"You''re tired. Get some rest. If you need anything, you can call me or just tell Butler Parham."


    Seeing he couldn''t even be bothered to offer an exnation, Gwh''s eyes grew moist. “I will. You can go now. Don''te upstairs and bother me unless it''s important. This isn''t Starfall City; you don''t need to put on a show for my family. You can have the master bedroom. I''ll take a guest room."


    She had drawn the line clearly, and Hawthorne felt a bitter taste in his mouth. "If you''re staying, I can take the study or a guest room. I workte, and I wouldn''t want to disturb you. I''ll stay out of your way for now."


    He understood what she wanted. If she couldn''t stand the sight of him, why should he force his presence on her?


    Gwh nodded, her expression nk. "That would be best."


    Since he was self-aware enough to suggest it, they could simply stay out of each other''s way. From now on, they would lead separate lives under the same roof.


    She had to admit, there were advantages to being Mrs. Everhart. Her family would stop worrying about her, and once her children were born and registered under the Everhart name, Hawthorne couldn''t deny them. As for Patti Yale''s child, boy or girl, it would always be illegitimate, unable to see the light of day.


    But Gwh was conflicted. Hawthorne''s heart wasn''t with her, so even if she gave him children, would he love them? If it was just


    about giving them a name, she


    could have them take he family name, Langford. If they divorced


    she could take the children back to


    her family, and the Langford patriarch and her mother would probably be overjoyed.


    But this was all just wishful thinking. The final oue was still uncertain.


    Lately, news about Connor Kaufman had been scarce on her social media feeds, which she took as a good


    sign that he was recovering well


    She and Leonie used to talk about all sorts of things, but recently, their conversations had revolved almost entirely around Connor. Itwas as if he had taken over Leonie''s entire world. Leonie wasnt getting any younger, and Gwh thought that if she and Connor could end up together, it would be a perfect match.


    Speaking of Connor, she really should go visit him at the hospital. After that terrible ident, she had only seen him once while she was still unconscious and hadn''t been back since.


    She waited until she heard the silence outside her door, figuring Hawthorne had either returned to the office or gone back to that woman. She chose not to fight with him, not wanting to make a scene. She had seen what a lose-lose situation looked like before and had no intention of walking down that path herself.


    Gwh tidied herself up, changed into a set of clothes for going out, and called a cab to take her to the hospital With the babies on board, she felt too anxious to drive. The memory of the car crash lingered, a stradow she couldn''t shake it was ironic; she''d never had amident on the racetrack, yet she''d been in two serious incidents while driving normally. She wasn''t superstitious, but it felt like a string of bad luck, and it was better to be cautious.


    As soon as Gwh left, Butler Parham reported it to Hawthorne, who immediately


    called Hans. "Follow Mrs. Everhart. See where she''s going."