I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 334

Sienna was about to call him back, but upon seeing that he was just a bit overly excited and standing safely, she decided against it.

"Keep an eye on Holden. He's little, don't let someone bump him into the water," Hayden instructed, frowning.

Holden had coincidentally planted himself right near where Zoe was standing with Lily.

Because they had arrived early, they had secured a spot near the front with the best view.

Sienna spotted Zoe as well.

She was alone with Lily, squeezed amidst the cheering spectators.

Garrett was nowhere to be seen.

She had thought Garrett valued Zoe, but given the massive crowd today, he probably stayed away to avoid gossip about being seen with a single mother.

"Mhm."

Sienna stepped up beside Hayden, ready to stand behind Holden and keep him safe.

However, Holden began inching closer and closer toward Zoe.

His sharp eyes had locked onto them. Lily was clapping so hard her small hands were turning red.

"Mommy, there's Garrett's boat! I see it! He looks so cool!"

Lily's face was flushed with joy. Finding her cheering entirely too annoying, Holden shoved his way over with malicious intent.

Catching them off guard, he suddenly thrust his hands out.

Zoe caught the movement in her peripheral vision. The moment he shoved, she violently pushed her daughter backward onto solid ground.

Both Holden and Lily tumbled to the ground, but the sheer momentum sent Zoe pitching straight off the edge and plunging into the roaring river.

Before Lily could even cry out in pain, pure terror seized her, and she burst into hysterical sobs.

"Mommy! My mommy fell in!"

Zoe was capable of almost anything, but she possessed a paralyzing fear of deep water.

She had forced herself to brave the riverbank just for Lily. Without a life jacket, her instinct to scream for help only resulted in a massive surge of water flooding her lungs. The suffocating sensation of imminent death filled her with absolute dread.

In an instant, deeply buried memories crashed over her like a tidal wave.

She saw herself begging Hayden, practically forcing him to marry her.

Zoe was hauled up onto the concrete bank as the massive crowd of spectators rushed over in a panic.

Hayden frantically pumped her chest, compressing with ruthless force until the murky river water was expelled from her lungs.

She lay completely motionless, her lips a terrifying shade of pale.

Holden cowered silently beside Sienna, who whispered, "Let's go back to the car."

He nodded and hastily scurried away with her.

"Zoe! Wake up!"

He slapped her cheeks, while Lily stood shivering beside them, absolutely pale with terror.

Looking down at Zoe, a suffocating weight crushed Hayden's chest, threatening to explode.

Refusing to believe she could die just like that, he pinched her jaw to force her mouth open, crushing his lips against hers to breathe life back into her.

After several agonizing minutes of CPR, Zoe finally regained consciousness.

Her eyes fluttered open just in time to see Hayden leaning in again. Freezing in shock, she immediately raised a weak hand and slapped him hard across the face...