Connor calmly picked up the orange Leonie had peeled for him, cing it in his mouth segment by segment. For some reason, he always felt the oranges she peeled were especially sweet.


    "Your ex-girlfriend''s husband is cheating," Liam announced. "We just saw him at the hospital with another woman. Looked like they were heading to the maternity ward. Maybe he was with her for a check-up?"


    Connor focused on his orange. "What ex-girlfriend? I''ve had so many I can''t even count them on both hands. I have no idea who you''re talking about."


    "The one who''s married to Hawthorne! No, wait, it was Hawthorne himself. We just saw Hawthorne with another woman at a prenatal appointment. Look, I''ve got video proof."


    Like he''d struck gold, Liam offered his phone. A piece of orange lodged in Connor''s throat, and he nearly choked. "Let me see that."


    If they were wrong, Connor decided, he was going to kill Liam.


    He snatched the phone. There was no mistaking the man in Liam''s video. It was Hawthorne. Connor would recognize him even if he were burned to ashes. It was his rotten luck to truly fall for a woman, only for her to be snatched up and married off before he could even make a move. The most infuriating part was that Gwh was supposed to be his. She was the one that got away.


    "Fuck-"


    Connor spat out the mouthful of orange and swore. Hawthorne was two-timing her, and he wasn''t even being subtle about it. Taking another woman for a prenatal check-up? What about Gwh?


    After watching, Connor swiftly deleted the video.


    Liam protested several times, "Connor, what are you doing? Why did you delete it? That woman''s husband is cheating on her. Shouldn''t you show this to her? Get some payback?"


    Connor nearly kicked Liam out of the hospital room. "Are you nuts? She''s the one I''ve always wanted!"


    With this new worry weighing on him, Connor lost his appetite for the orange. He was torn. Should he tell Gwh? He wasn''t sure if she could handle it. Telling her felt cruel, but staying silent felt like a betrayal of his conscience.


    After some thought, Connor picked up his phone and called Leonie.


    "Your uncle is a real piece of work, and to think you praise him to the high heavens in front of your aunt."


    Cursing him out seemed to make Connor feel a little better.


    Leonie was bewildered. "Connor, have you lost your mind? I don''t care how much you like my aunt, you can''t just insult my uncle like that."


    It wasn''t that Leonie was jealous of her aunt, but a sour feeling bubbled up inside her. Couldn''t Connor ever just see her?


    "Insult him. If I get the chance, I''ll


    beat the crap out of him. You tell aunt he should treat her right. If he doesn''t,


    him, if he really loves you


    he should step aside and let


    someone else."


    Leonie had just gotten home. Closing the door, she listened to Connor''s nonsensical rant, and her own temper red. "You''d better exn yourself right now. What did My uncle do to you? What''s this about wanting to beat him up?"


    Had Connor''s brain been scrambled by his ident now that his injuries were healing?


    "Your uncle took a woman to the hospital for a prenatal check-up today. Liam caught it all on video. And you''re still defending him? Hmph, I knew he was no good from the start. A two-timing, faithless bastard."


    Leonie didn''t believe it. "You''re making this up. You have to be ndering my uncle.


    Any other man in the world might cheat, but not my uncle. Never."


    She was about to burst into tears of frustration. No matter how much he liked her aunt, he had no right to nder her uncle.


    "Connor, if you keep talking like this, I''m done with you."


    Her protectiveness was obvious. Connor gritted his teeth. "I''ll send you the proof. Who''s ndering him?"


    Luckily, he had only moved the video to the trash, and he could still restore it before it was permanently deleted. He pulled the video back out and forwarded it to Leonie. "See for yourself. This is the devoted, perfect man you were talking about. See the woman next to him? That''s not your aunt, is it? You can figure out how you''re going to break this to her."