The air instantly froze.
Zoe Rhodes was so exhausted her brain had shut down, so for a moment, she didn't notice that something was off about the man in front of her.
"Is it that new friend you met at the school gate today?"
She suddenly heard Zane Hawthorne's question.
It took her a moment to realize who he was talking about. She quickly shook her head. "No, no. It's—"
"It's someone else. You don't know them."
Zoe Rhodes had almost blurted out his name, but she managed to stop herself just in time.
Her answer did nothing to put Zane Hawthorne at ease.
The words he had prepared churned in his throat. 'He wanted to ask her who the other person was. He wanted to ask if she could have meals with just him.'
But when the words reached his lips, he forced them back down.
All that came out was a frosty, "Come back early."
