Redemption: Second Chance Love

Chapter 01

"Hayden Javernick! You’re a married man, how could you announce your engagement to another woman?” Zoe was pointing her fingers at her husband, who was on the stage.

Hayden got down, furious but still maintaining his composure. He signaled to the reporters that he would speak to them later, and approached Zoe.

As soon as he was close enough, he grabbed her arm and led her away from the eyes of others. They entered through a door and Hayden released her forcefully, causing Zoe to fall to the floor.

She looked up and came to him on her knees.

"Hayden, I'm your wife!" Zoe complained, holding onto her husband's arm as she knelt on the floor. He looked at her with contempt, and a sinister smile appeared on his lips.

"Wife?" He shook his arm and leaned toward the crying Zoe, grabbing her chin. "You're nothing but a little woman who deserves no respect!"

Zoe swallowed, her lips trembling.

"Why? You said you loved me, we got married... And then..."

Hayden straightened up again, looking at a point above Zoe's head, as if avoiding her.

"Love you?" He let out a disdainful laugh. "Zoe Fleming. How disgusting! I could never love a creature like you!"

Zoe pulled her hand back, still in the air, trying to reach him, and brought it to her chest.

"You lied…" her gaze was one of pure betrayal as she shook her head from side to side. "What did I do to make you treat me like this?"

Hayden stood up, turning his back to Zoe, his hands in his pants pockets.

"Yeah, I lied. So what?" He turned and faced her. "At least I'm not a murderer, like you!"

If Zoe hadn't already been on the ground, she would have fallen with the impact of those words.

"W-What did you say?" She asked, still in disbelief. "Murderer? What are you t-talking about?"

Hayden could no longer stand pretending he didn't know, that he was ignorant of what Zoe had done. He approached her in two strides and shoved his hands into Zoe's dark hair, lifting her head so she could face him.

"Enough with the games, you damn thing! You killed my brother! You approached him for money and then you killed him in that fire!"

Zoe's brain couldn't think straight. Fire? Three years ago, she had been involved in a fire, in which many died, including her friend, Willard, when he saved her.

"I don't... I've never approached anyone for money..." she said it more to herself and then looked directly into Hayden's eyes. "Is that what you think of me? And... I've never killed anyone!"

Hayden roared with rage and released her. He wasn't a violent man, much less with women, but Zoe was testing him. She wasn't an ordinary person in his eyes, but the one who had caused the death of his only brother. A liar, a greedy woman, a murderer!

He took a few steps away, his eyes bloodshot with hatred.

"You started that fire. You killed several people with your recklessness! My brother, a fool in love, went after you and ended up dead! While you…" he looked her up and down with pure deprecation. "You're still here. Still seducing men for money. Still scheming to step on others and get what you want!"

Zoe shook her head and then smiled, her chest swelling with anger.

"How can you accuse me of that when you just announced your engagement to that viper?"

"You're the viper! Barbara is a good woman, just another one of your victims!"

"Victim?" This time, Zoe stood up, wiping away her tears. "I've known that woman since college, and she’s far from being a victim!"

"You used to harass her there!"

"Me?" Zoe laughed this time. "Did you ever ask around campus what your precious Barbara used to do? How she used to treat people?" Zoe stepped closer to Hayden, and for the first time, he saw something in her eyes that was far from affection. Even during their few arguments, there was always love there. "Hayden Javernick, you’re an i***t!"

Hayden clenched his fists.

"Zoe!"

She looked at her hand and yanked off the wedding ring, throwing it to the ground.

"I put up with all your outbursts, your indifference, thinking it was just due to work stress. I never imagined it was you blaming me for something I didn’t do! Something so nasty and absurd"

"Stop lying!" He stepped closer to her, but Zoe stood her ground.

"My conscience is clear!"

"Someone died saving you… Clear conscience? How do you even sleep at night, huh? Someone died because of you!"

Yes, Zoe felt awful every time she thought about it. Willard was a good man, a good friend, and didn’t deserve to die. But it wasn’t her fault.

"He was my brother. Willard was my younger brother! And if it was just about saving you, I couldn’t blame you." Hayden’s expression darkened. "But you caused it all. You!"

"And how the hell did I do that? If, as you say, I’m a greedy woman who was after your brother’s money, why would I want to kill him?" Zoe swallowed hard. "If I wanted his money, I would’ve agreed to date him!"

That made Hayden even angrier. All this time, whenever Zoe mentioned his brother, she always referred to him like that, a mere friend, never admitting they had dated. But Hayden knew she was lying, because Willard himself had made it clear that he had a girlfriend, Zoe Fleming.

