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 can fix this, can’t we?”

“It’s too late,” Yvonne said flatly. “Nicholas, he posted photos of the contracts on social media for all to see.”

Ruby’s heart sank. “Both the contracts?”

“Yes, both the contracts. We’ve been exposed.”

Ruby barely cared about the fact that everyone now knew the intimate details of their arrangement. What she cared about was how much this was clearly hurting Yvonne.

Ruby approached her. Her back was still turned, but as Ruby drew closer, she saw Yvonne’s face reflected in the window, warped with despair.

“Yvonne, everything is going to be okay.”

Yvonne shook her head. “No, it’s not. There’s no way I can get my inheritance now. All that money, gone. How am I going to help Nita?” Her voice cracked. “And now everyone knows our marriage is a lie. Do you have any idea how humiliating this is? This farce of a relationship, exposed to the entire world.”

Ruby felt a pang in her chest. Pushing it aside, she reached out and touched the other woman’s shoulder. “Yvonne-”

Yvonne broke away and began pacing before the window. “This was all for nothing. All the lies, the pretending.” She threw her hands up. “Almost three months, wasted on this stupid charade. And now, it’s over.”

The ache in Ruby’s chest turned into a stabbing too painful to ignore. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked quietly.

“No.” Yvonne’s voice was devoid of emotion. “Just leave me be.”

“I’m sorry, Yvonne. I’m so sorry.”

Ruby turned and fled from the room, her eyes stinging with tears. She returned to her bedroom, shut the door, and collapsed onto the bed, Yvonne’s words echoing in her mind. Her chest felt hollow. Sure, Ruby had messed up. Sure, she’d ruined things for Yvonne. But did Yvonne truly believe that this was all for nothing, that these three months had been wasted?