I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 123

Zoe gripped her phone, stunned into complete silence for a long time.

Hayden hung up, leaving Zoe wide awake for the rest of the night.

The next day, she didn't show up for work, and unsurprisingly, HR didn't call to ask where she was.

Zoe bought a few gifts and went to visit her grandmother.

Grandmother Eleanor looked radiant, her condition visibly better than the last time Zoe had seen her.

Except—

This time, Grandmother Eleanor mistook her for Nadia Fox.

"Ms. Fox, have you seen my sweet Zoe?"

Grandmother Eleanor grabbed Zoe's hand and started sobbing. Panic gripped Zoe as she held the older woman's hands tightly.

"Grandma, it's me. I'm Zoe."

Clearly, the Alzheimer's had flared up again.

"Oh, stop trying to make me feel better, Ms. Fox. Please, you have to tell Zoe that Hayden doesn't love her. He's getting married. Tell her to stop chasing after him. That stubborn girl won't even listen to me anymore.

You're her best friend, you have to look out for her. Don't let her do something stupid. Falling for a man who doesn't love you is pure hell for a woman. My Zoe is so beautiful, so brilliant—you can't let her jump into that fire.

Ms. Fox, I'm begging you. And that Sienna Winters is just as wicked as Zoe's mother. My Zoe is too kind; she'll never survive against them."

Tears streamed down Grandmother Eleanor's wrinkled face as she practically tried to beg.

Zoe quickly held her up, her own eyes burning red with unshed tears.

Why did even her grandmother think this way?

Five years ago, did her past self truly prioritize Hayden over her own family?

"Grandma, don't worry. I'll talk to—"

Zoe swallowed the lump in her throat and played along. "I'll talk to Zoe. She won't stay with Hayden."

Still crying, Grandmother Eleanor wiped the tears from her eyes and thanked the woman she thought was 'Ms. Fox'.

If that were true, they wouldn't be visiting so frequently.

She immediately chalked Hayden's words up to the manipulative games of a toxic billionaire.

Zoe had one foot in the car when a sudden instinct made her pause.

She waved the driver off, deciding to stick around.

She wanted to see exactly how her aunt and cousin treated her grandmother.

As she approached the VIP suite, Rhonda's voice echoed into the hallway.

The VIP rooms were isolated from the rest of the facility, and perhaps assuming no one was around, Rhonda didn't bother lowering her voice. Her vicious tone practically rattled the ceiling.

"You old bat! Why are you still holding onto those shares? Do you have any idea how much my husband has sacrificed for the Lynd family? Your useless eldest son kicked the bucket, leaving behind a cheating wife who took off with half our fortune!

My husband is your son too, so stop playing favorites! We're the only family you have left. If you don't hand over those shares right now, don't expect anyone to show up at your funeral!"

Zoe had expected to hear a heartwarming family reunion, only to be hit with a sickening fight over an inheritance.