Chapter 11 Dr. Willow stared at the disconnected call , frozen , unsure what to do next . But one thing was certain - Maxwell had never allowed anyone else to touch his personal belongings . No one . Except Zoey And now ... now he'd actually let Nancy answer his phone in his place . Maybe ... maybe Maxwell really had let Zoey go . But the moment his gaze fell back on Zoey's lifeless body , a chill sank deep into his bones . Because he knew better than anyone what kind of person Zoey was . Back then , everyone had been against her being with Maxwell . Everyone . But she'd held her head high and , with nothing but sheer will , forced every single person to accept them . He still remembered the first day he met her . Maxwell had brought her home . Zoey wasn't the least bit shy . She skipped and danced around the villa like an untamed little fairy , then bounded right up to him with a beaming smile . " Hi ! I'm Zoey . " Her eyes were bright , her voice crisp . " I'm the person who loves Maxwell the most in the whole world ! " Maxwell had followed behind her , a rare look of anxiety clouding his usually indifferent face . Even Dr. Willow had been caught off guard by it . After all , Maxwell - unloved by his parents since childhood - had never worn such a vivid , animated expression before . Zoey was like a beam of light , piercing into Maxwell's bleak , shadowed life . Maxwell clung to her like his only anchor , as though terrified the world might snatch her away . He was wary of any man who so much as looked at her . When they were just kids in elementary school , he even believed in Cupid . Every day , he'd pray to Cupid to keep Zoey from being surrounded by admirers . Maxwell's love was always quiet and restrained , but impossibly deep . Dr. Willow had seen it all . Yet no matter how he thought about it ... he still couldn't fathom how two people who had once loved each other so fiercely had ended up like this . A long , heavy sigh slipped from his lips . Maybe ... maybe Maxwell really had let her go . That was the only way Dr. Willow could make sense of it . What he didn't know was that , barely half an hour ago , Maxwell had seen Zoey - in his dream . He couldn't see her face clearly . Only the shape of her , the warmth of her presence , and the sound of her voice , shattered and broken . " Maxwell ... I don't want you anymore . " Panic tore through him . He lunged toward her , desperate to grab her wrist . But his hands closed on nothing . Nothing but air . The cold seeped in from all sides , wrapping around him like something alive . And somewhere deep in his gut , a sharp , suffocating dread told him ... something was very , very wrong . He bolted upright from the dream , gasping for breath like a drowning man . Sweat soaked through his clothes . Nancy stepped in quietly , holding a cup of warm water . " What were you mumbling about ? " she asked , tilting her head , feigning confusion . " Zoey ? " Maxwell's fogged mind cleared in an instant . His hand shot out , grabbing her wrist . His eyes darkened , wild with anxiety . " Did someone call me ? Just now - did anyone call ? Did you answer it ? Did someone ... say something about Zoey ? " Chapter 11 +25 BONUS For a split second , Nancy's face stiffened . But she quickly forced a smile and shook her head . " N - No ... oh , you mean Dr. Willow ? " she stammered . " Yeah ... yeah , he did call . But he just said ... Zoey's doing fine . Really well , actually . And that ... that since you two are divorced now , she never wants to see you again . " His grip tightened around her wrist . Panic twisted his features , an emotion so raw , so frantic , she'd never seen it in him before . " She ... she really said that ? " His voice trembled . Nancy bit down on her lip , then nodded . " Yes . Yes , she did . " " Maxwell ... you really need to stop thinking about her , " she continued quickly , her tone soft , coaxing . " You're divorced . Whatever she does now ... it has nothing to do with you . " His hand slowly let go . His head dropped , and then ... Then he laughed . Quietly . Bitterly .. So that's what it was . The dream ... the dream had been a goodbye . Zoey had come to say goodbye . Relief flooded through Nancy . She immediately curled into his arms , nuzzling against him like a cat . " Maxwell ... let's live well together , okay ? " she murmured . " I know ... I know our relationship started as a transaction ... but ... I really can't help falling for you . " But Maxwell sat there , completely stiff . Completely hollow . The grief was suffocating , crashing down over him like a tidal wave . In his ears , there was nothing . No sound . Just that one sentence , playing over and over again . " Maxwell ... I don't want you anymore . " They spent a full week in the Maldives . But through it all , Maxwell was like a shadow . He barely spoke . Barely moved . Stared at his phone constantly . Every few minutes , he found himself hoping - irrationally , desperately - that someone would call . Dr. Willow . Zoey . Anyone . Someone to tell him it wasn't true . That Zoey hadn't really left . He couldn't bear the thought of going back . Couldn't bear the image of that big , empty villa . Couldn't bear the suffocating idea of a life without her in it . ' You're insane , ' he told himself . ' You spent years torturing each other . Years trying to end this . And now that it's finally over ... you still can't let her go ? ' But deep down , another voice argued back . ' She never said it to my face . Not directly . If she didn't say it out loud .... then it's not real . Dreams are always the opposite of reality . ' That's how he convinced himself . Without even glancing at Nancy , who was still lounging in her swimsuit by the pool , he said coldly , " We're going back . " 2/3 Chapter 4 +25 BONUS Nancy stiffened . Confused . Then , following his line of sight ... she noticed his fingers . Fingers gently stroking the plain , worn ring on his left hand . The one still on his ring finger . And in an instant , she knew . She knew exactly why he wanted to go back . Panic gripped her , sharp and suffocating . Her hands clenched around the designer handbag in her lap , nails digging deep into the leather . ' No , absolutely not . He can't find out the truth . He must never find out !