Last time Ethan read Theresa's letter and decided to leave Gwen...just before he overheard her talking to Rebecca about what they had done... (Rating: PG13 with a brief R at the end)
Chapter 12
Looking into Ethan's eyes, Gwen knew that today was her day of reckoning. Even Rebecca was trembling; she'd spilled the rest of her Martini and hadn't even noticed.
"You can just learn so much listening to people who think they're alone. It's quite amusing actually."
Ethan still spoke calmly, as pleasantly as if they were just shooting the breeze. If his eyes weren't so cold Gwen might've thought he hadn't heard her, and tried to wriggle her way out of this somehow, but it was too late for that. She decided the best thing to do was cut her losses and throw herself on his mercy. After all Ethan loved her, right? Maybe it wouldn't turn out as badly as she'd always feared.
"Ethan I can explain." she started.
"Can you?" he asked.
Gwen cleared her throat. "I really do have a very good reason…uh…uh…a perfectly logical explanation…" she stopped as her throat shut off and she couldn't speak.
Ethan raised his eyebrow impatiently. "Well? What about that explanation? I'm just dying to hear it." His voice was beginning to lose some of its congeniality, and Gwen tried a different tactic.
"Honey. You're upset. Why don't you give me the baby, and maybe we should talk about this at home." she said, reaching for Jane. Then she drew back in shock when Ethan swatted her hands away and held Jane a little tighter.
"No. It is too your benefit that I'm holding my daughter and that we're sitting in public." he said testily. "It's the only reason I have any semblance of calm. Now, I'm waiting to hear your explanation."
Rebecca jumped in at this point. "Well Ethan, really…you shouldn't blame Gwen. It was all my idea and I had to convince her…" Rebecca was cut off by Ethan's quiet anger.
"Shut...up, Rebecca! I know this was your idea, I'm not surprised, I don't have anything to say to you! This is between me and my wife." He turned to Gwen here. "Start talking. And you better make it good."
Knowing it was time to stop stalling, Gwen took a deep breath. "OK. OK. I was incensed that you were marrying Theresa. I was jealous that you'd leave me for the housekeeper's daughter. I was so spoiled back then, and then we figured out Theresa knew that you were Sam's son and that she had the information on her computer when we heard her confront Ivy about it, then Mother came up with this plan…" Gwen was rambling, but she couldn't help it. "And I just went along with it. I loved you too much to lose you…" she cut off at Ethan's scoff.
"You loved me? You loved me? And what kind of love is it when you destroy someone's life and wait for the fall out, huh? You knew…you saw the pain I was going through and you just let it happen! Heck--You caused it!" Ethan stopped abruptly as Jane began to fuss, then lowering his voice he continued. "You say you love me? No you don't! Or you never would've done this to me!" Chuckling mirthlessly, Ethan continued. "You know the worst part? Not only did you cost me six years with the woman I really love—six years! You cost me six years with my son! I didn't get to spend every hour of every day with my son!" Tears of anger filled his eyes, and Gwen and Rebecca looked at him in shock.
"Your son?" Gwen exclaimed. Then it dawned on her. "The will. That's what was in Theresa's will. She told you that Little Ethan is your son, didn't she?" Looking into Ethan's eyes, Gwen knew the truth and felt a flash of jealousy. Of course. Theresa not only gave him two children; she truly had given him his first born. Not in Jane, but in Little Ethan. A son no less. Then a thought crossed her mind, and she thought maybe she could turn this little bit of information against Theresa.
"You know, you're angry with me for keeping one secret, but here is another in a long line that Theresa kept from you!" Gwen was pulling out all the stops. "I mean, My God Ethan! You have a son! She had to know how much that would mean to you and she kept it from you anyway! How could she?"
Ethan looked at her with disdain. "Do you know why she kept it from me? She explained it all in a letter. She said she couldn't lose anything else to you. She talked about how you'd manipulated me into taking Little Ethan from her once before, and how you convinced me to take Jane from her because she was an unfit mother…heh! How could I be so stupid!" Ethan was trying to calm himself to keep from upsetting Jane. "It's all true. You wanted to punish Theresa for the fact that I couldn't stop loving her. You wanted her to feel your pain—pain that I was causing. And I let you. I let you."
"Well, Theresa isn't innocent you know!" Gwen protested angrily. "Look at everything she's done to you over the years! She's done worse things than I've ever done…"
"Theresa was trying to keep me from living a lie. Theresa was trying to get me to follow my heart to the truth." Ethan stood then, still holding Jane in his arms. He gathered all her things, and turned back to Gwen. " Well, I didn't get it before, but I get it now. This lie…it's over. Do you hear me? Our marriage is over!"
"Ethan! Ethan! No! You don't mean that! Ethan!" And watching Ethan leave, Gwen dropped to the ground and started to cry.
Spike stood over Theresa and shook his head. It really was a shame to waste such a beautiful face. But he had his orders. And he had to work fast. Anybody could come in at anytime.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Crane," he said as he picked up an extra pillow that was in the room. "I hate to do this, but I can't waste all that money. You have to go. Oh…on the way out, be sure to thank your good friend…Jared Casey." And with that, he held the pillow roughly over her face.
