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Not a Love for Faint Hearts
Not a Love for Faint Hearts
Author: Shy Lucy

Chapter 1

Author: Shy Lucy
"She actually agreed? Congrats, Maxwell. You're finally free!" One of the guys laughed.

Inside the private room, Maxwell's friends were still joking, disbelief written all over their faces.

Even Maxwell himself froze for a second when he had heard it. For just a moment, something flickered in his deep, ocean-dark eyes—surprise.

But more than anything… relief.

He raised his arm and waved it carelessly. "Drinks are on me tonight."

The whole room erupted in cheers.

Except for Zoey Bradford. Her stubborn silhouette faded into the chaotic swirl of neon light. For reasons he couldn't quite explain, Maxwell glanced back at her one more time.

"How long do you think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" someone asked. "A week? Two?"

Maxwell said with a sneer, "I'd say seven days."

"Seven days from now, I'll marry Nancy. Get ready for my wedding party."

The room exploded in excitement.

Zoey had already left the private room. The sunlight outside was harsh, blinding. Only then did she finally let out the breath she'd been holding.

She forced herself not to cry. Her chest felt hollow, her limbs numb, as she quietly took a cab home.

Her phone kept buzzing. Videos of Maxwell's proposal were everywhere on social media.

She didn't want to look. She told herself not to.

But her thumb betrayed her. She tapped on it anyway.

On the screen, Nancy Westbrook stood there in an outrageously expensive couture dress, her cheeks flushed pink, eyes wide with surprise and delight.

Of course, Zoey knew Nancy.

Nancy was the girl who had stayed by Maxwell's side the longest, the girl he bought a luxury apartment for, the girl who now wore a one-of-a-kind Langue blue diamond ring.

Maxwell had once complained that Nancy was always throwing little tantrums. Every time he wanted to do something, she would lift her chin, her face tight with childish defiance. "Maxwell, I won't be anyone's mistress!"

And so, Maxwell started asking Zoey for a divorce.

Back then, she and Maxwell had built their business from the ground up. But just as success was within reach, he used their marriage to destroy it completely.

She hated him for it. Hated him so much, the only thing she could do was cling to the marriage like a lifeline.

The first time he asked for a divorce was the day she nearly died giving birth. She was hemorrhaging. He stood by her hospital bed, cold and detached.

"Sign the divorce papers, and I'll sign the consent form for your surgery."

The second time was the day she got into a car accident.

"Agree to the divorce, and I'll call an ambulance." His voice cold as ice.

...

The ninety-ninth time was when she'd been kidnapped. Shot. A bullet lodged in her heart. He called her from his phone. His voice, as cold as ever.

"Agree to the divorce, and I'll pay the ransom."

And now, the hundredth time…

She was just tired. Completely, utterly tired.

She hadn't wanted to give in. But the doctor had told her that her heart wouldn't hold out much longer. Seven days, maybe. After that... death.

She walked into the dim, silent villa. Despair seeped into every corner. Even then, the tears wouldn't come. Because she remembered—she was the one who had chased after Maxwell first.

Back then, Maxwell was the crown prince of Asterhaven's elite. Distant. Unreachable.

But as a child, she had always clung to him.

He never liked it. Never warmed to her. Her presence only ever seemed to annoy him.

And yet…

It was that same cold, detached boy who had charged into a burning building, over and over, to drag her out of the flames. He had pulled her back from the brink of death with his own hands.

Her parents had died in that fire. Afterward, she didn't speak for a long time.

It was Maxwell who sat patiently beside her, helping her learn to talk again. And whenever anyone mocked her broken speech, he didn't hesitate—he would beat them until they were on the floor, three ribs snapped.

At night, when the darkness terrified her, he'd stay awake telling her stories. They'd stay up all night long, talking. He never left her alone in the dark.

She had truly believed… she was loved.

So when he knelt down and offered her the simplest, plainest little ring, she didn't hesitate. She said yes.

But after the wedding... by the time she realized what was happening, her family's business was already stripped bare, hollowed out beyond repair.

And when she burst into his office, demanding to know why...

All she saw was Maxwell, holding Nancy in his arms, kissing her deeply.

Her mind went blank. Rage and shock hit her like a thunderclap.

"You saw that?" Maxwell asked, calm as ever. "Divorce me. Nancy deserves a proper title."

In that moment, it felt like ten thousand arrows pierced her heart.

She went mad. She lunged at him, screaming, demanding why. But the ice in his eyes froze her to the core.

"You really thought I loved you?" His voice was so cold it hurt. "Zoey, when your mother drove mine to her death… do you think she felt this same kind of despair?"

That was the moment she understood.

He hated her.

He had hated her for ten full years.

And so, like a cornered dog, she fought. Fought with everything she had left, clinging to the one thing she still owned—their marriage.

She refused to bow her head.

But now… she was dying. Even thinking about it made her feel pathetic.

Pride was Zoey's armor. She'd rather choke on blood than let anyone see her stumble. Even death wouldn't be granted the satisfaction of her surrender.

She wouldn't let Maxwell collect her corpse.

She didn't know how long she'd been asleep when she jolted awake.

In the dream, Maxwell had held her gently. Red roses covered every surface, blooming endlessly. His eyes were full of warmth and tenderness as he said, "Zoey, let's be husband and wife… forever."

But when she opened her eyes, there was only darkness.

Her phone buzzed with a new post from Maxwell's feed.

A flash of crimson. A crumpled bedsheet.

