I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 237

Hayden gritted his teeth, his voice dripping with ice.

"Someone pushed her down the stairs."

His eyes never left Zoe as he spoke. The absolute certainty in his glare made it clear he had already convicted her in his mind.

Garrett maintained his facade of polite concern. "It looks like she's badly hurt. You should hurry and get her to a hospital, Mr. Thorne."

Noticing the faint rise and fall of Sienna's chest, Zoe felt a bizarre mix of relief and profound disappointment. She was still breathing.

"I am going to find out exactly what happened," Hayden promised, his tone lethal.

He turned on his heel and rushed away with Sienna in his arms.

Zoe watched them disappear down the hall, a sudden, inexplicable tightness gripping her chest.

Garrett picked up on the subtle shift in her demeanor. He spoke softly. "If you need to cry, let it out. It'll make you feel better."

A mocking smile curled on Zoe's lips. Did Garrett really think she was still hopelessly in love with Hayden too?

Even she didn't believe that anymore.

"I'm not that pathetic."

Every single thing Hayden did proved that he didn't care about her. She wasn't an idiot.

Confusion flashed in Garrett's eyes. "But I saw Mr. Thorne go into your room last night."

"..."

Sienna lay in the hospital bed for days, staying well after the Easton and Sterling delegations had flown home. Only she and Hayden remained behind.

When she finally regained consciousness in the foreign hospital, her first instinct was to practically throw herself into Hayden's arms.

"Hayden, I thought I was going to die."

The agonizing terror of falling down those marble stairs was burned into her brain.

Hayden gently but firmly pushed her back against the pillows. His dark eyes were completely unreadable.

Sienna felt like she had been hit with a sledgehammer.

On top of the physical agony, a wave of pure dread washed over her. She couldn't be sued. She absolutely could not become the target of a media scandal. After spending years carefully positioning herself as the golden child of the Thorne family, bringing public shame to their name would ensure Grandmother Thorne destroyed her. If she lost the old woman's favor, she would be permanently exiled from the family's inner circle.

"Hayden, you have to help me."

Sienna was terrified.

Hayden's jaw tightened. "I'll figure something out. We might have to approach Professor Layne directly and get him to drop it."

A flicker of hope ignited in Sienna's eyes, only to burn out instantly. She was supposed to be an undeniable genius who owned half of Easton Group, and now she was going to have to beg an old professor for mercy?

But with a federal lawsuit hanging over her head, she had no other choice.

It was the eighth day after Zoe returned home when she finally saw Hayden again at Blackwood Manor.

The man was standing by the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. He leaned casually against the glass, his long legs crossed. His dark eyes, as cold and silent as a starless night, were half-hidden in the shadows. He stared at Zoe the moment she walked through the door, utterly silent.