"Heh." Ste actually let out augh, exasperated. "All of you-honestly, you''re all wrapped around that little brat''s finger!"


    "He''s Stewart''sst line in the sand," Cedric rke replied, his tone serious.


    Ste fell silent.


    It was a long moment before she finally asked, "Cedric, can I trust you?"


    "Just this once, trust me," Cedric said solemnly. "Listen, if you can talk Bryn into agreeing to Stewart''s terms, I promise I''ll keep an eye on things from my end too."


    Ste pressed her lips together, thinking for a few seconds before she asked, "Do you know why Stewart insists on going to Ghana?"


    Cedric could more or less guess Stewart''s real motive.


    But he knew better than to say anything before Stewart left.


    If he told her, Bryn would never agree to go.


    "I honestly don''t know," Cedric lied, feigning ignorance. "I''ll try to ask around for you, okay?"


    "You think he''d actually tell you if you asked?"


    Cedric gave a helpless chuckle. "Who knows? Chances are... he won''t."


    Ste sighed. "Our Bryn really does have the worst luck-ending up with someone who''s both a jerk *and* impossible to shake. Just watching her go through this makes me want to swear off marriage for good!"


    Cedric let out a lowugh. "Don''t worry. There are still plenty of decent men out there."


    "Oh, please. Single life is so much easier." Ste started the car. "Anyway, I need to get back and figure out how to talk Bryn around. I''ll let you go for now!"


    "Alright."


    As soon as the call ended, Cedric dialed Stewart.


    It rang several times before Stewart finally picked up.


    On the other end, Stewart''s voice was rough and heavy. "Ste called you, didn''t she?"


    "Holy crap!" Cedric blurted out, half-joking, half-shocked. "Did you bug my house or something?"


    Stewart let out a low, humorlessugh, his breath still ragged. "What did she say?"


    "Why does your voice sound like that? Is it another migraine?" Cedric frowned, concerned. "Did you take your meds?"


    "It''s nothing."


    Cedric sighed. "Honestly, I don''t know what to say to you anymore. Those three conditions you set-each one more outrageous than thest! I''m not just giving you a hard time, Stewart, but you''re only making Bryn lose more faith in you with this act."


    "It doesn''t matter," Stewart cut in, his tone unyielding. "I made my decision, and I''m not backing down."


    "You-" Cedric bit back the string of curses he wanted to let loose. There was no point. When Stewart dug his heels in, nothing could budge him.


    In the end, Cedric just said, firmly, "Look, I already told Ste to talk to Bryn for you. That''s as much as I can do, man. So listen, even if it''s just for my sake- once Bryn fulfills your three conditions, you *have* to go through with the divorce. Let her go, like you promised. Okay?"


    There was a long silence on the other end.


    Long enough that Cedric thought Stewart was about to go back on his word. He was just about to lose his temper when Stewart''s low voice finally came through the line.


    "Okay."


    One word-hoarse, and heavy with meaning.


    Hearing that, Cedric finally let himself breathe a little easier.


    ...


    Back at Dolphin Cove, Bryn sat alone in her room for what felt like forever.


    In the end, she made up her mind to give it onest shot.


    She pulled the marriage certificate out of her nightstand, opened her phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to James.


    James called her instantly.


    "Are you sure you want to do this?"


    "Yeah," Bryn''s voice was steady. "I''ll wire you the money. Do whatever it takes to get these articles published-every major site, everywhere. However you can make it blow up, do it."


    "That extreme?" James sounded worried. "Bryn, think this through. If you go public, your name is going to be dragged into this too. It''ll mess with your life."


    "It''s fine," Bryn said quietly. "If it all goes public, Stewart will have no choice but to give in about Rosita."


    "As for me, worst case, I''ll just move into my studio and keep a low profile for a while. When the timees, I''ll move to Silveridge—a new city, a new start. All this mess will eventually fade into the background."


    "Alright. As long as you''ve thought it through, I won''t try to talk you out of it," James said. "I''ll get on it right away."