If Gwh stayed missing any longer, Mr. and Mrs. Everhart would probably start searching for her themselves.


    "Silly girl, what nonsense are you saying? How could I ever abandon you?" she reassured gently. "I just needed a little fresh air and a change of scenery. This ce is beautiful-I thought I''d bring my easel here and do some painting. I''ll go back soon enough."


    Half of what she said was true.


    Leonie wasn''t about to let it go. "What''s so special about this scenery that you''d leave your whole family behind toe here?"


    She reached out and grabbed Gwh''s arm. "Auntie, juste home with me. Even if you really don''t like Uncle, you can alwayse live with us."


    Everything that had happenedtely had forced Gwh to grow up, fast.


    She reached out and pinched Leonie''s cheek with a fond, almost maternal affection.


    "Alright then. If you want to stay, you can keep mepany for a few days."


    She''d be heading back to Starfall City by the Harvest Festival. She''d tell Victoria and her great-grandfather herself-she and Hawthorne were getting a divorce.


    She''d been to the doctor recently, worried because her period waste. The fear of being pregnant had gnawed at her.


    Thankfully, it was nothing serious-just a hormonal imbnce, the doctor said, and prescribed some herbal supplements. Outwardly, she looked healthy, but all the bottled-up sadness had left too much residue inside her.


    She wasn''t exactly the fertile type. She might even have trouble conceiving.


    Gwh thought to herself, If I leave Hawthorne, I doubt I''ll ever be able to fall in love again.


    Leonie realized there was no convincing her and finally gave up.


    Uncle had asked her to look after Auntie, so Leonie figured she''d just do what she could, one day at a time.


    Gwh had thought she''d moved far enough away to avoid being found for a while, but on the fifth day, Connor Kaufman showed up.


    That afternoon, Leonie had insisted she was craving cinnamon rolls from the bakery in town and begged Gwh to go with her Gwh didn''t feel like going out, so Leonie going left by herself.  s


    Connor arrived soon after, dressed in his usual effortlessly cool style, leaning against the doorframe with a cocky gaze.


    "So, runaway bride," he teased, "what are you doing all the way out here? nning an early honeymoon?"


    His words dripped with sarcasm, but beneath it, he was genuinely worried about her.


    He couldn''t remember much about the past, buttely, he''d found it hard to forget Gwh.


    She was immune to jabs like his now. Nothing Connor said could hurt her as much as knowing Hawthorne still carried a torch for someone else.


    She simply invited him in with polite indifference.


    "So you''re staying here? No ns to go back to Hawthorne''s ce?"


    "Max, did you need something?" she asked, her tone t, unwilling to talk about Hawthorne any longer.


    "Haven''t seen you in days," he replied, trying to sound casual. "Heard from a friend that someone who looked just like you was spotted around here. Got curious, that''s all.  s<fnb554> Discover more novels at ?ovelFind</fnb554>


    The truth was, he''d been fighting the urge to seek her out, reminding himself she was a married woman.


    But life rarely follows our ns. He never expected the wall he thought invincible to suddenly crack-badly.


    If Gwh wasn''t spoken for, he wouldn''t hesitate. After all, they''d once been childhood friends, inseparable.


    He couldn''t remember, but Gwh did. Couldn''t she just fall for him, too?


    leet


    "Well, now you''ve seen-I''m fine,"


    Gwh said, poking at the embers in the firece She put the kettle on and brewed some tea for him.  s


    "Max, I want to go for a fewps on the track. Would you take me for a drive?"