“Give it back!”
Yvonne’s pulse sped up. She raced to Ruby’s room, her heart in her throat.
When she reached the doorway, she froze. Ruby was cowering by her dresser, her arms held close, hugging herself.
Standing before her was Yvonne’s brother.
“Get away from her,” Yvonne said. “Now.”
Nicholas turned toward Yvonne, his face twisting into a smile. “Yvonne. You’re home.” He stepped away from Ruby.
Ruby’s eyes widened. “Yvonne, I’m sorry!”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Yvonne snapped.
“I came to see you,” Nicholas replied. “I wanted to discuss this inheritance issue of yours, but since you weren’t home, I decided I’d come in and wait.”
“He just burst in here,” Ruby said. “I couldn’t stop him.”
Yvonne’s stomach turned to ice. “If you laid a hand on Ruby-”
“I didn’t touch her,” Nicholas said. “She let me in, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to have a look around. You’ve lived here for years, but you haven’t invited me over before. I’ve never seen the place.”
Yvonne looked at Ruby. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”
“No, I’m fine.” Ruby’s voice trembled. “I’m so sorry, I tried to stop him.”
Yvonne examined her. Ruby seemed unharmed, but why did she keep apologizing? “What are you talking about? What did he do?”
Ruby looked at Nicholas. Yvonne followed the path of her eyes. Nicholas was holding a document in his hands. Yvonne’s heart plummeted from her chest.
The contract.
Before Nicholas could react, Yvonne snatched it out of his hand.
Nicholas smirked. “It’s too late for that. I’ve already seen it. I’ve read it. I know the truth about your arrangement.” He crossed his arms. “When I started looking around, all I was hoping to find was something that showed you weren’t really a couple. Separate bedrooms, maybe. But this? This is a jackpot.”
“It’s just a prenup,” Yvonne said.
“A very unconventional one. And it’s dated after you got married.”
“I told you, the wedding was a spur of the moment thing.”
“Because it’s a lie!” He waved his hands around him. “All of this, it’s a big lie. You entered into a fraudulent marriage, and you were stupid enough to put the terms down in a contract. That’s so like you. Such a control freak.” He looked at Ruby, licking his lips. “The other contract I found just proves how much of a freak you are.”
Yvonne looked down at the papers in her hands. Sure enough, underneath the marriage contract was the other contract Yvonne and Ruby had signed.
It was enough to bring Yvonne to her senses. Why was she standing here, arguing with Nicholas? He’d invaded their home, invaded her and Ruby’s privacy.
He had crossed a line.
Anger boiled up inside her. “Get out. Get out of this room. Get out of my apartment. Get out before I call the police and have you arrested for assault.”
“Happily,” Nicholas said. “After all, I have all the evidence I need. And I’m going to tell the world the truth. There’s no way you’re going to get your hands on that inheritance now.”
“Get. Out.”
“Settle down.” Nicholas held up his hands defensively. “I’m leaving.” Giving Ruby one last glare, he left the room.
Yvonne followed Nicholas out into the hall and marched him to the door. She opened it wide, shoving him through it.
“One last thing, Nicholas,” she said. “Don’t you ever, ever come near me or Ruby again.”
Before he could react, Yvonne slammed the door in his face.
Yvonne leaned back against the door and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to stifle the fury burning inside her. Nicholas had come to her home, had intruded on her space. He’d violated her privacy, violated Ruby’s space and privacy.
And now, he was going to expose them.
“Fuck!” She clenched her fists. Everything was falling apart.
Yvonne’s phone pinged inside her purse, which she’d dropped near the door on the way in. She took her phone out and checked it, a reflex from years of fielding important after-hours work emails. But it wasn’t work. The notification was a message from her brother containing a link.
Yvonne’s stomach dropped. She opened the link. What she saw shattered the last vestiges of hope she’d had.
She slid down the door and sank to the floor, burying her head in her arms.
Ruby stared at her bedroom wall, replaying the events of the last hour over and over in her head. When Nicholas had turned up at the door and bulldozed his way inside, she’d frozen. Being confronted by a large aggressive man while all alone in her home had sent her mind right back to her past, with her former client, when she’d been powerless and afraid.
By the time she’d come to her senses, it had been too late. She hadn’t been able to stop Nicholas from going through the house. She hadn’t been able to stop him from finding the contract.
And now, everything was ruined.
Ruby took a few deep breaths, trying to settle the anxiety simmering within her. She should check on Yvonne. It was the least Ruby could do, considering this was all her fault. How was Yvonne handling everything? Ruby had heard Yvonne’s bedroom door slam shut earlier. She didn’t know how much time had passed since then. She’d been lost in her own head.
Overcoming her paralysis, Ruby rose from the bed and headed to Yvonne’s bedroom. She knocked on the door.
“Yvonne?” There was no response, but Ruby heard footsteps pacing inside. “Yvonne, I’m coming in, okay?”
Yvonne didn’t answer her, but the footsteps stopped. Ruby opened the door gingerly. Yvonne was standing in front of the window, staring out into the darkness of the night, her body tense and tight.
“Yvonne?” Ruby stepped inside the room tentatively. “Are you okay?”
Yvonne’s shoulders stiffened, but she didn’t turn around. “What do you think, Ruby?”
Yvonne’s hard tone made Ruby’s stomach lurch. “Yvonne, I’m sorry,” she blurted out. “I shouldn’t have let him in here. I didn’t mean to, I just froze, and… I shouldn’t have left the contracts just sitting out. But we
