I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 171

Garrett Stone was shaken to his core. A married couple? Hayden Thorne and Zoe Lynd?

Professor Layne gestured toward the vehicle. "Don't overthink it. Get in."

Zoe sat in the back of Hayden's car. Colin Zachs wasn't around, so Hayden took the wheel himself.

He glanced at Zoe through the rearview mirror. She was focused on her phone, sitting in total silence.

"When did you meet Professor Layne?"

Zoe finally looked up, her expression a mix of reluctance and defiance. "I have no idea. I have amnesia, remember?"

A lump formed in Hayden's throat. She hadn't given him the time of day lately.

He let out a cold scoff.

"Got your eye on Garrett Stone? He's not right for you."

Their marriage contract was nearing its end. But the thought of her marrying someone else twisted a strange, uncomfortable knot in his chest.

Zoe seemed intent on provoking him.

"That is none of your business, Mr. Thorne."

Hayden's grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white. He fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"You're right. It isn't."

The rest of the drive back to Blackwood Manor was swallowed by suffocating silence.

The second the car parked, Zoe jumped out and headed inside.

But the moment she stepped into the living room, Hayden reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Ms. Lynd, there's a matter you need to handle right now."

Zoe gave him a bewildered look.

Hayden practically dragged her to the sofa and forced her to sit. He pulled a luxury dining receipt from his pocket and tossed it onto the coffee table.

"What is this?"

Zoe picked it up.

"The bill for our meal just now. I covered it. I expect a wire transfer."

She stared at him in disbelief.

Zoe's beautiful eyes scanned the itemized list.

"A hundred and fifty thousand dollars?"

For a twelve-course meal? Was he insane?

"The Dynasty Club is the most exclusive venue in the city. It's where foreign dignitaries are hosted, and the menu is Michelin-star caliber.

She refused to back down.

Hayden let out a dark chuckle. "I paid the bill. As long as I admit to it, it's not a crime."

Zoe grew even more enraged. "Then you're scamming me!"

Hayden frowned. "You're the one who refused to acknowledge me. Besides, disputes between a husband and wife are a domestic issue. I haven't physically or verbally abused you. And it's not like you're broke, Ms. Lynd. Didn't you just cash out four years of back pay?

"Plus, you squeezed double the car repair money out of Sienna Winters. I'm sure you have a massive nest egg sitting in your bank account by now."

Zoe finally understood.

He had gone through all this trouble just to get Sienna's money back from her.

Oh, she got it now.

He was hurting for his precious sister-in-law.

Zoe didn't miss a beat.

"I don't have the money. My salary is what I earned through my own labor, and the car repair money is exactly that. But as for the rest—"

Zoe looked Hayden up and down, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

"You spend every day running over to your brother's widow's place to play house. I think it's only fair I charge her a rental fee for you. What kind of man gives away free manual labor?