I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 59

In the end, Zoe didn't drink the broth, and neither did Hayden.

Sienna kept her eyes glued to them the entire meal.

Grandmother Thorne, however, seemed more interested in Hunter and his new girlfriend than the married couple.

Seeing this, the rest of the family chalked the awkward exchange up to dinner-table entertainment and didn't dwell on it.

Only Hayden stared intensely at Hunter and the girl, even going out of his way to ask a pointed question.

"Your girlfriend's name is Zoey?"

He scoffed softly.

"What a coincidence."

Hunter didn't back down, meeting Hayden's stare head-on.

"It is."

He glanced at Zoe, deliberately raising his voice. "Isn't it, Zoe?"

In Zoe's mind, Hunter was still the green, spirited boy from college. But that boy was gone.

Five years changes a person. Zoe found the name Zoey grating on her nerves, and Hayden seemed hell-bent on pressing the bruise.

"Her name sounds awfully similar to yours."

Afraid of an escalating fight, Sylvia quickly interjected. "It's completely different. Hunter's girlfriend is Zoey, with a Y. Honestly, Hayden, stop teasing the girls and pay some attention to Holden.

You didn't pick him up today, and he was heartbroken. What kind of uncle are you, ignoring the boy like that?"

The Thorne family was used to Sylvia's sharp tongue, but her words grated on Zoe.

If Holden was Hayden's son, then what was Lily?

Zoe forgot about Hunter's girlfriend entirely, her protective instincts flaring for her daughter.

"Enough. Hunter brought his girlfriend home tonight. Keep your mouths shut and don't make a fool of yourselves in front of the kids."

Sienna, who had been sitting quietly on the sidelines, suddenly chimed in.

"You know, Zoey actually has a very similar aura to my sister. Back when my sister and Hunter were dating, I always thought I'd be calling him my brother-in-law."

The seemingly innocent remark dropped like a bomb. The first person to look disastrous was Hunter. Zoey looked totally bewildered, casting a panicked glance at Zoe.

She had no idea the woman sitting across from her was Hunter's ex.

Sienna's words were like a needle plunging straight into Zoe's heart.

Although they were half-sisters, they hadn't grown up together.

Zoe's father passed away when she was very young. It wasn't until she was sixteen that her mother, Clara Winters, brought her to the Winters estate for a brief visit. That was the first time she had ever met Sienna.

Shortly after, something so sickening happened that Zoe still suffered nightmares about it. She never went looking for Clara again.