The caption read: [Finally… with the love of my life.]
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  • Not a Love for Faint Hearts   Chapter 24

    Three days after Zoey's funeral, Maxwell woke up in bed, staring at the ceiling. He dragged himself up and poured a glass of ice water.He still wasn't used to it—the days without Zoey.For so long, there had always been warm tea waiting for him. She made sure of it. He never once had to worry about something as small as tea.But now…Now he'd made up his mind. He was leaving.He got in his car and drove to the university—the place where he and Zoey once lived, once loved.Somewhere on that campus was the memory of a twenty-year-old Zoey.He remembered it clearly. How Zoey had appeared in his life like a beam of light, illuminating everything.And how... he lost that light.And no matter how hard he searched, he could never find it again.But when he arrived, the campus was empty. School was out for break. The emptiness left him disoriented. He wandered for a while, then finally sat down at the front gate, staring out at nothing.A familiar voice startled him."You're... Ma

  • Not a Love for Faint Hearts   Chapter 23

    After that, Zoey's body grew thinner and more transparent with each passing day.And yet, Maxwell started to change. He began living with a kind of quiet determination, as though he'd finally found something worth holding onto.Dr. Willow was relieved to see it. Pleased, even. But when Zoey looked into Maxwell's eyes, all she could see was despair and hopelessness.Still, there was nothing more she could do.Her time had come. She was finally allowed to move on to her next life.On the day Maxwell held her funeral—her real funeral this time—the entire class showed up.For every person who came, Maxwell would quietly explain everything. The truth about back then. About how he had wronged Zoey.The more he said it, the more the others fell silent. They all knew. They'd always known.They'd seen it too—that Zoey hadn't been living well with him. That pain she carried wasn't invisible. Some of them even remembered the time she was so desperate, she tried to take her own life.Bu

  • Not a Love for Faint Hearts   Chapter 22

    Dr. Willow hired someone to perform a ritual.Zoey could feel her soul being pulled by an invisible force. The medium caught sight of her form and immediately shut his eyes tight—because the way Zoey looked after death was simply... too horrifying.But this time, it wasn't Maxwell calling for her. It was Dr. Willow.Zoey had spent enough time with Dr. Willow to know that he was a soft-hearted man. Especially after all these years of caring for Maxwell.Still... she never imagined that the moment he found out she was still lingering in this world, not yet reincarnated, he would simply... cry.Tears rolled down his face. And it was the kind of grief that could shake anyone."Zoey..." His voice trembled. "It's true... Mr. Porter wronged you. But... I'm begging you. Could you... could you help him? I've watched him grow up. I used to think it was you who couldn't live without him. I was wrong. So wrong."Now... now he won't eat. Won't drink. He's wasting away... turning into nothing

  • Not a Love for Faint Hearts   Chapter 21

    Zoey felt nothing but ache for Maxwell. She didn't want him to die.For days, she stayed away from his dreams.All those fragile, fleeting memories faded into emptiness. All she wanted... was for him to keep living in this world.Maxwell tried everything. Every method, every trick he could think of. None of it worked.In the end, he collapsed to his knees, completely shattered. Tilting his head back, he gulped down bottle after bottle of liquor, his face pale as paper."Please... please... just let me see you in my dreams one more time... just once..."Zoey's heart softened. She gave in.That night... she entered his dream again.But this time, he was older. Dressed in his international high school uniform, looking handsome—ridiculously handsome.The moment he saw her, he instinctively raised his arm in defense. His face was covered in bruises and scratches."Who are you?" His voice was guarded and sharp. "I don't know you. Are you here to hit me too?"Zoey's chest tightened

  • Not a Love for Faint Hearts   Chapter 20

    Maxwell had finally made up his mind to leave.All along, he thought Zoey couldn't live without him. But now, he realized—it was him who couldn't live without her.A world without Zoey was unbearable. Even the air felt thinner, suffocating.Every night, without fail, he dreamed of her—her face blurred, impossible to see clearly. Every time he reached out, desperate to hold her, she would vanish into nothing.Jerking awake, drenched in cold sweat, he muttered into the hollow dark, "Is this the punishment you left me, Zoey?"Sleep became impossible. Night after night, his eyes stayed open, ringed in dark bruises. Dr. Willow watched this spiral and sighed, knowing it couldn't go on. He quietly handed over sleeping pills.Maxwell held one of Zoey's old shirts in his arms that night. For the first time in what felt like forever, he fell asleep.But even Zoey didn't expect that somehow... she would end up inside his dream.In the dream, Maxwell was a child again. His tiny hands c

  • Not a Love for Faint Hearts   Chapter 19

    Three days later, the news exploded."Porter Heir Imprisons Woman."It shot straight to the top of the global headlines.Dr. Willow froze in place, staring wide-eyed at the newspaper in his hands. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.There, in the photo, was Maxwell being escorted away by police. His face was devoid of remorse, completely unrepentant.But what caught Dr. Willow's attention wasn't just the blank expression—it was the small object clutched tightly in Maxwell's hand.A handmade ring. The one Zoey had given him.Dr. Willow closed his eyes, letting out a heavy breath. He never imagined it would come to this.Inside the interrogation room, facing a crowd of officers and the suffocating glare of the media, Maxwell sat there, stone-faced."I have nothing to say," he replied flatly.Meanwhile, the world was reeling.Footage from inside the house showed Nancy—her face pale, her hair disheveled—being rescued, her expression trembling between terror and overwhelming

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