"I think I should have a doctor come take a look at you," Avery said, "Maybe your back wound has deteriorated and affected your brain somehow."

Evan ignores her, "Four means you're in love with me."

Avery stops squirming with shock. She feels as if all the air has been sucked out of the room, leaving them in a sort of vacuum, clinging to each other.

"Five means you want us to be together forever."

"That's enough!" she says, a ragged edge in her voice.

She can't stand his irresponsible flirtations. She bites her lip and lowers her head to avoid eye contact. She's afraid her principles will collapse if she looks up at him. She reminds herself to calm down.

She takes a deep breath and looks up at him again, "Evan, are you trying to tell me you love me?"

Evan doesn't do anything to negate her statement, but he gazes intently back at her. His reaction makes Avery more nervous. She bats her eyes at him and gives him a seductive look.

"Then what does six mean?" she asks flirtatiously, "I want to have your child?"

Evan stares at Avery with an unfathomable but urgent expression.

"If you want," he whispers.

Avery feels her breath hitch in her chest. She shakes her head and forces herself to inhale and exhale.

"I don't," she says.

Evan suddenly smiles and says, "Ask me again."

"What?" Avery asks confused, "About having your child?"

Evan shakes his head, "No, ask about the one before that."

"What do five slaps mean?" Avery asks, trying to understand what he's playing at.

"No, the one before that," Evan says.

Avery frowns and works hard at remembering their conversation. Evan takes her hand and brings it to his lips, kissing each finger.

"Four means you're in love," Evan says, "Ask me if I'm in love with you."

Avery feels fireworks popping inside her mind, she doesn't know if it's the heat of Evan's fingertips or his words, but everything seems to go fuzzy.

"Tell me, do you want me to love you?" Evan asks.

"I don't!" Avery responds automatically.

She has conditioned herself to reject him and keep her distance. The lack of hesitation in her refusal twists the dagger in Evan's heart a little further. Evan's face becomes a mask of indifference—he refuses to let her see how badly her refusal hurts him.

"Is this because you want to renege on the divorce agreement?" Avery asks, "You want me to have children so Diana can return—"

An abrupt and insistent knocking at the door cuts her off.

"Sir, there are lots of journalists outside," Robert Tinder announces, "They say they have a photo of you and Mrs. Howel signing divorce papers."

Robert's voice is anxious. He knows that Evan and Avery are in the room, and he knows his boss would be furious if he were interrupted while making love. At the same time, Robert knows that the situation is urgent.

"What?" Evan's look darkens.

He's no longer interested in hearing what Avery has to say about love or children. He fiercely pinches Avery's waist.

"It was you who told them, wasn't it?" he hisses.

He recalls Avery's initial plans to announce the divorce at a press conference at the Howel house, and her effort to start the rumor that Leonie would replace her. He can't believe that she has maintained such close contact with the media without his knowledge of it.

There are only two copies of the divorce agreement—one copy for each of them. He destroyed his copy the moment he signed it. He doesn't want to let her go in six months, and he was counting on that time to win her back. But now it seems that Avery won't even give him six months.

"Is she that desperate to leave me?" he wonders.

Avery is shocked by the news, but she instantly suspects Janetta.

"Janetta was the only one who saw me holding the papers—she must have gone back and looked for them after I left the room," Avery thinks, "I can't believe I went to Evan just to help her! This truly is betrayal!"

"It wasn't me," Avery announces, "The agreement takes effect in six months, and I don't have to go to the press—I just have to wait."

Evan sneers. His eyes are icy and fierce.

"Really?" He asks, the mistrust evident in his voice.

His tone stings Avery, and she flinches as he applies more pressure on her waist. It feels as if he's trying to reach inside her body. She feels cold sweat on her face.

"Don't you trust me?" she asks, "You think that after three and a half years, I can't wait six months?"

"We're the only ones who have access to the papers," Evan says, "I need evidence to believe it wasn't you."

Avery bites her lip. She can't offer any evidence—she only has vague suspicions about her sister.

"Don't have any?" Evan sneers.

He pushes her away from him and she stumbles and falls to the floor. Evan approaches her, his face a cold, violent mask, but then he steps away like a frustrating beast. He grits his teeth and approaches her again, grabbing her by the jaw. His bloodshot eyes come closer to her face. Although Avery has frequently seen Evan's angry faces, the ferocity of his look still shocks her. She closes her eyes and raises her jaw defiantly as if daring him to do something.

Evan checks his temper and pulls away from her. He feels as if his heart has been torn out of his chest; the pain is terrible, and he doesn't know how to channel it. He stomps over to the glass-topped coffee table and sweeps everything off of it. The bottles and glasses crash to the floor and shatter, and the heavy scent of alcohol fills the room.

"It wasn't me," Avery insists.

Evan ignores her, glaring with livid rage.

"How could I possibly love you?" Evan says, gritting his teeth with each word,

"I could never love you. I will never love you. Never!"

"Really?" Evan asks himself, "If I didn't love her this wouldn't hurt so badly."

Evan slams the door with such force, the furniture shakes. Avery is left buried in Evan's rage and anger. She always knew that he didn't love her, but hearing him say it out loud has caused a painful sensation in her chest. It feels as though her heart has sunk into the abyss of her stomach. She doesn't want to leave things like that.

She carefully avoids the broken bottles and tries to stand up. She's about to rush after Evan when she realizes she's still wearing her bathrobe. With a glance, she chooses a high-necked dress to cover the hickeys Evan has put on her neck. She snatches it from the hanger and then hangs it back up with great agitation. She grabs another dress: a one-shouldered piece that makes her bruised neck look as elegant as a swan's.