I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 565

Back at the hospital, the medical team's desperate efforts paid off, and Holden finally regained consciousness. The hospital was still relying on the blood bank to stabilize his vitals.

This time, Hayden refused to leave the premises. He maintained a stoic vigil alongside Sienna and Holden. Nita and Mrs. Winters had also practically moved into the waiting room, petrified that the boy wouldn't pull through.

While sitting by the bed, Sienna would steal calculated, hopeful glances at Hayden. She was banking on him caving to the pressure, dragging Zoe and Lily into the hospital, and forcing Lily to serve as a living blood donor.

But days bled into one another. Holden was awake and recovering, yet the mother-daughter duo never materialized.

The hospital had successfully saved the boy. He was out of the woods, but Nita's resentment toward Hayden reached a boiling point.

"Did you actually divorce Zoe so you'd have an excuse to keep them away, or are you just openly protecting them now? Do you have any idea how catastrophic the fallout would have been if the doctors hadn't managed to save him?"

Hayden's expression remained carved from ice.

"The dynamics between Zoe and me are none of your concern. Holden is stable. Moving forward, you will not harass Zoe under any circumstances."

Sienna heard every single word crystal clear, and the sheer shock nearly knocked the breath out of her.

What exactly was he implying?

"Hayden, please don't be angry with Mom. This is entirely my fault. Lily mercilessly beat Holden, and I was too weak to protect him."

"Holden is my entire world, and I know Lily is my niece. But Lily's blood is fresh, safe, and readily available. What if an absolute nightmare like this strikes again? If Holden didn't make it..."

"He will make it."

Hayden cut her off with lethal absolute certainty.

"As long as I am breathing, nothing will happen to him."

Sienna instantly snapped her mouth shut, terrified to push any further.

Hayden's unwavering stance was a glaring revelation. Sienna couldn't even begin to fathom when Zoe had ascended to such an untouchable status in Hayden's eyes that he would actively shield her and her offspring.

When Holden fully woke up, the first person he reached for was Sienna.

He threw himself against her chest, wailing with dramatic, exaggerated misery.

Seeing her precious grandson reduced to a trembling mess, Nita ground her teeth in furious indignation. Mrs. Winters rushed over, showering the boy with endless coddling.

"Uncle Hayden..."

Perfect. Spotting Hayden, Holden immediately defaulted to his favorite tactic: playing the victim.

"That little crybaby attacked me! You have to help me get back at her! I want her punished!"

Hayden slowly approached the bed, his presence dominating the room.

"Address me as Uncle Hayden."

His voice was devoid of any warmth. Sienna's heart skipped a beat in pure panic. She had been praying Holden's tears would ignite Hayden's protective rage, aiming it squarely at Zoe and Lily.

She never anticipated this.

Masking her panic with feigned sternness, Sienna quickly intervened.

"Holden, you can't call him Dad anymore. You have to call him Uncle Hayden."

Mrs. Winters looked like she had just been slapped. Her mouth fell open, but the shock robbed her of her voice entirely.

Holden's lip quivered, swallowing his well-rehearsed complaints instantly.

For a five-year-old, he possessed a razor-sharp instinct for self-preservation.

Seeing the dark, suffocating storm brewing in Hayden's eyes, the boy wisely clamped his mouth shut.

"Now, I want the absolute truth. Between you and Lily, who threw the first punch?"

As Hayden delivered the interrogation, Mrs. Winters dabbed dramatically at her dry eyes.

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