Chapter 701

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, she needed to figure out how to explain the situation with Hawthorne. She also had to consider whether the Langford patriarch and the rest of the family would be able to accept it.

Gwyneth Langford had far too much on her mind. After making sure Leonie wouldn't be cold, she returned to her room to rest.

In the middle of the night, Gwyneth was startled awake by her phone.

She saw nearly five missed calls from Victoria. A call from her at this hour had to mean something was wrong, so she immediately called back.

"Mom..."

"Gwyn, your grandfather was rushed to the emergency room today..."

Victoria's tone was different this time. The last time, she'd sounded anxious, but Gwyneth suspected they were trying to trick her. This time, however, Victoria's voice was filled with an unmistakable, suppressed grief.

"What happened?"

Victoria explained the whole story. It turned out the Langford patriarch couldn't resist going to see McNeil.

He had tried every method imaginable to wake his only grandson. This time, he had spent a fortune to bring in a top specialist from abroad.

This specialist was his last hope. But when the medical team emerged from their consultation, the news that greeted the patriarch's hopeful expression was that McNeil would likely never wake up.

For years, the patriarch had been living on hope. This was the most devastating blow he could have received, and after so many years of waiting, it was an answer he simply couldn't accept.

The old man collapsed on the spot and was immediately sent to the intensive care unit.

Fortunately, after more than ten hours of emergency treatment, he was stabilized, but his spirit was completely shattered.

"I'll come back tomorrow."

She had to see her grandfather. If anything happened to him, Gwyneth would never be able to forgive herself.

"Don't be in such a rush. Thanksgiving is almost here, and your grandfather is stable for now You and Hawthorne can come back together. Our family hasn't had any happy news in years. Maybe seeing you married will help him get better. But at his age, his health is only going to decline."

The doctor had been tactful, but the meaning was clear.

He had told the family to keep him comfortable, not to leave his side, and to fulfill his

last wishes, because he could close his eyes for the last time at any moment.

A lump formed in Gwyneth's throat.

She had been planning to divorce Hawthorne. How could she possibly go through with a wedding?

But with such a crisis at home, she couldn't possibly tell Victoria the truth. If her grandfather found out and the shock was too much for him she would be eternally to blame.

Gwyneth didn't sleep a wink that night. The next morning, she sat fully dressed at her vanity, staring at her reflection in the mirror for two hours, lost in thought.

For those two hours, her mind was a battlefield.

Should she go back with Hawthorne and complete the wedding, or should she call it off?

If she really decided to end things and get a divorce, her grandfather would never see her get married on Thanksgiving.

Gwyneth was trapped in a deep, agonizing conflict.

She knew what she meant to her family.

Victoria and her grandfather cared so much for her, and her future happiness was their greatest concern.

But Hawthorne wasn't the right man for her. They would eventually separate.

When Leonie woke up on the sofa

that morning, she was startled. She vaguely remembered being with Gwyneth, watching her paint and carve seals. How had she fallen asleep?