Chapter 880

Gwyneth shook her head frantically. "I don't want this. I'm a hundred times, a thousand times against this! Hawthorne, if you actually go, I will be absolutely furious with you.

Besides, you haven't even told me how long you'll be gone, or when I'll get the results. And if it fails? Is it just going to be another crushing disappointment?" Gwyneth's bright eyes locked onto Hawthorne. She was on the verge of tears.

Hawthorne had already made up his mind, and Gwyneth couldn't change that, but he knew he couldn't just force it. He pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her long hair to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Gwyn, I'll be perfectly fine. And I promise I'll come back with a result that will make you happy."

The anxiety in Gwyneth's chest was only swelling larger, and she wrapped her arms tightly around Hawthorne's waist.

The two of them had just been taking a walk in the garden, but Gwyneth, consumed by her anxious thoughts, didn't care about the staff watching them. She clung to him, entirely refusing to let go.

Helpless, Hawthorne simply scooped her into his arms and carried her.

The little dog that had wandered into their yard and been adopted trotted behind them, keeping a polite distance. It would happily run circles around anyone else, but around Hawthorne, it always showed a hint of cautious hesitation.

Gwyneth buried her face into Hawthorne's shoulder, and out of his sight, her tears finally spilled over.

Hawthorne felt it, whispering softly into her ear. "Silly girl, I won't be gone that long. It's just a month. Thirty days will fly by. I'll give you a full report of my itinerary every single day."

No matter how many promises Hawthorne made, he couldn't put Gwyneth's mind at ease. Since his decision was absolutely unshakeable, Gwyneth could only lie in his arms and quietly complain.

"Couldn't you at least wait until after our wedding? Are you really in that much of a rush? The wedding is only three months away."

Hawthorne deeply understood his wife's reluctance to part with him, and his heart melted at the realization. In truth, they hadn't been dating for very long-from the moment they met to getting married, it had barely been over a month. Yet Gwyneth had entrusted the entire rest of her life to him.

For a woman with such profound love and loyalty, Hawthorne felt the only right thing to do was to accomplish the one thing she wanted most in this world.

McNeil was the lingering heartbreak of the Langford family. Only by saving McNeil could Hawthorne truly justify the meaning of his own life.

He wasn't just living for himself anymore. He had a family, he had to build a future for their kids, and he had to fulfill his wife's ultimate dream.

"Remember what you promised. You have to send me your itinerary every single day, and the second you sense any danger, you have to back out. You can't just act recklessly.

After all, my dad is still alive. As long as he's alive, there's a chance. You still have a wife and unborn children. You absolutely cannot risk your life like you did when you jumped into the ocean to save me, do you understand?"

Thinking back to that incident still made Gwyneth's blood run cold. Hawthorne had tied a marine knot tightly around his hand, plunged into the water, and just stayed in that precise spot, waiting for her to be pushed in so he could find her.

To save her, the flesh on his joints had been rubbed raw down to the bone. When Gwyneth found out how bad it was, she had nearly passed out from the shock.

It was only because he had put his

life on the line that Gwyneth had made it out alive. But Gwyneth knew that if she had died then, Hawthorne could have easily found someone else to marry. But if Hawthorne had died, he would be leaving an entire family behind.

Gwyneth knew in her heart that she could never possibly find another man to marry for the rest of her life.

Hawthorne naturally promised Gwyneth everything she asked. If he didn't make those vows, Gwyneth would never let him walk out the door in peace.

"I will absolutely come back in one piece, and I'll bring you good news. Gwyn, I want

to see a healthy father-in-law and my mother-in-law standing side by side at our wedding, witnessing our happiness together."

His own parents would never get to see him get married with their own eyes, but if they were watching from heaven, he knew they would be ecstatic for him.

Gwyneth stopped arguing and finally let him do what he needed to do. But from that day on, she was plagued by a heavy heart, just like Leonie.

Leonie took Chris and Celia all over Greenvale, hitting up all the best spots for food and fun.

At first, Chris kept up his detached, noble heir persona, holding onto his icy demeanor.

Leonie dragged them through all the

little streets and alleyways.

Greenvale was nothing like Starfall City. A coastal metropolis like Starfall City barely had any narrow, winding alleys, mostly consisting of towering skyscrapers and modern architecture.