The Perfect Wife's Perfect Revenge novel Chapter 779

"Mr. Everhart?"

"Where is Ms. Everhart?" Hawthorne's stomach was in knots. Gwyneth had gone out yesterday, and he'd seen Connor drop her home. Unable to reach her, he felt a profound sense of unease. If it weren't for that piece of paper he now knew about, he feared Gwyneth would have already vanished.

"Ms. Everhart is upstairs painting. She's been at it for hours. I just checked on her a little while ago, and it seems she's fallen asleep," Butler Parham reported, detailing Gwyneth's every move to Hawthorne.

"Okay. I understand."

"Mr. Everhart, Ms. Everhart's appetite has increased significantly lately, and she's sleeping a lot more."

The butler found it strange. Mr. and Ms. Everhart seemed to be constantly at odds, yet Ms. Everhart was eating and sleeping soundly. In contrast, Mr. Everhart had lost a noticeable amount of weight. He barely touched his favorite dishes prepared by the kitchen staff. The lines of his face had become sharper, and despite not staying up late, faint dark circles had appeared under his eyes. Butler Parham knew they were from a lack of sleep. He had never seen Mr. Everhart in such a state; he was truly, deeply in love with Ms. Everhart. And Ms. Everhart was taking it all in stride. What grudge could be so insurmountable that she would continue to torment him like this? But it wasn't a servant's place to meddle in his master's affairs, so he could only follow Mr. Everhart's orders and take good care of Ms. Everhart.

"That's good to hear," Hawthorne said. Hearing that Gwyneth was home, his heart finally settled. "Keep an eye on her and report back if anything happens."

Hawthorne got his car and personally drove Patti to lunch. Sitting in the back seat, Patti secretly took a photo of Hawthorne. His profile was cast in shadow, and she blurred the photo slightly before posting it with the caption: "On a date with my love."

When she woke, she habitually reached for her phone and saw the message from Patti. The photo was clear: it was Hawthorne. He was peeling a shrimp for Patti. The photo was taken from Patti's angle, capturing Hawthorne's focused expression. Gwyneth was reminded of the first time he had cooked for her at home; he had looked exactly the same then. Focused and full of affection.

So, a person's feelings really could be faked. Patti must have already been back in the country at that time, yet he could still pretend to be deeply in love with her, carefully peeling shrimp and cooking for her. Back then, she had been completely captivated by his handsome, composed demeanor and suave charm. Any woman would be susceptible to that kind of emotional investment, especially a girl like Gwyneth with so little dating experience. Bill Crawford had been about absolute control and games; he treated Gwyneth like a pet, something new and interesting. Because she refused to sleep with him, he found the idea of a platonic courtship—charming her before the final conquest—to be a thrilling challenge.

Hawthorne's method of pursuit, however, was universally effective. Who could resist a man so gentle and devoted, who also possessed such stunning looks and high status?

Looking at the photo, Gwyneth felt her eyes welling up with tears against her will. She felt the two stupidest things she had ever done were, one, believing Hawthorne, and two, confronting him with Connor and the others. All she had gotten out of it was heartbreak. After staring at the photo for a moment, she closed her eyes, deleted the picture, then went into her album to permanently erase it before blocking Patti's number.