About an hour later, Paulina and Neil came back to the party.

"Are you all right, Darling?" said Rachel.

"I'm fine." said Paulina, "Just fine, for the first time in three years."

She walked over to Joe.

"Blue-eyes -"

WHAM! Paulina's fist smashed into Joe's face.

"YOU PIG!" she screamed. Then, addressing the onlookers: "Do you know what he did to me? Do you? He put a lovespell on me! He turned me into his slave! No matter how he treated me, I kept thinking that I was married to a man I adored!"

"I was a good husband." Joe protested, "We were happy together."

"Happy? I never want to see you again! Get him out of here, before I kill him!"

"Joseph Carlino, you are under arrest for the use of illegal magic." said Neil Johanssen.

"I want a divorce!" Paulina yelled after him, as he was led away. (:-D!)

"You don't need one." said Cass, "Marriage vows made under magical compulsion aren't legally binding, any more than if you had made them with a gun at your head. I'll see a judge first thing in the morning and get your so-called marriage annulled."

"Thanks, Cass." said Paulina, "What about Dante, though? Won't that make him illegitimate?"

"There are precedents for the child of such a union being considered legitimate." said Cass, "I'll straighten that out, too."

"And can you change his name from Carlino to Cory?"

"Leave everything to me."

****

Next morning, Bay City awoke to the news that their Police Captain was in jail. Josie Sinclair was appointed Acting Captain, until further notice.

"Who would have thought Joe, of all people, could do a thing like that?" she remarked, as she cleaned out his office (which was now her office).

****

"I hear you had a bit of excitement." said Stark, entering Amanda's office at Cory Publishing.

"Yes, my sister Paulina's husband turned out to have used black magic to get her to marry him." she replied.

"Fancy that!"

"To think I always envied Paulina her wonderful husband!"

"It goes to show how little we really know of the people around us." said Stark.

"I'll say!"

"Let's move on to more pleasant topics," said Stark, "I'd like you to accept this small token of my esteem."

He took out the filagreed silver locket.

"It's lovely," said Amanda, "It looks old."

"It's 18th Century." said Stark, "It belonged to my wife

Amanda sniffed delicately. "What's that scent?"

"It's filled with a mixture of good-luck herbs and flowers." said Stark, "It's really a talisman."

"This family could use some good luck." said Amanda, "But I can't accept such a - personal gift."

*I*insist* said Stark, backing up the words with a spell of compulsion.

"Thank you, David." said Amanda, succumbing without a struggle.

He fastened the chain around her throat.

"Wear it at all times." he told her.

****

When Jake arrived at the Carriage House, he found Paulina heaping Joe's possessions in the yard.

"I don't know whether to call the garbageman or start a bonfire." she said, "Just so I get every trace of Joe Carlino out of my life."

The phone rang; Paulina hurried to answer it.

"Hello? - I see - Thanks, Cass."

She hung up. "It's official. My marriage is annulled. I'm Paulina Cory again."

"Welcome back." said Jake.

"I feel like I've been wandering around in a fog for years, and now finally, I can see clearly." said Paulina, "Why didn't I ever suspect? Five months after you were supposed to have died in a car crash, I agreed to marry a man I didn't even know? After one date? And when you turned up alive, I rejected you for that - JERK?"

"I wondered about that myself," said Jake, "But I just figured you had lousy taste in men. Don't beat yourself up. I think it's part of the spell that you believe you're acting of your own free will."

"There must have been a part of me, deep down inside, that knew the truth." said Paulina, "If I'd really been happy, I wouldn't have been stuffing my face with food, or taking pills, or drinking too much."

"You never did any of those things when you were married to me." Jake agreed.

"Oh Jake, when I think how I pushed you away!" said Paulina, "You're the only man I ever really loved - and now it's too late!"

"No it's not." said Jake, "I never stopped loving you. If you want me, I'm all yours."

"But - Vicky!"

"I'll ask her for a divorce. She won't stand in our way."

"I thought you two had a good marriage."

"You thought you and the jerk had one too." said Jake, "Vicky and me got married because we're friends, and it was better than being alone. You're the woman I love, Paulina, - always were, always will be, whether you love me or not. So - do you?"

"How can you even ask?" Paulina flung herself into Jake's arms; they kissed passionately.