In her first big hit, “Love Don’t Cost a Thing,” Jennifer Lopez mocked a materialistic lover—possibly Sean “Diddy” Combs—for trying to impress her with “bling-bling” and BMWs.

Yet 24 years later, it’s hard to imagine that Lopez never wanted to surround herself with the trappings of extreme wealth, especially when it came to rekindling her romance with Ben Affleck. As Lopez and Affleck told the world, their recent three-year whirlwind relationship and marriage unfolded against a backdrop of luxurious vacations, a three-day wedding extravaganza that included multiple designer outfit changes for Lopez, the purchase of a $60 million Beverly Hills estate that they barely lived in for a year, and Lopez reportedly pouring millions of her own money into a documentary about her “greatest love story never told.”

Many in America were delighted at the idea that these two famous and attractive ex-lovers had reunited at midlife and were finally ready to fulfill their imagined destiny of happily ever after. Yet two years after their wedding, Lopez and Affleck are living apart, reportedly no longer speaking to each other and on the verge of divorce. They are expected to soon complete what Page Six called their expensive, multi-million dollar “exercise for closure” – all because, sources said, they couldn’t stop thinking about the “unfinished business” of their past.

“They were swept up in the moment,” a friend told Page Six. “Jennifer had wanted this wedding – the dresses, the girlfriends, all the frills and embellishments – for decades.”

But after giving in to “nostalgia” and “playing out the romance to the end,” they “now know for sure that they are not meant to last forever,” the friend said.

“No more unanswered questions,” the friend continued. “They’ve seen everything they needed to see and it’s over.” But the friend also offered a bitter dose of reality: “In the end, it will be the most complex and expensive final exercise ever.”

Lopez and Affleck dated from 2002 to 2004, after Lopez had a tumultuous relationship with Combs and she married backup dancer Cris Judd. The ups and downs of Lopez and Affleck’s first romance were closely followed in the entertainment and tabloid press until they called off their engagement, citing the intense media scrutiny.

They rekindled their romance in 2021, shortly after the multi-named singer, actor, influencer and entrepreneur split from former baseball star Alex Rodriguez. Affleck, meanwhile, had already finalized his divorce from Jennifer Garner. Amid even more media scrutiny, Lopez and her fourth husband tied the knot in July 2022, first in a flash ceremony in Las Vegas and then held a lavish wedding ceremony and reception at his Georgia estate. At the ceremony, Lopez walked down the aisle in the first of three Ralph Lauren gowns of the evening, wearing over $2 million worth of diamonds and pearls, according to People magazine.

In May, reports emerged that their marriage was in trouble after TMZ and other media outlets reported that the “Argo” actor and director had moved out of their Beverly Hills estate. That same month, Page Six and other media outlets reported that Affleck was pushing for a divorce. “If there was a way to get a divorce on the grounds of temporary insanity, he would do it,” a source told Page Six. “He feels like the last two years have been a fever dream…”

Other reports said the actor, who has long struggled with alcohol addiction, is trying to stay sober and healthy and is looking forward to “getting off this rollercoaster.” Sources close to Lopez responded this week that she was “angry” and “humiliated” by Affleck’s behavior. One told Page Six that “he was the one who initiated the reunion.”

Certainly very few people in the world can afford the kind of “fever dream” or “roller coaster ride” that Lopez and Affleck do. While Lopez sang in 2000 that “love costs nothing,” the reality is that divorce often comes at a high cost, especially for those with high net worth.

What may make the divorce process easier for Lopez and Affleck, whose net worths are estimated at $400 million and $150 million respectively, is that they had a prenuptial agreement, TMZ reported earlier this week. The only property they owned together was the Beverly Hills mansion, which neither of them reportedly ever really wanted. They have put the house up for sale for $68 million.