Chapter 879

Gwyneth had no idea why he suddenly had to leave. Even back when they were at odds with each other, they still managed to see each other every single day.

Hawthorne kissed her forehead, his eyes full of absolute adoration.

"I have to go take care of something very important. Gwyn, this means everything to me."

Gwyneth didn't quite understand. Their relationship was completely stable now, and the wedding was fast approaching. What could possibly be so urgent that it had to be dealt with right this second?

"You still haven't answered any of my questions. Plus, when I can't see you, my heart just isn't at peace."

From the moment they met to their engagement, everything had seemed so smooth, yet no one knew how much chaos had unfolded behind the scenes. Gwyneth was terrified that if they were apart for a while, some new, unpredictable disaster would strike.

Regardless, she felt her emotional limits had been reached. She absolutely could not accept being separated from Hawthorne.

Hawthorne saw the genuine plea in her eyes and knew she was fiercely opposed. But he couldn't take her with him.

Gwyneth was a smart girl, so trying to brush her off with a flimsy excuse would never work.

"I'm going to The High Sierras to find a Folk Healer. I heard he's incredible, capable of curing any rare disease."

Gwyneth looked at Hawthorne with even more confusion. "Are you sick?"

But he didn't look sick at all.

Hawthorne shook his head, gently tapping her cute nose. "It's not for me. It's for my father-in-law."

Gwyneth realized Hawthorne was trying to find someone to cure McNeil, but The High Sierras were thousands of miles away from Greenvale. She appreciated his gesture, but she still shook her head.

"The Langford patriarch and Mom have spent all these years consulting tens of thousands of experts and doctors, including entire medical teams.

We even have our own dedicated medical research group, but they're all completely helpless when it comes to my dad's condition. I. desperately want him to get better, but we all know the truth. Whe actually wakes up, it would be nothing short of a medical miracle.

The entire family gave up hope long ago, back when the specialist my great- grandfather hired said Dad would never wake up again. I know what you're trying to do, but you really don't have to. If I told Mom, she would be completely against it too."

Hawthorne looked at his young wife, entirely unsure of what to say.

He gently squeezed her soft hands, asking softly, "You're worried about my safety, aren't you?"

He hadn't told her that this trip to The High Sierras was indeed incredibly dangerous because they had to cross a massive stretch of The Great Basin Wilderness. For this exact reason, Hawthorne Fad prepared a convoy of thirty off-road vehicles to travel with them.

Of course, he absolutely would not tell Gwyneth about crossing The Great Basin Wilderness, so she wouldn't worry even more.

Hawthorne had seen right through Gwyneth's true feelings, but she felt absolutely no shame for her selfishness. Her dad had been in a coma for over twenty years; in

a strictly technical sense, they had already lost him once.

The whole family had fought tooth and nail, and no one had ever truly given up, not even McNeil himself.

For all these years, McNeil had survived purely on daily IV nutrients and specialized medications formulated by a team of experts injected directly into his veins.

His physical appearance and physique were completely identical to how he looked over twenty years ago. All of this was owed to the family's relentless efforts. But if McNeil truly couldn't wake up in this lifetime, everyone had already made their peace with it.

Gwyneth did not want Hawthorne risking his life. Let her be selfish this one time— she had already lost her father, she couldn't lose her husband too.

"As long as you know. I refuse to let you risk your life for my family. I know Mom and the others wouldn't want you to, either."

Gwyneth genuinely couldn't wrap her head around it. Before, she had assumed Hawthorne's chaotic marriage proposal was some sort of twisted revenge against her dad and the Langford family.

But looking at it now, that clearly wasn't the case, and he was dedicating everything to saving her dad.

"I know, but as long as there is a one in a million chance, I have to try. Gwyn, do you understand? The

dowry I gave the Langford familmet

means nothing to them. This is the only reat thing I have left to offer you. Please, let me try. If it fails, then so be it. But what if it actually

works?"

Gwyneth didn't know what to say to Hawthorne's absolute persistence. She genuinely did not want this. To her, a so-called one in a million chance was no different than handing them hope just to crush it into dust again.