoria had never med her daughter, only herself for failing to protect her, for not finding a way to ease her burden of guilt over all these years.


    Gwh was the apple of her eye, her firstborn, the one in whom she had invested


    so much love and hope.


    Hawthorne nced at his watch.


    "Their ne is scheduled tond in ten


    2 minutes." Mr. and Mrs. Everhart,


    with Leonie were already on.


    Board.


    Victoria nodded, a wave of relief washing over her. She feared Hawthorne''s motives, his


    shrewdness. But now, it seemed her worries were unfounded. When the private jet touched down on thewn behind the estate, the entire family was there to greet them.


    Gwh watched as Mr. and Mrs. Everhart descended from the ne, her eyes


    welling up with tears. They were like family to her.


    Only three people emerged from the jet. She didn''t see Leonie.


    "Where''s Leonie?"