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D ani was quiet as he rushed around getting dressed, ready to meet with Emylyah. Too quiet. Then again, perhaps that was to be expected under the circumstances.

But she had to know he was doing this for them , didn’t she? The whole reason he’d been desperate to find Emylyah and free himself from their ridiculous marriage was so he could forge a future with Dani.

Of course she knew. He’d told her as much, more than once.

While the timing left a lot to be desired, Zack was excited to meet up with Emylyah and get this over with. To finally negotiate his freedom.

When Marcus had arrived to tell him the news, Zack had been completely poleaxed. Of all the things he’d expected in his search for his missing child bride, her turning up, right here, out of the blue wasn’t it, and now his head was all over the place, making it hard for him to concentrate.

But Dani… “I reserved a table for the two of us at Bahamian Rhapsody for dinner tonight at seven. Why don’t I meet you there?”

Dani searched his face, and he briefly wondered what was going on behind the dratted mask of indifference she liked to slip on.

Surely, she must be excited for this too?

So often she brought up his farce of a marriage as a stumbling block.

She had to be as impatient as him to have the whole ridiculous situation dispensed with. Didn’t she?

He’d have liked to discuss it all with her, but there was no time.

Emylyah was only here for a short amount of time.

There was nowhere on the island for her to stay, since the resort was full, and unregistered visitors were usually strictly forbidden.

But Marcus had finessed it with Luca, on the understanding she wouldn’t stay more than a few hours.

Everything he needed to accomplish had to be done now.

Before she disappeared again.

And Zack got the impression that was a distinct possibility.

From all accounts, the woman was easily spooked, so Zack was keen to do everything that might be necessary and remove Emylyah from his life.

The possible mafia connection was yet another reason to do so.

With his billions, he couldn’t afford to be linked with criminal organizations and have the nature of his wealth questioned.

It would destroy his businesses and his credibility, bringing with it the kind of shade that would be impossible to step out from.

Dani nodded and opened her mouth as if to say something. But in the end, she just shook her head, gave him a quick, somewhat distant peck on the cheek, and walked past him to the door, leaving without looking back.

Fuck! Apprehension nipped at him, but Zack didn’t have the option of reassuring Dani right now.

Besides, he’d done so over and over. If she didn’t believe him by now, then whatever he said in this rushed moment probably wasn’t going to sway her.

He just needed to get through this, meet up with Dani later, and be able to dispel her fears once and for all because Emylyah was finally in his past. He was so close he could taste it.

It was… surreal. Meeting someone for what was, ostensibly, the first time, and knowing they were - technically - your wife. Zack wondered if Emylyah felt the same.

Or was it even worse for her, because she’d married without realizing she was committing bigamy if what he’d been told was true.

He and Marcus had arrived at a private room off the resort’s open-air bar, which only really came into its own after dark, where Gabi was visiting with her sister. The two of them said a tearful farewell peppered with promises to keep in touch properly, after Marcus made the introductions.

Now they were alone, and it was… awkward.

Zack would have invited her to his cabana, but it seemed all kinds of wrong to bring another woman home. Especially with Dani being as skittish as she was, so this was a compromise.

“I…”

“Do you…”

After an uncomfortable silence, they both spoke at the same time.

Emylyah laughed nervously, but it was enough to lighten things a little.

“Sorry,” Zack apologized, sucking in a bracing breath. “I know this must be as difficult for you as it is for me.”

“I… yeah.” Emylyah nodded, her pale blonde hair shimmering in the sun’s rays shining through the window.

Looking at her, Zack could see the remnants of the twelve-year-old girl he’d glanced at across the judge’s chambers that day.

Her face was leaner, more sculpted now she’d lost that youthful puppy fat every child seemed to have.

She was beautiful, there was no denying that.

Tall and willowy, but somewhat reserved.

The complete opposite of Dani.

And she did absolutely nothing for him. His tastes definitely ran to tanned, curvy spitfires.

"Well, I suppose we should get down to business," Zack said, taking the bull by the horns.

Just think of it as a business meeting. A transaction, he told himself.

"I'm sure you're eager to get this resolved as quickly as possible."

Emylyah nodded, smoothing her conservative, black dress which looked completely unsuitable for their island surroundings.

It made Zack think she’d come here unexpectedly, or in a hurry.

"Yes, I... I appreciate you meeting with me since I turned up without any warning.

I know this isn't an ideal situation for either of us. "

Zack studied her face. Despite her composed demeanor, he could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers fidgeted with the edge of the tablecloth.

The level of her nerves seemed out of proportion with the circumstances, making him wonder about her husband.

Or rather, the man she called her husband, since she was actually married to Zack.

Did the man know? Had the revelation caused trouble for her?

Head on - that was the only way to tackle this.

“Gabi told me she thought you had married without being aware of our parents’… arrangement.” He grimaced at the choice of words, but how the hell else did he put it?

Emylyah's eyes widened slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing her face before she schooled her features.

"Yes, that's... that's correct. I had no idea until Gabi sent a message to the email address only she and I use.

" She swallowed hard and her gaze dropped to the table, her fingers twisting together.

Zack followed his instincts and placed his own hand over hers.

“Is everything okay, Emylyah?” he asked softly.

To his dismay, a sob was wrenched from her throat. “I’m sorry,” she quickly apologized, struggling to pull herself together. “I’m such a mess.”

“Hey, hey, hey…” Zack scooted his chair around until he was next to her and put a supportive arm around her shoulder. “Tell me what’s wrong. Perhaps I can help. We’re in this together after all.”

Emylyah sniffled. “I don’t really monitor the email address Gabi and I use. By necessity, our correspondence has always been brief and infrequent.” She paused and wiped her eyes, her makeup smearing as she did so. Somehow just that little imperfection made her seem more approachable.

“But it seems my husband - the man I thought was my husband… does.”

Fuck!

“Emylyah, did he… are you…” Zack scrunched his eyes together, not liking where his thoughts were taking him. But mafia . “Are you safe?” he finally gritted out.

His words startled her out of her pity party.

“Oh! Oh, yes. Niko would never hurt me, but…” Her voice broke and more tears pooled in her big blue eyes.

“He was so angry,” she said, her voice no louder than a whisper.

“He said some horrible things. Told me I wasn’t really his wife and accused me of deceiving him.

And then there’s …” She trailed off and ducked her head.

She didn’t say any more, but the way she rubbed her hand over her slightly rounded stomach made Zack suspect… Shit!

He blew out a breath. “Okay. There’s a lawyer right here on the island who can help us get this mess sorted out and notarized.

My own legal team has already put together all the necessary documentation, and I contacted them to send it all to Mia on my way to see you.

Then, when all that’s done, I’m going to transfer some money to you. ”

Emylyah frowned. “But why?” she asked in confusion, lifting her watery eyes to his.

“I’m a very wealthy man, Emylyah. And you’ve been my wife for eighteen years.”

“But…”

He shook his head. “No buts. Even though you were unaware, there’s a postnuptial agreement in place.

I made sure of it after I found out about you, myself.

And if things turn out badly between you and your hus…

ah, Niko, because of all this, I want the peace of mind of knowing you’re taken care of.

After all, he never would have found out if I hadn’t asked Gabi to get in touch with you on my behalf, so some of the fault is mine. ”

“I…” Emylyah stopped and ran light fingers over her abdomen again. When she looked back at him there was the ghost of a smile on her face and Zack breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she would accept.

“Thank you.”