I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 293

Hayden suddenly stopped and looked back through the glass door. Lily instantly snapped her mouth shut, sticking her tongue out playfully. She wasn't sure if he had heard her.

Zoe was holding back laughter, while Hayden's face was thunderous. Technically, entertaining that thought in front of a child wasn't great parenting. She needed to instill proper values.

"Yeah, once Daddy and Mommy sign the divorce papers, we can go pick out a daddy you like."

The server packed up the leftovers and respectfully handed the bag to Hayden at the front desk. "Have a great evening, Mr. Thorne."

Hayden grabbed the bag with a stone-cold expression. The moment he stepped outside, he pitched the takeout directly into the trash can.

Lily's face fell. Cupping Zoe's face, she whispered into her ear, "Mommy, that was for Uncle Garrett..." She felt incredibly wronged. How could her dad do that?

Zoe's eye twitched. The bastard had definitely heard what they were saying. What right did he have to be mad? His precious nephew Holden had practically switched dads too, hadn't he? Calling him 'Uncle Hayden' like he was a second father.

"Let's just ignore him," she muttered. Psycho.

Zoe and Lily climbed into the backseat. Satisfied and full, the mother and daughter rested their heads together. As Hayden drove, he strained his ears, hyper-focused on their conversation. He practically wanted to glue himself to the backseat just to hear what awful things they were saying about him.

Unfortunately, Lily had wised up. She kept her voice so hushed that even with all the windows rolled up tightly, Hayden couldn't catch a single word.

Back at Blackwood Manor, Zoe remained highly alert. She tucked herself into Lily's room and refused to return to her own suite. Hayden had lost all his patience. When Sienna called his phone, he didn't pick up. Eventually, he just powered it off entirely.

The lights in Hayden's room stayed on until dawn, and he chain-smoked straight through the night.

The next morning, Zoe noticed Hayden's door was still shut tight. Wasting no time, she grabbed Lily and skipped breakfast at home, dropping her straight off at school. She took the morning off from Garrett's office and headed straight to Nadia Fox's law firm. Nadia was already waiting.

"What kind of outcome are you looking for with Terrence Winters?" Nadia asked. She had a flawless track record in the courtroom.

Zoe didn't hesitate for a second. "Death penalty, or life without parole at the very least." She had been only sixteen—a minor. The fact that she survived was a miracle. She could never forgive a monster who preyed on underage girls.

Nadia rubbed her temples. "Neither of those is going to happen. The death penalty requires proving catastrophic physical and psychological harm at the time. As for life imprisonment, based on the recent altercation, he could spin it and claim you lured him. After all, your own biological mother, Sienna, and the entire estate staff can commit perjury against you. Then there's the wildcard: Hayden. If he refuses to testify, your case falls apart. Do you really think he'll help you do something that destroys the Winters family?"

Zoe's eyes darkened. "He won't." Hayden would never take the stand for her sake.

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