He must have thought he still had power over her, that her love for him made her weak.


    But she wasn''t that girl anymore. She smiled and nodded. “Excellent. Have yourwyer draw up the papers. I''ll sign them right now."


    Matthew froze. He never thought she would actually call his bluff.


    He had backed himself into a corner.


    Hiswyer quickly stepped in. "Mr. Gonzalez, Ms. Jones, marriage is a seriousmitment. I urge you both to take some time to cool down. Perhaps we can adjourn for today and reconvene when you''ve both had a chance to think."


    Matthew readily agreed.


    Yvonne knew nothing more would be settled today, so she gave a cool nod. Whether in court or in mediation, this was never going to be resolved quickly. Her mood soured, Yvonne left the courthouse alone.


    A ck Mercedes G-Wagon was parked at the bottom of the steps. The window rolled down, revealing Bet''s sharp, handsome profile.


    "Get in."


    Yvonne opened the passenger door and buckled her seatbelt.


    "Where to?" he asked.


    Yvonne hesitated. It suddenly urred to her that, despite being the true Spencer heiress and the fiancée of a tech mogul, she didn''t own a single piece of property.


    No wonder the original Yvonne had been so insecure. If she was kicked out, she would have nowhere to go.


    “A hotel, I guess,” she said with a sigh.


    She couldn''t exactly bring Bet back to the Spencer mansion or her dorm room.


    "Hotels are too public, too much foot traffic. Not secure. You can stay at my apartment for the time being,” he stated, starting the engine before she could object.


    An hourter, they pulled into the garage of Cherry Apartment.


    Theplex was a set of luxury high-rises on the riverfront, one of Istra''s most expensive addresses.


    Bet''s apartment was on the seventeenth floor, a sprawling 2,500-square-foot unit with


    a stunning view of the glittering river.


    floorto-ceiling windows that


    Yvonne followed him inside.


    The ce was familiar. They had picked it out together, had even lived here for a while.


    "Wee home, sir. And this is?" A housekeeper, Helen, came to greet them, her surprise evident when she saw the young woman with Bet.


    "She''s a witness I''m protecting. She''ll be staying here for a while,” Bet exined.


    "Oh, of course," Helen said, recovering quickly. "Should I prepare the guest room for miss...?"


    "Yes," he replied dismissively, as if


    the details were of no concern to him. He walked into the living room, picked up a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the coffee table, and headed out to the balcony


    Yvonne remained in the entryway, looking around at a space that seemed unchanged from five years ago. It was a dizzying feeling.


    Everything was the same, yet everything was different.


    She watched the man on the balcony, leaning against the railing as he expertly lit a


    cigarette. He seemed like aplete stranger.


    Yvonne hated the smell of smoke.


    The Bet she knew rarely


    smoked, But this man, silently. exhaling plumes of gray.smoke was no longer the vibrant young man from her memories.