All Chapters of No Longer Yours to Break: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

In Southport, everybody knew Connor Buxton had fans. Zoe Hertbert? She was the most hopeless of them all.Last time, she got picked at the Elite Match Gala—only for Connor to ditch her on their wedding day. Her face got slashed, her heart shattered, and she died humiliated.So the first thing she did after waking up in the past? Swap her number with Vicky's.Connor stared at the number card—Vicky's now. His eyes lit up.He walked right over and kissed her hand. "Vicky, will you be my one and only wife?"She gave a shy little nod.The crowd lost it.Zoe stood next to them, watching their hands like she didn't care. Face unreadable.Connor turned. Everyone followed his gaze.He froze for a beat. Guilt flickered across his face—but he still held on to Vicky."Zoe, you've always been like a little sister to me."He actually said that. With a straight face."Don't worry, I'll still look out for you. Like family."Then he smiled at Vicky. "She's the love of my life. And since yo

Zoe got tossed out of the auction hall like trash, right in front of everyone.Her dress was wrecked, her body ached from where security had roughed her up—but none of it hurt like her heart did.Outside, fireworks lit up the sky—used only when someone locked in a win.She just stood there, staring. By the time she blinked, her cheeks were already soaked.Whatever was left of her feelings for Connor burned out right then, gone with her mom's stolen bangle.She wiped her face, pulled herself together, and grabbed every asset she still had.She was going to his place. That bangle was the one thing she wasn't walking away from.***Zoe showed up just as Connor's car rolled through the gate.Vicky froze when she saw her, instantly shoving the hand with the gemstone bangle behind her back.Zoe's face was pale, her hands clutching a fresh stack of financial statements."Give me back my mother's bangle. All of this—it's yours," she said, voice shaking in the cold but steady as ever

Soaked and shivering from the cold night air, Zoe came down with a fever that knocked her out for three days.Right as she started to bounce back, the nurse texted—[Mr. Pierre Hertbert was awake.]Her dad, finally out of that coma.Zoe didn't know how to feel. The guy had cheated on her mom while she was pregnant, dragged Vicky—the other daughter—into their lives, and basically shattered everything. Her mom never recovered.Yeah, Zoe would never forgive him for that.Still, after her mom died, Pierre had sent Vicky away like he was trying to make things right. He kept her out of Zoe's world for years, and during that time? He spoiled Zoe like crazy.Now, with her bags almost packed and Southport in the rearview, she figured she owed him one last visit.***The hospital room was quiet—but not empty.Vicky stood by the bed, smirking down at Pierre like she owned the place. "Waiting for Zoe? Sucks for you. Pretty sure she's done wasting time on you."Pierre, strapped to a vent

Connor stared at Eleanor like he could burn a hole through her.She pointed at the bracelet."You seriously didn't know? That's Zoe's."The sapphire bracelet still gleamed under the lights, polished from years of care.Connor's jaw tightened. Something cold twisted in his chest."This isn't Vicky's?" His voice cracked. "I was thirteen, sick with that crazy fever. Vicky stayed with me the whole time. Before she left, I took this off her wrist. It HAS to be hers—it can't be Zoe's."Eleanor blinked, stunned."What are you talking about? When you were sick, it was Zoe who stayed up with you—three whole days. She didn't sleep, not once. We begged her to rest, but she wouldn't until you woke up. She passed out from low blood sugar, ended up on an IV..."She kept going, but her voice blurred out.Connor couldn't hear a thing.The venue buzzed with wedding chatter, but inside, everything went numb.The bracelet in his hand felt heavier by the second—like it was punching straight thr

[Today Connie said he's gonna marry me when we grow up. I didn't know what that meant, so I asked Mrs. Buxton. She said it means I'll live with them and Connie forever, and I won't go home anymore. She asked if I was okay with that. I was so happy. I don't have a mom at home, and Mrs. Buxton feels like one. I wish I could grow up faster—I wanna stay with Connie forever!][Yesterday, Connie jumped in the water to save me. He still hasn't woken up, and he's burning up. I'm so scared. Mr. and Mrs. Buxton keep saying it's not my fault, but if I hadn't been pushed, Connie wouldn't be sick.][Connie woke up, but I was the last to know. He doesn't really want to see me. That's okay. I made him sick. I'll wait till he's not mad anymore, then say sorry.]Connor flipped through more pages, watching her handwriting shift—from messy little kid scrawls to something older, steadier.Memories crashed back all at once.Every line cut deeper.Did he really tell her he'd marry her?He always thou