That was why her family had moved away so quietly. She had left to avoid destroying Jerome. She had let him go, but Jerome''s fate was his own to make. His ending was already written. Even without Joanna''s interference, his rtionship with Yvonne would never havested. They would have made each other miserable. Yvonne loved to party and stay out all night, and Jeromecked any real substance. Their so-called love would never have survived the strain.


    Zenobia knew this. She didn''t need revenge. Jerome was doomed to a wretched marriage anyway. And she had been right. The cracks between them had already appeared.


    "Zenobia," Natalie said, "the incident that night was orchestrated by Joanna and Yvonne. Jerome knows the truth now. I wasn''t going to take the fall for it after I left. I didn''t do much, just exposed Joanna''s lies. Jerome called me to apologize, but I didn''t ept."


    Zenobia''s smile was beautiful and gentle, but there was a core of steel beneath it. She was a resilient woman who, once her mind was made up, rarely changed it. She didn''t love Jerome anymore. Nothing short of a miracle could change that. "You did the right thing," she said. "Seeing you now, I know you have a brilliant future ahead of you."


    She took Natalie''s hand. "Come on, let me take you to get something to eat. The seafood here is incredible. I''m addicted to the conch and lobster. The weather should be nice tomorrow. You can go diving and catch your own lobster. You love lobster, right? This time of year, you can find them in just a few feet of water at low tide."


    Natalie was ecstatic. She agreed to stay for a few days. Matthew wouldn''t be back for a while, so it was the perfect opportunity to rx and clear her head. And in a few days, the second Scott brother would be back, which was sure to bring more drama.


    Zenobia took Natalie to a night market on the beach, filled with stalls selling fresh seafood. They went to her favorite spot and ordered a feast of lobster and grilled fish, caught that very day. The grilled lobster needed nothing more than a squeeze of lemon to be delicious.


    The beach was full of people. Not far off, a group of men in swim trunks were swimming. Even in the twilight, Natalie could see they were all perfectly built-broad shoulders, narrow waists, chiseled abs, and


    long, muscr legs tanned a healthy bronze.


    Natalie couldn''t help but stare. The men on this ind were certainly easy on the eyes.


    Zenobia saw


    wher captivated look and


    "That sounds amazing," Natalie said. "I''ll stay for three days, then. And I''lle back when the baby''s due."


    "Deal!" Zenobia said happily. "Oh, by the way, Natalie, did you and Sebastian finalize the divorce?"


    Natalie thought of Sebastian''s


    refusal to go to the courthouse and


    sighed Men were impossible. He


    was the one who wanted the


    divorce, but when she agreed h


    suddenly changed his mind.


    She shook her head. "We only signed the agreement. We haven''t made it official


    yet."


    Zenobia looked at her seriously, her voice firm. "When ites to you and Sebastian, I''m telling you to split up, not to make up."