I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 645

Zoe checked the news. Nothing.

Right as she was about to ask Nadia if she was seeing things, she refreshed the page, and the headline popped up.

Sure enough, it was a fabricated story about her and Hunter getting back together, complete with a paparazzi shot of them grabbing coffee.

If Zoe remembered correctly, Hayden had been sitting right there with them. Why was he cropped out? Even if a picture of Hayden wouldn't prove much, it would at least clear up the rumors that she had reunited with Hunter.

A few seconds later, she refreshed again, and the trending topic had miraculously vanished. Zoe reloaded the page once more, only to find the gossip had migrated to other entertainment sites to farm clicks.

She stared at the screen in silence.

Someone had deliberately paid to push this trending topic.

Zoe understood immediately. Hunter was manipulating the media.

But it was entirely unnecessary.

Zoe kept her eyes on the news feed, constantly refreshing.

After the farce brewed for ten minutes, all search terms relating to her and Hunter were wiped clean from the entire internet.

If her intuition was right, Hayden definitely had the power to crush these petty parlor tricks.

She had nothing to worry about.

Zoe glared at her phone, a spark of annoyance flaring in her chest.

Hunter never used to be like this.

He used to respect her, center everything around her thoughts, and take care of her with meticulous devotion.

Even after dating for so long, they had only ever held hands.

There was one time Hunter tried to kiss her, but she felt too shy and pulled away. After that, he never initiated any overt physical intimacy unless she was completely ready.

That was the exact reason Zoe could never wrap her head around why she had ended up marrying Hayden.

She was someone who deserved to be cherished in love, not someone who would fall for a man who demeaned her, reducing her to such a pathetic, subservient existence.

"Hunter, you really don't need to do this. There's no chance for us."

She wasn't surprised. Lately, Hayden's attentiveness had bordered on obsessive, managing her meals, handing her water, and carrying her things.

Zoe was being pampered so much she half-wondered if she had lost the use of her limbs.

In her eyes, none of this registered as some touching romantic gesture. She saw it purely as a calculated strategy.

The scumbag was probably scheming to use Lily's blood for his precious nephew. Who knew?

Zoe's scattered memories flared up. Back then, Hayden had never come home before midnight.

Nor did he let her share the master bedroom.

Who had ever heard of newlyweds sleeping in separate rooms right from the start?

Only when he had needs would he bestow his presence upon her. He would purposely brush past her and coldly drop a command: "Make sure you're clean tonight."

She had immediately understood what he meant. He wanted to take her to bed.

Back then, she would be vibrating with anxious excitement, scrubbing herself spotless, slipping into the seductive lingerie he preferred, and spritzing on a light perfume to set the mood.