I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 263

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ian asked, confused.

Just then, Ethan waved at Zoe, who had already changed out of her ski gear and was walking past them. "Hey, Zoe! Out for a ski? Didn't you see Hayden head over there earlier?"

Zoe glanced over at Ethan and Ian. Quentin wasn't with them. She offered them a polite, reserved smile in greeting. Aside from Hayden, his friends were generally decent to her, even though they all knew exactly what was going on between him and Sienna.

Ian stared at Ethan. "If Zoe is standing right here, then who the hell did you just tell Hayden was making out in the snow?"

The two men leaned in together, peering off into the distance. A massive brawl had just broken out on the slopes. Screams erupted across the powder.

Hearing the commotion, Zoe couldn't help but look over. A man in an impeccably tailored suit had grabbed a skier by the collar and was absolutely pummeling him into the snow. The woman beside the victim was screaming hysterically.

Ethan poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue and shrugged casually. "Oh. My bad. I thought that was your wife."

Garrett walked over just then, carrying Lily on his shoulders. The little girl was giggling uncontrollably.

"Should we get out of this gear and hit the amusement park instead?" Garrett asked.

Zoe nodded eagerly. She was utterly hopeless at skiing. Constantly needing Garrett to save her from eating snow gave her zero sense of accomplishment, and Lily was already exhausted.

Lily tugged on Zoe's coat, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Mommy, I saw Daddy."

Zoe didn't even flinch. "Oh."

"He's fighting someone."

Zoe stroked Lily's hair. She had seen it too. It looked like some guy had accidentally crashed into Sienna. Hayden was probably playing knight in shining armor, beating the poor guy senseless to defend his mistress. She didn't want Lily watching her father fiercely protect another woman and her child. He clearly didn't give a damn about optics, but as a mother, Zoe had to protect her daughter's feelings. Not to mention, she still had a shred of pride left.

Garrett had changed back into his regular clothes and joined the two of them. "If you're done with the snow, we can head out. I know a great restaurant nearby. We can take Lily there after the amusement park."

Zoe agreed, and the three of them left together.

Behind them on the slopes, Hayden had already landed two brutal punches. It wasn't until he ripped the man's goggles off that he realized the face beneath them didn't belong to Garrett. And the woman the guy had been rolling around with wasn't Zoe. They were complete strangers.

Ethan and Ian clearly saw her struggling, but neither lifted a finger to help. They just sat in the lodge, laughing and chatting. Sienna would shoot them occasional paranoid glances, convinced they were gossiping about her. And Hayden was nowhere to be found.

Zoe and Garrett took Lily all over the amusement park. By eight o'clock that evening, Lily had passed out from sheer exhaustion, and Garrett drove the two of them back to Blackwood Manor. Zoe felt relatively refreshed. Garrett had done all the heavy lifting with Lily all day; she had just been along for the ride.

After washing up that night, Zoe returned to her room. When she finally checked her phone, she found ten missed calls from Hayden.

A cynical smirk touched her lips. He was obviously busy playing house with Sienna, so what the hell was he calling her for?

She ignored it, muting her phone and tossing it onto the nightstand. The second her head hit the pillow, she was out cold.

She completely missed the unread text glaring brightly on the screen:

Monday morning, City Hall. Bring your ID. We're getting a divorce.

The next day was Sunday, and Hayden never came home. Zoe figured he was spending the weekend with Sienna and her son, but she honestly couldn't care less. Hayden had burned the necklace Garrett gave her, and sifting through the ashes to salvage it was pointless.