Bill cleared his throat. “Now, let’s all have a seat and calm down. Everyone will get a chance to speak.”
Anger simmering inside her, Yvonne took a seat in front of Bill’s desk alongside Ruby and Madison. Nicholas remained standing, his expression smug. It was taking all Yvonne’s effort to remain civil.
“Now,” Bill addressed Ruby. “You must be Yvonne’s wife. Ruth Scott, is it?”
Ruby nodded.
He turned to Madison. “And I take it this is your witness?”
“Yes.” Madison held out her hand and gave Bill’s a firm shake. “Madison Sloane.”
“Sloane? Ah, I believe I went to school with your father. How is he?”
“Can we get on with this, please?” Yvonne didn’t want to remain in the same room as her brother any longer than necessary.
“Yes, of course.” Bill opened a folder on his desk. “Now Yvonne. To begin with, I’ve heard some troubling things from your brother. He tells me that you and Ruth entered into a fraudulent marriage in order to gain access to your inheritance, among other things. These are some serious accusations. However, considering your brother has something to gain from you not receiving your inheritance, it’s important that I hear your side of the story.”
Nicholas spoke up from the corner. “Her side of the story? Isn’t it obvious? This whole marriage of theirs is a scam. I’ve shown you the evidence.”
Bill ignored him. “I’m giving you the chance to show that these accusations are false. Do you have anything to say, Yvonne? Are the accusations true? Is your marriage fraudulent?”
Yvonne hesitated. She couldn’t lie. Not anymore. “I-”
“No,” Madison interrupted. “It’s not.”
Yvonne turned to stare at her. What the hell was Madison doing?
“You’ll have to forgive the interruption, but there’s something that needs to be said. Yvonne and Ruby’s relationship isn’t fraudulent. And I can attest to that.”
Bill pushed his glasses up his nose. “Go on.”
“You see, Yvonne is like a sister to me,” Madison said. “I’ve known her since we were teenagers. That’s why I’m confident in saying that her relationship with Ruby is genuine.” She gestured toward Ruby. “I don’t know Ruby well, but I’ve seen her and Yvonne together. I’ve seen how happy they make each other. I’ve seen how much Yvonne’s relationship with Ruby has changed her, for the better.”
Madison looked at Yvonne. “I’ve seen the way Ruby looks at her. I’ve seen the way Yvonne looks at Ruby. It’s obvious that they’re wildly, madly in love.”
Something knotted inside Yvonne’s stomach. She knew what Madison was doing. She knew what Madison was trying to tell her.
She knew what she had to do.
Bill nodded in Madison’s direction. “That was a very moving speech, Madison.” He looked at Yvonne. “Yvonne? Do you have anything to say?”
Yvonne steeled herself. She wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip away.
“Yes, I do,” she said. “What Madison said is true. My relationship with Ruby is real.”
Beside her, Ruby shifted in her seat, but she said nothing.
Nicholas scoffed. “This is ridiculous. The two of you aren’t in love. Ruby’s an escort. This is all fake!”
“Nicholas,” Bill warned. “Let Yvonne-”
“Why are you even entertaining this?” Nicholas threw up his hands. “You’ve seen the evidence for yourself. I’ve shown you the contract.”
“The contract you broke into my apartment to steal?” Yvonne folded her arms across her chest. “This evidence of yours was obtained illegally. You’re lucky I didn’t have you arrested.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Nicholas said. “This isn’t a court. How I got the evidence doesn’t make it invalid.”
“That’s true. But the contract you found isn’t evidence of anything. So Ruby and I have a document outlining the financial side of our marriage. It isn’t the only contract we have. You’ve seen it for yourself, haven’t you? The other contract, outlining the more intimate details of our relationship? It’s no different. I simply like to set clear boundaries in all aspects of my marriage.”
“This is crazy!” Nicholas turned to Bill, eyes wide and nostrils flaring. “Can’t you see that this is just one big scheme? You can’t be stupid enough to believe any of this.”
“That’s enough, Nicholas,” Bill said sharply. “You’ve had your chance to speak, and insulting my intelligence isn’t going to help your case. Your father raised you better than this. Now shut up or leave my office.”
Nicholas scowled, but didn’t say anything further.
Bill’s calm demeanor returned. “Yvonne, I’ll ask you again. Are Nicholas’s accusations true?”
“You want the truth?” Yvonne stood up. “The truth is, everything my brother said is true. And so is everything Madison said.”
Silence filled the room. For what had to be the first time in more than a week, Ruby looked Yvonne in the eyes, her face a mix of surprise and confusion.
“Ruby is an escort,” Yvonne said. “We got married in Vegas. We barely knew each other when we did it, and we were drunk. It was entirely spontaneous and ill thought out, and we only decided to stay married because of the money.” She turned to Ruby. “But in the months since then, I’ve fallen for Ruby completely.”
Ruby’s mouth fell open slightly. Yvonne didn’t stop to think about whether Ruby’s shock was the good kind. She needed to power through this.
“Ruby, these past months—all the moments we’ve shared in that time—they’ve made me feel more than I’ve felt in years. You made me feel things I didn’t know I could even feel, made me want things I never, ever thought I’d want. You got me to open up my heart in a way I’ve always been so afraid to do.”
Yvonne got down on her knees. “You make me happier than I ever thought I could be. I can’t even begin to tell you how much you mean to me. And when I look at you, I don’t see the stranger I met in a bar in Vegas. I see an incredible woman, so vibrant, so kind-hearted, so beautiful. And I’ve been so lucky to share my life and my heart with that woman.”
Yvonne looked into Ruby’s eyes. They shimmered with light.
“And through all that, I
