“We were beginning to think you weren’t coming back,” says Judge Carter, who’s now sitting in my chair at the head of the table. He’s swirling a glass of cognac in a glass.

“Oh,” I say, startled. I’d honestly forgotten that they were here at my house.

Ryan and Lily are sitting nearby, cuddling in an armchair. Ryan looks up at me with the question plastered all over his face. “What happened?” he’s saying with his features.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “It’s not been a good night for my family. I’ll have to have you all over again another time to make up for it.”

“But I was looking forward to meet your new wife so much,” says Judge Carter, a nasty look spreading across his face. “Don’t tell me that she won’t be joining us after all?”

“I’m afraid… she won’t,” I say.

“Do tell me what happened,” says Judge Carter, his voice full of obviously fake concern.

“The truth is,” I say, “we had a bit of a disagreement. She went to stay with a friend.”

“Can I talk to you?” says Ryan, giving Lily a kiss on her forehead and getting up.

I nod at him, and we move to walk into another room, but Judge Carter gets up, his cognac glass still in hand.

“You know,” he says, “this is all starting to seem very strange indeed.”

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I’ll have to have you over for another night.”

“Well,” says Judge Carter, “I don’t think that will be necessary. I have all the information I need.”

“What does that mean?”

“This night played out almost exactly as I expected it to. You see, your ex-wife’s lawyer recently provided me with some very interesting documentation… Apparently your wife isn’t your wife at all. The whole thing is merely a business arrangement. Isn’t it? Isn’t that the truth?”

“Think what you want,” I say. “Now get out of my house. I won’t be insulted like that.”

“Very well,” says Judge Carter. “But you should know that I don’t like having my time wasted. He takes his glass and turns it upside down, pouring the liquid on the hardwood floors.

He gives me a bitter look and leaves the room.

“Nancy,” I say, hitting the intercom. “Make sure Judge Carter gets out safely.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t punch him,” says Ryan.

I shrug. “Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to.”

“What’s going on?” says Ryan, sounding concerned.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him, but Ryan I were always good friends, and when you’re a businessman like me, you’re not expected to be the type to have friends. And the truth is, I don’t have many. I have colleagues, associates, and business partners, but not many friends. But Ryan is one of those old friends that can’t ever go away. Each time you meet up years later, even a decade later, you just pick up where you left off before.

“Everything’s screwed,” I say. “I’m going to lose Laura.”

“What are you talking about?” says Ryan.

“It’s…”

“Come on,” says Ryan. “How long have we known each other? You can tell me, man.”

I walk over to the door of the study and close it, so that there’s no chance that anyone can overhear us.

“It goes without saying that this stays between us… and Lily, if you want to tell her,” I say.

Ryan gives me a stiff nod.

“OK,” I say. “Here it goes.”

I tell him all about the fake marriage, all about my crazy drug addict ex-wife Alicia, and how she wants to steal Laura from me to take her under a bridge somewhere to live some horrible life, probably getting her addicted to drugs.

“And now,” I say, “I don’t know how, but Judge Carter, who’s presiding over the case, knows that the whole thing is fake.”

Ryan nods but doesn’t say anything for a moment. He’s thinking, with that crazy techie brain of his, probably analyzing the situation as if it were a programming problem, or a math puzzle. He’s the best in the business. I’ve been using his Sisyphus Algorithm for years, and nothing in the industry can even come close to it. Hell, if I didn’t have his algorithm, I wouldn’t be able to make half the stock picks that I make.

“You know,” says Ryan. “Reading between the lines here…”

“There’s nothing to read between,” I say. “I told you everything.”

“I don’t think you did,” says Ryan, a grin growing on his face. “Do you know what I mean?”

“No.”

“You’re telling me this is a fake marriage, just a business arrangement. But frankly, I’ve never seen you get upset like this over a business arrangement. You’re known in the business for keeping a calm head no matter what and simply picking the next right move, no matter how bad things are or how bad the last deals were. That’s what makes you such a dangerous poker player. How much money have you won from me over the years, anyway?”

“A hundred thousand or so,” I say, thinking over what he’s saying.

He might be on to something.

“I’m not going to tell you what to do,” says Ryan. “Because for one thing, I know you never listen to anyone, even me. But think about Olivia and what she means to you.”

He excuses himself, saying that he and Lily need to be getting to bed. They’re staying here, in one of the rooms upstairs.

Everyone else has gone home, and I’m left in the study by myself, staring at the wood paneled wall, no drink in hand.

Maybe Ryan’s right… maybe he’s able to see what I’ve been avoiding myself.

When I look deep inside myself, there’s something there… something I haven’t been admitting.

And now that I uncover it, it’s staring me right in the face.

And it’s her… it’s Olivia.

Her beautiful face shines at me, her hair thrown back as if a gust of wind pushed it.

Her breasts stick up towards me, and her thighs glisten at me. She’s naked and shimmering in the moonlight.

And I wish that she was here.

I don’t care about the judge, the court case, or the fake marriage.

I don’t care about whether or not it’s been a successful deal.

Hell, this isn’t a business.

This is something else.

This is love.

I need to get her back, no matter what.

The custody situation—well, I’ll just have to figure out a way to work that all out. I always do.

But I need Olivia.