I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 76

Zoe's mind spun. The kiss wasn't filled with love; instead, it felt like...

A punishment.

He held her there endlessly. Just as Zoe was running out of air, on the verge of passing out in his arms, he finally let her go.

He glared at her menacingly.

"What did you just call me?"

Hearing her address him by his first name with such agonizing distance gave Hayden a pounding headache.

It almost made him want to believe this whole amnesia act.

After all, no woman who was deeply in love with him would actively try to keep him at arm's length by treating him like a mere acquaintance.

And avoid him like he was a plague.

If she really was just acting, then Zoe's manipulative skills were on a whole other level.

She had fooled absolutely everyone.

She had even fooled him.

Deciding she didn't want to die young, Zoe wrapped her arms tightly around Hayden's neck.

She forced out a soft, breathy word. "Husband."

Both of them froze instantly.

An unprecedented, strange warmth blossomed in Zoe's chest.

It felt as if she had wanted to call him that for a very long time.

Hayden gripped her chin, his slightly calloused thumb gently brushing against her smooth skin.

A few seconds later, he let her go, only to demand she do something so scandalous she could have never imagined it in her wildest dreams.

They stayed locked in that bathroom for three full hours.

When Zoe finally stumbled out, every inch of her body ached.

Her radiant complexion was marked with dark, glaring bruises of passion.

Hayden hadn't left a single inch of her untouched.

When he carried her out, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

She looked exactly like a woman who had been thoroughly conquered.

And she was supposed to be a highly educated professional.

Worse still, with just a little guidance from Hayden, her body had responded with terrifying expertise.

Their physical chemistry was a thousand percent perfect, proving this definitely wasn't their first time.

How much did Zoe still care about Hunter?

Or had she never actually forgotten him?

Zoe's phone started buzzing aggressively in her jacket pocket.

Hayden glanced over and crushed out his cigarette.

He walked back inside, leaned over, and pulled her phone out.

Hunter's name was flashing brightly across the screen.

An arctic chill settled over his expression.

Hunter really had some nerve.

Did that idiot think that having a little bit of family backing gave him the right to challenge him?

He hadn't even learned his lesson from the beating.

He shot a look at Zoe on the bed. Her eyes were sealed shut, completely dead to the world.

Without a second thought, Hayden bypassed her passcode.

He rejected the call and unceremoniously blocked Hunter's number.