Chapter 690

If Gwyneth stayed missing any longer, Mr. and Mrs. Everhart would probably start searching for her themselves.

"Silly girl, what nonsense are you saying? How could I ever abandon you?" she reassured gently. "I just needed a little fresh air and a change of scenery. This place is beautiful-I thought I'd bring my easel here and do some painting. I'll go back soon enough."

Half of what she said was true.

Leonie wasn't about to let it go. "What's so special about this scenery that you'd leave your whole family behind to come here?"

She reached out and grabbed Gwyneth's arm. "Auntie, just come home with me. Even if you really don't like Uncle, you can always come live with us."

Everything that had happened lately had forced Gwyneth to grow up, fast.

She reached out and pinched Leonie's cheek with a fond, almost maternal affection.

"Alright then. If you want to stay, you can keep me company for a few days."

She'd be heading back to Starfall City by the Harvest Festival. She'd tell Victoria and her great-grandfather herself-she and Hawthorne were getting a divorce.

She'd been to the doctor recently, worried because her period was late. The fear of being pregnant had gnawed at her.

Thankfully, it was nothing serious-just a hormonal imbalance, the doctor said, and prescribed some herbal supplements. Outwardly, she looked healthy, but all the bottled-up sadness had left too much residue inside her.

She wasn't exactly the fertile type. She might even have trouble conceiving.

Gwyneth thought to herself, If I leave Hawthorne, I doubt I'll ever be able to fall in love again.

Leonie realized there was no convincing her and finally gave up.

Uncle had asked her to look after Auntie, so Leonie figured she'd just do what she could, one day at a time.

Gwyneth had thought she'd moved far enough away to avoid being found for a while, but on the fifth day, Connor Kaufman showed up.

That afternoon, Leonie had insisted she was craving cinnamon rolls from the bakery in town and begged Gwyneth to go with her Gwyneth didn't feel like going out, so Leonie going left by herself. s

Connor arrived soon after, dressed in his usual effortlessly cool style, leaning against the doorframe with a cocky gaze.

"So, runaway bride," he teased, "what are you doing all the way out here? Planning an early honeymoon?"

His words dripped with sarcasm, but beneath it, he was genuinely worried about her.

He couldn't remember much about the past, but lately, he'd found it hard to forget Gwyneth.

She was immune to jabs like his now. Nothing Connor said could hurt her as much as knowing Hawthorne still carried a torch for someone else.

She simply invited him in with polite indifference.

"So you're staying here? No plans to go back to Hawthorne's place?"

"Max, did you need something?" she asked, her tone flat, unwilling to talk about Hawthorne any longer.

"Haven't seen you in days," he replied, trying to sound casual. "Heard from a friend that someone who looked just like you was spotted around here. Got curious, that's all. s Discover more novels at ⓝovelFind.net

The truth was, he'd been fighting the urge to seek her out, reminding himself she was a married woman.

But life rarely follows our plans. He never expected the wall he thought invincible to suddenly crack-badly.

If Gwyneth wasn't spoken for, he wouldn't hesitate. After all, they'd once been childhood friends, inseparable.

He couldn't remember, but Gwyneth did. Couldn't she just fall for him, too?

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"Well, now you've seen-I'm fine,"

Gwyneth said, poking at the embers in the fireplace She put the kettle on and brewed some tea for him. s

"Max, I want to go for a few laps on the track. Would you take me for a drive?"