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.”