She refused to follow in her parents'' footsteps, and she certainly wasn''t willing to blindly trust everything she saw or heard.


    She wanted to give Hawthorne a chance to hear his side of the story. After all, he was her first and only man.


    "Hawthorne, aren''t you going to exin? Or is what that woman said actually true?"


    Disappointment clouded Gwh''s face. Even when her parents fought, they''d still defend themselves to the bitter end-so what was Hawthorne trying to say by staying silent?


    "Gwyn, don''t be unreasonable. You''ve had way too much to drink tonight; you''repletely out of it. Promise me this won''t happen again."


    It was the first time Hawthorne had ever spoken to her in such a stern tone.


    Gwh was stunned. People always said women were fickle, but apparently, men could be just as mercurial.


    Just then, Hawthorne''s phone buzzed-Hans was calling, but Gwh could distinctly hear a woman''s voice in the background.


    "Hawthorne, why aren''t you here yet? My head is spinning... Why did you send Hans instead? Don''t you want me anymore?"


    The voice was all too familiar-one Gwh could never forget.


    Patti Yale. The same woman who''d openly dered herself the other woman in Hawthorne''s life.


    "I''ll be right there. Just stay put and wait for me, okay?"


    Hawthorne nced back at Gwh, his gaze lingering. "You''re drunk, Gwyn. Try to get some sleep."


    Gwh felt as if she''d been plunged into an icyke. The words, the gestures, the whole scene-it was all so familiar. She''d witnessed it countless times before.


    Back then, though, she''d merely been an observer. Now, she was the one living it. This was exactly how McNeil used to treat Victoria-same expression, same gestures, even the same lines. It was uncanny.


    "Hawthorne, if you walk out that door tonight, there''s no turning back for us."


    Hawthorne, patience thinning, sat beside her and gently brushed his hand across her cheek, soft and smooth beneath his fingers.


    "Gwyn, don''t be stubborn. I''ll be right back. I promise."


    But Gwh knew there was nothing she could do to stop him from going to that


    woman.


    How ironic-she''d blurted out the same words Victoria once had, years ago.


    Hawthorne left without looking back, just like her father used to. And she... she''d be Victoria''s shadow. Maybe she deserved it.


    The same story, now ying out in her own life. When Hawthorne finally disappeared from sight, a shadow settled over her face.


    So, to Hawthorne... what did she really mean?


    Dizzy and unsteady, Gwh pulled herself upright and went to look for a pen and some paper.


    What should have been a ten-minute task-drafting the divorce papers-took her over half an hour.


    She refused to be her mother, living that kind of life. She wouldn''t spend another night waiting, tears,


    face, while her


    streaming down her fa


    husband was with someone else.


    s


    All the things she''d never understood, all the pain she''d never been able to feel—


    it all became clear in a single night.


    She realized that, when faced with the man she loved most, one could lose all reason.


    No matter Hawthorne''s


    motives whether gratitude or


    revenge the moment he fir


    began


    neglecting her feelings, their tragedy was already set in motion


    belongs to s


    Gwh filled an entire page, but when she tried to get up and pack her things,


    she was too drunk and copsed onto the bed instead.


    The divorce agreement slipped from her grasp, driftingzily beneath the bed.


    Everything was spinning. Her head felt heavy, her limbs weak. If she couldn''t leave tonight, she''d wait until morning.


    In the early hours, Hawthorne returned, exhausted.


    Patti Yale had been buzzing with manic energy, dragging him out forte-night snacks after drinking herself silly when he''d finally gotten her back to her apartment, she''d clung to him, begging him to stay the night. Thankfully, she''d passed out before he could answer.  s


    Hawthorne waited, making sure Patti wouldn''t wake, before slipping away.


    Upstairs, the bedsidemp was still on. He frowned, thinking Gwh must still be awake.


    But she was fast asleep.


    In the stillness, she looked so innocent-like a child untouched by the world.


    Hawthorne leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He''d rushed home the moment he was free, worried she''d be stewing in her thoughts.


    He noticed tears glimmering at the corners of her eyes and gently brushed them away, a wave of guilt washing over him.


    "Gwyn..."<fn0b16> Get full chapters from find?novel</fn0b16>


    He whispered her name and watched her sleep until dawn.