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 explain? Or is what that woman said actually true?”
Disappointment clouded Gwyneth’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’re completely 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.
Gwyneth 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 Gwyneth 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 Gwyneth could never forget.
Patti Yale. The same woman who’d openly declared herself the other woman in Hawthorne’s life.
“I’ll be right there. Just stay put and wait for me, okay?”
Hawthorne glanced back at Gwyneth, his gaze lingering. “You’re drunk, Gwyn. Try to get some sleep.”
Gwyneth felt as if she’d been plunged into an icy lake. 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 Gwyneth 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.
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