Gwh looked at Victoria and finally asked the question that had been on her mind for so long. "If Dad ever woke up, would you forgive him?"


    Victoria smiled faintly. "Forgiveness doesn''t matter anymore. The future is what''s important."


    That was the answer Gwh needed. She thought she now had her own.


    The mother and daughter talked in the hospital room for nearly two hours. Seeing that Gwh was alright, Victoria announced she was heading back to Starfall City. Gwh was reluctant to see her go. "Mom, can''t you stay a few more days?"


    Victoria chuckled. "If I stay, I''ll just get in the way of my son-inw taking care of you. I won''t steal his thunder. I know he''s gone too far in some ways, but no matter what, you two need to work things out. I still trust him. He''s not an irresponsible man."


    Just as Victoria was about to leave, Gwh suddenly asked, "Who caught Patti Yale and made her confess? Was it Dad?"


    The moment the words were out, Gwh felt foolish. If her dad had really woken up, her mom would have told her immediately.


    Victoria looked at her daughter with gentle eyes. "Who else in this world could possibly stand in for your father?"


    After saying that, Victoria winked, and Gwh understood instantly. It was her uncle.


    At that moment, she was still holding the gift Victoria had just given her. An exquisitely expensive present-it could only be from her uncle.


    Victoria left, leaving Gwh in deep thought. All this time, she had been protected by her family, and even... Gwh paused. For so long, Hawthorne had been protecting her too, hadn''t he? Yet she was the one constantly causing trouble for everyone. Though her mother and family never med her, she felt like a huge burden. Even Chris and Celia were always considerate of her feelings, while she was the one throwing petty tantrums.


    After Victoria left, Gwh sat alone in her room, mulling things over for a long time.


    "What are you thinking about all by yourself? This is for you. I heard from the doctor that you''re getting discharged soon. Is that true?"


    Connor''s voice broke her reverie. Both Max and Leonie were her personal cheerleaders; just seeing Connor lifted her spirits.


    Connor had brought a bouquet of flowers. Noticing a vase already holding a bouquet of long-stemmed Toges, he casually picked them up t?ssedthem in the trash, and


    instructed a nurse to put his flowers in the vase instead.


    Gwh saw it happen but was too preupied to care about the flowers. The questions swirling in her mind were suffocating, and she desperately needed an emotional outlet.


    "Max, are you free? I want to take a walk by the sea."


    There was a quiet bay in Greenvale where Gwh used to go to clear her head whenever she was upset at home. Thest time she''d gone out alone she ended up at theke and ran into Bill Crawford, a yboy who thrived in crowded ces. To avoid having her peace disturbed by acquaintances, she wanted to go to the sea this time.


    Connor was thrilled at the chance to have her all to himself. "Alright, I''ll take you."


    He couldn''t help but smirk at the thought of Hawthorne returning to find his wife gone. Gwh was supposed to be his childhood sweetheart, but Hawthorne had swooped in and stolen her. Even if he could never win her back, he''d get immense satisfaction from making Hawthorne feel like he''d swallowed a türd. Payback was the only thing that could soothe his wounded pride.


    As Gwh walked out, her pregnant belly made her figure look strikingly different. Connor sighed and opened the car door for her.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t drive fast. I wouldn''t want to make the two little ones in there dizzy. So, have you thought it over?"


    "???"


    Gwh had no idea what he was talking about. Connor''s eyes widened.


    "Letting me be their dad! I''ll take them both. Whichever onees with me, I''ll teach them how to race cars."