I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 658

Now that his wife was his ex-wife and refused to let him claim his children, he was crawling back, swallowing his pride to grovel. They weren't sure if they should feel sorry for him or just call it karma.

But the man was unfailingly polite to the staff and handed out massive tips.

Unfortunately, they were just employees. All they could do was pocket his money and silently mourn his tragic fate.

Noticing the maids pointing and whispering about him, Hayden furrowed his brows and finally stood up. "Am I in your way?"

At least he was self-aware.

The maids hurriedly waved their hands. "Not at all! Please sit, Mr. Thorne. You can sit as long as you like, you're not in the way at all."

Aside from letting him occupy a chair, they couldn't exactly do much to help, though they subtly gave him encouraging thumbs-ups to show their silent support.

Hayden: "..."

Later that night, Zoe completely put Hayden's warning out of her mind.

After processing the latest batch of unverified data, she crawled into bed.

Sometime in the middle of the night, in a half-asleep haze, she faintly heard the sound of shouting and cries for help growing louder.

"Zoe! Open the door!"

She woke up violently coughing. Along with the urgent shouts outside, thick, acrid smoke was pouring in from under the door. She hacked violently as the door violently rattled under heavy impacts. She scrambled out of bed and grabbed the doorknob, only to yank her hand back. It was scorching hot.

"I can't open it! It's burning hot!"

She instinctively looked out the window. Down below, maids were frantically trying to hook up a garden hose to spray the burning mansion. Outside her room was an inferno, the flames devouring the first floor and roaring up to the second, seconds away from swallowing her room completely.

Panic seized Zoe's chest. Little Ian! Ian was sleeping with the nanny tonight. In a fire this massive... her son!

"Don't worry about me, save Ian!"

*Cough, cough, cough—*

The smoke was burning her eyes, bringing tears to her face. Hearing no movement from inside, the voice outside shouted her name again. She recognized it. It was Hayden, and Garrett was out there too.

"The handle is too hot, I can't grab it!"

She forced the words out between gasps. Suddenly, the door was kicked off its hinges.

A tall, imposing figure charged through the billowing smoke. Her vision was already blurred, but she felt strong hands grip her arms before she was hoisted onto a solid shoulder.

A wave of blistering heat rushed into the room. She thought they were going to make a run for the main staircase, but the flames had already completely consumed the hallway.

Mr. Kendall Sr. and Sylvia had stayed up late, so they were awake when the fire started and managed to escape in time.

Arthur Kendall Sr. had gone out to play cards after dinner and ended up staying at a friend's house, avoiding the disaster completely.

Otherwise, the outcome would have been catastrophic.

Zoe was covered in soot, her nightgown scorched and blackened by the smoke.

She stared at the roaring flames, her legs giving out beneath her.

"Lily and Ian... where are they?"

Mr. Kendall Sr. and Sylvia exchanged a horrified look. When they ran downstairs, they hadn't seen the nanny or the children.

Realization hit Zoe like a freight train. Both of her children were still inside. She lunged toward the burning house but was violently pulled back.

"Zoe! Garrett went back in, Hayden went back in, and Yara is still missing. They must all be looking for the kids. You can't go in there! The whole house is built of wood, the beams could collapse at any second. You cannot go in!"

Zoe begged them, tears streaming down her soot-stained face, her voice a broken wail.

"They're my babies! If anything happens to Lily and Ian, I won't survive! Please, let me go save them! I'm begging you!"