I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 203

If he had the time to play father of the year for Holden, why was he completely abandoning his own flesh and blood?

"Hayden, I just have one question for you. What does Lily actually mean to you?"

That was the one truth she needed.

Around them, the whispering had already begun.

Someone recognized her.

"Isn't that the woman who was trending online? The one who pretended to be Zoë to stalk Mr. Thorne. My oldest daughter loves that manga and told me all about it."

"Wait, she has a kid? Is that the little girl next to her? I didn't hear anything about her being married. Is that an illegitimate child? An unwed mother and a stalker—how shameless. Do they just let anyone into this preschool now? Don't they screen the parents?"

The comments were incredibly vicious.

Zoe desperately wanted to tear into Hayden, but Lily was standing right beside her.

The parents' voices weren't overly loud, but they were certainly audible.

Zoe could handle the vitriol.

But Lily was just a child. How was she supposed to process this?

Hayden spoke with agonizing slowness. "Ms. Lynd, the conference is about to begin. My son is waiting for me. Excuse me."

Holden was in the senior class, while Lily was in the junior class.

They were on entirely different floors. Zoe could only stand there and watch as Hayden walked up the stairs.

A small hand quietly slipped into Zoe's, big eyes looking up filled with pure concern.

"Mom, don't be sad. He's not worth your tears."

Over the past few years, Lily had seen her mother cry far too many times. Whenever she felt like crying herself, she would swallow it down, terrified of breaking her mother's heart.

She knew her father's actions were hurting her mother right now.

She wanted to offer comfort because she felt she had to be the strong one.

"Aren't you sad, Lily?"

Her daughter seemed surprisingly unfazed by the rejection.

Lily had an absolute blast, completely forgetting about Hayden's absence.

Occasionally, Zoe would catch glimpses of Hayden, Sienna, and Holden across the field.

The two adults moved in perfect harmony, racking up first-place ribbons one after another.

But whenever it was Holden's turn to perform, disaster struck.

He constantly messed up the simplest tasks. Whenever they lost, he threw massive tantrums, and absolutely no one dared to discipline him.

At the end of the day, the school announced the Best Parents and Most Beautiful Family awards. Hayden, Sienna, and Holden stood proudly on the podium, accepting their certificates.

When it was Zoe and Lily's turn to go on stage, the teacher made an offhand comment.

"Even though Lily's father couldn't make it today, her mother was absolutely incredible. They've won our school's Best Mother-Daughter Duo award!"

Suddenly, Lily grabbed the microphone from the teacher. Standing in front of all the parents and students, her sweet, childish voice echoed across the field.

"No, my dad is here. He's right over there. But he's busy being a dad to someone else's kid, so I've decided I don't want him anymore."