I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 652

Hayden's expression stiffened, fully aware she was insulting him. He pulled his gaze away from Zoe and looked at Lily. "Lily, did anything fun happen at school today?"

His voice was incredibly gentle as he smoothly handed over a toy.

It was a limited-edition doll, stunning and captivating. Lily originally hadn't wanted to pay attention to Hayden, but a child could rarely resist the lure of a gift. She took it happily, then glanced at Zoe, weighing whether she should speak to him.

Zoe wasn't the kind of mother who would deliberately smear her ex or stop her children from seeing their other parent just because their relationship had soured.

Garrett and the Kendalls were wonderful, and Hayden forcefully inserting himself into their lives had disrupted her plans. He had crashed into their world, making Lily share her animosity, which felt unfair to the little girl.

Zoe forced a smile and nodded. Only then did Lily look pleased.

She had thought that if her mother didn't like it, she would ignore her father, give the doll back, and continue the silent treatment.

"Yeah, there was."

Clutching the doll, Lily opened up the moment Hayden asked, chatting endlessly about her day at school.

Mr. Kendall Sr. and Sylvia listened intently. Arthur Kendall Sr. had received another century-old jade chessboard from Hayden today, and the old man found it hard to keep a straight face.

Plus, since Hayden was the grandson of his old flame, he played along and didn't give Hayden the cold shoulder.

Garrett had been busy at the company and didn't make it home for dinner, completely unaware that Zoe had been followed.

Yara actually asked out of the blue why Garrett wasn't there. Sylvia answered warmly, her gaze holding a hint of scrutiny as she looked at Yara, though she didn't push the conversation, afraid of scaring her off.

Zoe ignored Hayden's sarcastic jabs. She played with the two children for a while, chatted with Sylvia and Mr. Kendall Sr., and then went back to her room with her laptop to process the daytime data feedback from Fort Hamilton Command Center.

She worked late every night, preparing new data for the next day, constantly tweaking things until she was satisfied.

Hayden didn't get another chance to speak with her until bedtime. Zoe simply refused to give him an opening to approach her.

When Hayden returned to his room, his phone rang.

"Mr. Thorne, we found Sienna Winters. She's currently with Charles."

Noticing Hayden's absence, Sylvia sensed something was off and asked, "Is Mr. Thorne still in bed?" It didn't suit his usual style.

"Sylvia, Mr. Thorne left early this morning," a maid answered truthfully.

Zoe was shocked. He left? Really?

"Did he take his luggage?" Zoe asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

The maid shook her head. "No, he left in a hurry. Something must have happened." Sylvia chuckled inwardly; Zoe seemed genuinely sick of Hayden.

However, to Mr. Kendall Sr. and Sylvia, it just looked like a lovers' quarrel.

Garrett cast a suspicious look at Zoe. "I got back late yesterday, so I'm not sure. Did you two have a fight?"

Zoe was speechless. Why was Garrett starting to think she and Hayden were on the verge of getting back together?

"No, there is absolutely no form of fighting or making up between us. We strictly have a professional partnership. Once the project is over, Garrett, do me a favor and get him out of this house as soon as possible."