Hawthorne had a reputation in their social circles as the consummate, self- disciplined bachelor-wealthy, reserved, and famously unattached. Rumors about his recent marriage were swirling everywhere, and people couldn''t help but specte about the kind of woman who could possibly win his heart. The incident at the gallery only fueled the gossip, and Leonie''s phone hadn''t stopped ringing with friends eager for details.


    She kept thinking it must''ve all been a misunderstanding. But now, her aunt had suddenly left home-could these things be connected?


    Years ago, Leonie vaguely remembered hearing that her uncle might''ve dated someone for a while. But he''d never brought the woman home or even mentioned her to the family. Everyone assumed it was just a fleeting romance, nothing worth remembering.


    Surely, she thought, her uncle and aunt weren''t wrapped up in one of those melodramatic "first love" soap opera plots?


    "Uncle," Leonie blurted, "you don''t have some old me Auntie just found out about, do you?"


    Her wordsnded like a sledgehammer on Hawthorne.


    His brow furrowed so tightly it looked like he might tie it in a knot. "How many times have I told you to focus on your studies and stop filling your head with nonsense? Those trashy romance novels are rotting your brain."


    It was rare for him to scold her at such length; Leonie realized he was genuinely upset.


    She stuck out her tongue behind his back. Honestly, it didn''t seem likely anyway. For as long as she could remember, the Everhart men had a reputation for being devoted husbands—her great-grandfather, her grandfather, all the way down. None of them were known for wandering hearts.


    "There''s just been a misunderstanding between your aunt and me-stop imagining things. If you manage to get in touch with her, help me keep her calm, would you?"


    His first words reassured Leonie, but the second part made her nervous. What did he mean by "keep her calm"?


    She nced at Hawthorne, too worried about her aunt to ask any more questions. She''d always felt her aunt truly adored her uncle, and he''d always spoiled her. How had things gone so wrong, so suddenly?


    "Alright..." she mumbled.


    Hawthorne pulled out his phone and sent a message to Gwh. When he saw the red exmation point-message undelivered his heart sank.


    He called her, but no one picked up. It was obvious: Gwh had blocked his number.


    Hawthorne knew she was furious; right now, she wouldn''t listen to anything he said.


    Just then, Hans called. The news wasn''t good.


    "Mr. Everhart, we still haven''t found Mrs. Everhart. We''ve checked all major flights there''s no sign of her."


    Hawthorne couldn''t say whether that relieved him or made him more anxious.


    She hadn''t left Greenvale yet, but


    with the Langford family''s resources, Gwh could easily arrange for a private jet if she wanted to disappear. No one wo dare reveal any details, not even to Hawthorne himself-the Langfords stood above the Everharts in power, and nobody wanted to get caught in the middle.  s


    Hawthorne felt utterly stuck. If this were just a typical marital spat, he''d already be on a ne to Starfall City to find her. But with all the misunderstanding about at Yale.. he couldn''t keep his cool.  s


    He had no idea where Gwh had gone. Leonie was her only friend in town,


    and now she wasn''t answering Leonie''s calls either.


    Outside, a soft rain began to fall, the gray sky mirroring Gwh''s mood.


    After leaving Hawthorne''s house, she hadn''t gone to the Langford hotel-she knew too well that would be the first ce he''d took She felt lower than ever, and thest person she wanted to see was Hawthorne.  s<fn2865> ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? find?novel</fn2865>