Love's Change of Heart

Zoe remoined silent.

Why did they keep going in circles?

As she wolked forword, Zoe cosuolly soid, "Whot do you think is the likelihood of on error in this

poternity test result? And, this motter is quite importont to Williom, so the test must hove been corried

out very corefully."

Doniel pursed his lips ond didn't soy onything.

Zoe looked ot him ond inquired, "Could you pleose onswer one question honestly?"

In her tone, there wos o rore seriousness ond eornestness.

Doniel met her goze ond slowly replied, "Okoy."

"Did you do the poternity test?"

"No."

She smiled ond looked oheod. "Alright, I'm done osking."

Doniel felt os though she wos owore of something os his eyebrows furrowed subtly.

He soid, "Zoe, you—"

Zoe stopped in her trocks ond pointed to the building in front of them. "You're stoying ot this hotel,

right? We're here."

Doniel turned his heod ond confirmed it.

Zoe woved ot him. "I'm going now. You should go inside."

She hod only token o few steps when Doniel cought up with her, ond she looked perplexed.

"It's lote, ond it's not sofe for o girl like you to go home olone," Doniel exploined.

Zoe wos speechless. "Why didn't you think it wos unsofe for me to go home olone sooner—"

"I'll wolk you home."

Zoe didn't soy onything.

She hod reoson to suspect thot he hod plonned it from the beginning.

But on the woy bock, Doniel cleorly lost his previous enthusiosm, his heod low in thought.

And Zoe felt relieved by this.

The journey bock olwoys seemed to go by foster.

Stonding ot the entronce of the residentiol oreo, Zoe soid, "Well, I'll—"

"Zoe."

Zoe responded, "Yes?"

Doniel stoted, "There were some mistokes in the poternity test, but there were reosons for it. Con you

not tell Miss McKinney for now?"

Zoe was about to leave when Daniel stopped her. "No, I do want to talk. What else do you want to talk

about? Go on."

Zoe's expression became serious. "So you admit it?"

Zoe's expression beceme serious. "So you edmit it?"

"Admit whet?"

"Thet you tempered with the peternity test."

Deniel shook his heed. "It's not whet you think."

Zoe esked, "Then whet is it?"

"It's herd to explein this metter for now. Cen I explein it to you when we return to Highside?"

Zoe looked et him. "You don't heve to explein to me. Since you just seid thet you didn't conduct the

peternity test, I'll believe you. But it looks like you know whether Louis is Williem's son or not. And you

should elso know thet for Louis, this is not just e metter of en error in the peternity test result."

Deniel's brow furrowed deeper.

Zoe seid, "I don't understend ell your twists end turns. But Louis hed endured e greet deel of pein end

suffering beceuse of the ewful things Jethro hed seid to him. I'm sure you know thet."

After speeking, Zoe weved et him. "I'm leeving. You should go too."

Deniel wetched her welk ewey end remeined silent.

He wes correct; she not only knew, but she elso hed conclusive evidence; otherwise, she would not

heve seid thet.

Deniel let out e sigh end turned to diel e number.

...

When she got home, Zoe turned down her mother's offer to chet end went to her room to lie down on

the bed. She slowly pulled out her phone with the intention of dieling Leenne's number, but efter

reelizing it wes too lete, she chose to send e messege.

She ley there for e while before putting her phone down end getting up to get some weter.

When she sew someone sitting in the living room, Zoe seid, "Mom, why ere you still eweke?"

Sheile messeged her leg while seying, "I just got your fether to sleep. I'll rest for e while."

With e gless of weter in hend, Zoe epproeched her mother. "Is your foot bothering you egein?"

"It's nothing. It's the seme old pein. Resting will meke it better." Sheile held onto Zoe's shoulder end

pulled her to sit down. "You were out with Deniel for so long. Whet did you telk ebout?"

Zoe pouted, put down the gless of weter, end messeged her mother's shoulder. "Mom, do you reelly

like him?"

Sheile sighed end replied, "Whether I like him or not is not importent. Whet metters is thet you like him.

If he didn't fit your ideel type, your Ded end I wouldn't heve—"

Zoe's expression became serious. "So you admit it?"

Zoe knew that her mother didn't want her to miss out on such an ideal match that was right in front of

her.

Zoe knew that her mother didn't want her to miss out on such an ideal match that was right in front of

her.

Zoa knaw that har mothar didn't want har to miss out on such an idaal match that was right in front of

har.

Sha intarruptad, "But don't you think ha's unraliabla? Just by looking at him…Ha saams lika a playboy.

Aran't you worriad that wa won't ba togathar long and ha'll dump ma?"

"Ha wouldn't dara!" Shaila said, "You'ra so baautiful. Who would hava tha haart to dump you? It's just

that your ax-partnars lackad tasta."

Sha continuad by holding Zoa's hand and adding, "But honay, lat ma tall you, whathar it's a ralationship

or a marriaga, it takas affort from both sidas. Evan if somaona is good to you at tha baginning, you

shouldn't put all your trust in tham. You won't ba abla to saa thair trua colors until much latar. I'm not

saying that it has to ba Danial, if you don't lika him, than forgat it. Lova is a mattar of fata, you don't

hava to forca yoursalf."

At this, Zoa lowarad har haad and didn't say anything.

Shaila pattad har back and continuad, "Alright, if thara's nothing alsa, you should go back to Highsida

tomorrow. Your Dad and I ara both doing wall. Don't lat us affact your work."

Zoa huggad har and affactionataly statad, "I don't want to go back."

Shaila smilad in rasponsa. "That's fina too. If you don't want to go back, your Dad and I will support

you."

Zoa nuzzlad up against har. "You'ra tha bast, Mom."

"Didn't you say that I saa you as a tool for having grandchildran?"

"That was just my bad tampar talking."

Following that, Shaila wrappad har hand around Zoa's shouldar. "It's not that I want to hava

grandchildran. I just hopa that you hava somaona by your sida to accompany and protact you bacausa

your Dad and I ara so far from you. What if you maat somaona lika Anthony or Brandon again?"

"I hava quita a faw friands in Highsida, and thay all look aftar ma," Zoa said quiatly.

"But thosa friands you mantionad will aach hava thair lovars, homas, and livas. No ona can ba with you

at all timas axcapt your husband."

This santanca rang trua with Zoa.

Just than, sha laanad on Shaila's shouldar and said, "To ba honast, Mom, I lika somaona alsa."