Author's Note: I wrote this pretty quickly today. It's a bridge between the January 11 and January 12 episodes. This popped up after I saw the scene today after Ethan tells Johnny what his plan was. I wouldn't let myself watch the rest of the episode until I finished this. So I'm off to watch it now! I hope you like it :c)
Well, Ethan Lovett thought to himself, today was a disaster. Cleaning off the bar before closing at the Haunted Star, he couldn't help but feel disappointed as he thought about his day. What should've been a nice excursion checking out places with Maya turned into reason number seventy-five why this wouldn't end well between them. After leaving Jake's, they never got back the comfortable feeling of the early afternoon. It certainly didn't help that every place they looked at was more hopeless than the one before it.
What was worse was Maya's logical method of critiquing each location. She even made up a scoring system to help with the elimination process. Gone were the day dreams of yards, bay windows, and herb gardens. All because of one thing he'd said. If he could go back and stop himself from mentioning the time limit on their marriage, he would. Even though he hadn't meant it the way she thought he did.
Or maybe that was exactly what he meant. Reminding her, reminding them both, of the one year requirement effectively put a stop to the dreams in her eyes. The vision, the life she was creating for them in her mind. The life he knew in his heart he wanted to share with her, but in his head knew could never be. He wasn't built for the long haul, just as he'd told her. It didn't matter that she was the best thing to happen to him, that he cared more for her than he had for any other woman in his life. What mattered, the only thing that mattered, was the knowledge that he would take this beautiful, amazing woman's heart and break it if he allowed this marriage to continue.
And he was not going to let that happen.
The only problem now was figuring out how to ensure she got the money she was counting on from Edward's payout. Ethan went through countless possibilities in his head, but the surest way was to use his card skills. A quick and easy solution. All he needed was a couple high rolling suckers and he'd be on his way. The thought had no sooner crossed his mind when the last of the casino's patrons made their way to him. "Anything I can help you with?" he asked the four men as they reached the bar.
When they expressed their desire for a higher stakes game than they'd been able to find all night, Ethan took it as a sign that he was doing the right thing. Here it was, the perfect opportunity to give Maya what she needed without causing her any pain. She would get her money, an annulment, and he could send her off with the freedom and independence she wanted so badly.
If the thought of separating from her caused his own heart to break, so be it. He would deal with it later. He would find a way to live with the searing pain in his chest if he knew she was taken care of and safe. This was one thing he could do for her.
His decision made, Ethan smiled and pointed towards the back rooms behind him. "If you gentlemen would follow me, I think I can arrange the kind of game you're looking for."