I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 548

Becoming the Kendall goddaughter and never returning to the Thorne family was Zoe Lynd's bottom line. That was exactly why she had insisted little Ian take the Kendall last name.

Garrett Kendall felt a quiet thrill of reassurance wash over him, as if he had just swallowed a calming pill, after hearing her firm stance.

Marcus Sommer called to hurry them along, so Garrett dropped the subject of Hayden Thorne entirely.

Arriving at the restaurant Sommer had booked, they had barely parked when they ran straight into Hayden.

Garrett thought the man's most infuriating trait was his haunting persistence—he seemed to materialize wherever they went.

"Mr. Kendall, Ms. Lynd. What a coincidence."

Hayden greeted them with a polite nod, acting as if they were nothing more than casual acquaintances.

He navigated the social boundary perfectly—a touch warmer than a stranger, yet cooler than a friend.

Zoe completely ignored him, treating him like thin air, while Garrett offered a tight, sarcastic smile.

"Very coincidental. We're here to meet Commissioner Jasper Sterling. Surely you aren't eating here by chance too, Mr. Thorne?"

Garrett half-suspected the man had stalked them here out of spite after being rejected.

How could there be so many random coincidences in this world?

"It's no coincidence," Hayden replied flatly. "Commissioner Sterling invited me as well. It seems we're quite destined to cross paths."

As they spoke, Jasper Sterling and Marcus Sommer's car pulled up.

Sterling paused in surprise upon seeing Hayden.

Hayden stepped forward to greet them.

"Commissioner Sterling, Sommer. This restaurant belongs to Thorne Enterprises, so tonight is on me."

Sterling had been wondering why Hayden was there when he hadn't been on the guest list, but hearing that the venue belonged to Thorne Enterprises cleared things up.

At his level, people were always fighting to host him, so it made perfect sense for Hayden to want to pick up the check.

Sommer had assumed the Commissioner had invited the CEO himself, so he hadn't noticed anything amiss either.

Sterling certainly didn't need a free meal from him, but out of politeness, he held his tongue.

Faced with Shaw's question, Hayden picked up his water glass and took a slow sip.

"My wife and I are separated."

The words dropped like a bomb.

Garrett, Zoe, and Timothy all stared at him, completely thrown off guard.

Sterling, who already had issues with the man, was genuinely shocked to hear him air out such private matters in front of a crowd.

Sitting next to Garrett, Zoe had been feeling perfectly justified moments ago, but Hayden's sudden confession actually made a pang of guilt flutter in her chest.

Everyone at the table was a political heavyweight. Ever since she discovered the depth of Hayden's background and the reality of their military marriage—and that Command HQ forbade their divorce—she felt even more on edge.

That absolute bastard never gave her a single day of peace.

She had finally won a round regarding little Ian by keeping him from taking their son, and now he was pulling this stunt, essentially whining to the Commissioner.