Connecting all the dots, Gwh suddenly realized that his “important business" in Greenvale back then must have been rted to Patti Yale as well. A man juggling two women, trying to cater to both of them... he certainly had his hands full.


    Gwh put her spoon down, her eyes cold as she looked at Hawthorne. "I won''t be going back to Greenvale with you. As long as youe up with a suitable excuse, you can go wherever you please."


    In Starfall City, she couldn''t stand the suffocating atmosphere. In Greenvale, she couldn''t stand the memories of her own deception. Suddenly, Gwh felt that in this vast world, there was no ce left for her.


    "Are you sure you don''t want toe back with me? Don''t forget, we still have another wedding ceremony to hold during the New Year''s Day. You''ll have to go


    then anyway."


    A barely perceptible, ironic smile touched Gwh''s lips. "I know. You don''t need to remind me, Mr. Everhart. Since you helped me out by marrying me here in Starfall City, I will naturally return the favor and marry you in Greenvale. I''ll ''help'' you onest time."


    Hearing the resentment in her voice, Hawthorne knew she had misunderstood again.


    "Gwyn, we didn''t get married as part of some contract, nor was it some charade to deceive others. Do you remember why we got together in the first ce?"


    Gwh let out a desteugh. “Hawthorne, are you still not done ying the emotional card? You, of all people, should know exactly why we got together."


    She had been with him because she had found a sense of being cherished that she had never experienced before. Perhaps that was what people called love. But after getting their marriage license, she discovered she wasn''t his only woman, not even his only wife. In the old days, she would have been the official wife, and the woman on the outside would have been called a concubine.


    And now he had the audacity to ask if she knew why they had married?


    Gwh suddenly felt she had been far too naive, believing that he loved her, that she was his one and only.


    She set down her silverware and wiped her lips with a napkin, her dark eyes filled with mockery. "So, why did we get married?"


    Gwh tossed the napkin into the trash. "Mr. Everhart, why don''t you answer that question for me?"


    Hawthorne knew this conversation


    was going nowhere. Gwh was dead set against returning to Greenvale with him. In her mind, she had already defined their marriage as a transaction of mutual convenience. She had married him to stabilize the Langford patriarch''s health and reassure her family. And she believed he had married her merely as a cover to pursue his


    affair with another woman.


    Gwh pushed her chair back and stood up. "I''m finished. From now on, Mr.


    Everhart, please feel free to attend to your own business without informing me. After all, besides this piece of paper, we''re practically strangers."


    The coldness in her words was something Hawthorne found hard to ept, but as things stood, there was nothing he could do.


    His private jet was already waiting


    on the vi''swn. After meeting the


    Langford family elders that


    afternoon, he had to fly back to


    Greenvale Whether Gwh


    epted it or came with him he


    had to go and deal with the immediate problem.


    For the first time, Hawthorne allowed himself to be cold to her in return. "Suit yourself."


    He wiped his own mouth with a napkin and set down his utensils. He hadpletely lost his appetite, filled with anger instead.


    What should have been a romantic breakfast for the newlyweds had ended in a bitter argument.


    Gwh stormed upstairs, answering her mother''s call as she went.


    "Gwyn, are you awake? You drank so muchst night you passed out. Hawthorne brought you home. Are you two alright?"


    Gwh forced a serene smile. "Mom, I''m a married woman now, an adult. I''ll be fine. Please don''t worry yourself over nothing."


    Even if there were problems, they were small ones she wouldn''t let get to her. Victoria heard the calm in her voice and knew she truly wasn''t dwelling on it.


    "That''s good. Now that you''re


    married, you''re a grown woman, and I shouldn''t nag you too much. But have one piece of advice for you. We only get this one life, there are no second chances. Cherish the present moment, and treasure every person by your side and every second you have together. Because once things pass, you can never get them back. Time only pushes you forward; it never leaves room for you to turn back. Gwyn, you are the daughter your father and I love most in this world. We both want you to be happy. Whatever happened in the past, I''m asking you to forget it. That was between the adults and has nothing to do with you. You don''t need to feel guilty or me yourself. Just live your life well with


    Hawthorne. I wish you happiness, Mom."


    Gwh listened to these words with tears streaming down her face. She didn''t


    know if she could do it. From the day she discovered Hawthorne''s betrayal, she had felt like a part of her had died.