Continued from page 2

The Long Goodbye

Thursday January 29, 2004 11:05 AM EST

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But the call never came – and no license was filed. "The relationship," says their friend, "started to deteriorate." So why keep hanging on? Lopez, for one, wanted to save face, says a source close to her: "She didn't want to have another failed relationship." Also, her mother, Guadalupe, 58, adored Affleck. "Lupe's like him," says the source. "She's fun and outgoing and likes to gamble." But anyone who saw Lupe at the Peacock Lounge in Las Vegas on Dec. 30 – sitting at the blackjack table along with Lopez, Affleck and Matt Damon – could see that her daughter does not. "Ben played while J.Lo stared at his cards, looking bored," says a witness. At least one Affleck friend does not blame Lopez for "haggling him" to curb his gambling. Having once seen him lose tens of thousands of dollars at a gaming table, his pal calls Affleck's wagering "a concern."

The end of the relationship, however, came after Affleck repeatedly refused to bet on marriage. In the past few months, "she gave him ultimatums," says a close source. "He never followed through. She finally realized they were never going to get married." The night before Lopez publicly declared an end to their engagement, Affleck played poker at the Commerce Casino outside L.A. until nearly 4 a.m. He refused to comment on, or even confirm, the split. Lopez, "doing well," says her father, David Lopez, 62, roared back onto the scene as a single woman. On Jan. 24 she attended a birthday party for her former manager Benny Medina at his Beverly Hills home. Credited for her rise to superstardom, Medina had been unceremoniously dumped by Lopez – with the encouragement of Affleck – last June. A month ago she broached a rapprochement with him and danced happily at his party alongside Ricky Martin, Will Smith and the Hilton sisters. The next day Lopez put her best face forward during an appearance at the Golden Globes. Before the ceremony Lopez's mother and young niece Rebecca gathered at Lopez's home to offer their support. As the star tried different dresses, Rebecca paraded around in her aunt's makeup and shoes. "It was a family thing," says Lopez's hairstylist, Oribe. "Jen's mood was great."

The artists formerly known as Bennifer must now concentrate on refurbishing their careers. (Perhaps Lopez was seeking advice when, on Jan. 26, she visited Santeria spiritualist Merle Gonzalez, whom she also consulted the day before her wedding was called off.) First step: Jersey Girl . Miramax, the studio releasing the film March 19, has made it clear that, unlike Gigli, this is not a Ben Affleck-Jennifer Lopez vehicle; Lopez's character dies off early in the script, and Affleck will most likely promote the movie on his own.

This is an online excerpt of PEOPLE magazine's cover package.

• By KAREN S. SCHNEIDER. LORENZO BENET, MICHAEL FLEEMAN, MAUREEN HARRINGTON, BRENDA RODRIGUEZ, FRANK SWERTLOW and ULRICA WIHLBORG in Los Angeles, KC BAKER, SHARON COTLIAR, MARK DAGOSTINO, REBECCA PALEY and MICHELLE TAN in New York, ANNE DRISCOLL in Boston, KATE SILVER in Las Vegas and STEVE HELLING in Savannah

PEOPLE.com Photo Gallery: Bennifer: The Way They Were