"I want a divorce, Hayden. Then you can marry Barbara, or whoever you want!"

"Divorce? And where will you go? Your parents are gone, you don’t have a penny!" He laughed. "You, Zoe, depend on me for everything!"

"I gave up everything for you! And my parents… Don’t you dare mention them!"

"Their deaths are also on you. Did you know that?"

Zoe frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"Didn’t they kill themselves because their company went bankrupt? Because they ended up ruined? So…" Hayden looked her right in the eyes. "If they didn’t have such a rotten daughter like you, why would I have pulled the strings to bring them to ruin?"

Hayden’s words felt like knives stabbing Zoe in the chest.

"Hayden?" It was Barbara, on the other side. Her soft voice made Zoe’s mouth twist into a grimace.

"Just a moment, Barbara!" He replied, and Zoe used his moment of distraction to run to the back door and get out of there.

Hayden knew Zoe had nowhere to go.

'I’ll deal with her later!'

And with that, he returned to the party and stood next to Barbara.

It wasn’t that he liked the woman, but she was a family friend, and he’d asked her to help him hurt Zoe. Hayden had told her why he was treating his wife so badly when Barbara questioned him after he left Zoe alone on her own birthday to go out drinking with her.

However, he didn’t know that Barbara was more than happy about the situation. She hated Zoe. Being able to step on the girl and still have a chance to win Hayden over and become Mrs. Javernick? It was like a dream coming true.

Meanwhile, Zoe wandered off with no destination. She was walking aimlessly, under the rain, when a car nearly hit her as she tried to cross the street. The vehicle stopped just in time, but Zoe fell and hurt herself on the asphalt.

The car door opened, and a man stepped out. She couldn’t see him very well, as the headlights blinded her, and the rain didn’t help at all.

"Miss!" A male voice called out, and Zoe had the impression she recognized it. "Zoe?"

She frowned. The man knelt in front of her, and then Zoe could see his face more clearly.

"Max?" She asked, and he smiled.

"That’s right!" A horn interrupted them. "Come on, get in the car! We can talk better inside the vehicle!"

She agreed, and he helped her up.

Maxton and Zoe had been friends since childhood, but when they were twelve, her parents moved from Beaufort, South Carolina, to San Diego, California. Since then, they had lost contact.

Once inside the car, Maxton finally noticed that Zoe’s palms were bleeding, and her knee was scraped.

"Let’s go to the hospital, okay?" He said, but Zoe shook her head.

"No need. I can take care of it at home." As she said that, she remembered Hayden and the fight. She didn’t have a home, after all.

Maxton’s hand on Zoe’s shoulder brought her back to reality. She turned her head and saw a big smile on his face.

"Zoe, please! Besides, why were you walking so carelessly in the middle of the street?" He looked at her intensely. "I know we haven’t seen each other in years, but I still consider you my best friend. We were never ones to keep secrets from each other!"

Zoe remembered how close she and Maxton were when they were kids.

"It’s just... Max, I..." she sighed. "I was thinking about my parents’ death and..."

Maxton’s expression changed.

"Mr. and Mrs. Fleming... I’m so sorry, Zoe!" He wanted to hug her, but they weren’t kids anymore, and he knew it might be inappropriate. So Maxton kept his hand on his own knees. "No matter how long we’ve been apart, know that I’m here for you!"

It had been a long time since Zoe had felt this way: welcomed. Hayden, though he was her husband, wasn’t kind or loving, nor warm. He had been, at first, before the marriage. But after that…

Maxton noticed his friend’s sad face and felt sorry for her.

He looked at the driver and asked him to take them to the hospital. The driver complied, and Zoe, lost in thought, didn’t hear and, therefore, didn’t object.

At the hospital, she was well taken care of. However, a nurse, who knew Barbara, recognized Zoe and immediately sent her a picture.

Barbara was at home with Hayden, drinking in the living room. She felt her phone vibrate, and upon seeing the picture, she smiled.

"Barbara, I’m leaving!" Hayden said. Even though he wanted to hurt Zoe, he wouldn’t sleep there. It would be better to go to a hotel and let Zoe think whatever she wanted.

He got up, heading toward the kitchen, where Barbara was, and saw her looking at her phone, one hand covering her mouth.

"Oh, Hayden!" she said, and he frowned.

"What happened?"

She hid the phone behind her back.

"Nothing!"

Hayden didn’t believe it and walked towards her, pulling her hand. Barbara didn't offer enough resistance, after all, she wanted Hayden to see it.

As soon as his eyes focused on the photo on the screen of the device, his blood boiled. Zoe was with another man!