D/C: It's still the same, okay?
Theresa's POV
I couldn't take it anymore.
"Both of you... just leave. I need some time to think," I ordered, shooing them out the door. They left, wordlessly. I threw myself on my bed, crying myself to sleep.
Lyn's POV
I figured when I hadn't heard from Theresa after Alex unexpectedly picked up Xander, something was wrong. The next morning, Little Ethan and Mattie got up at the same time, so I got them dressed and ready to go over to Theresa's house.
She answered the door with puffy eyes and a red nose, wearing a bathrobe, her normally tidy hair in a disheveled mess.
"Lyn, I don't know what to do," she cried. I let myself and the kids in and settled them in Little Ethan's room with some toys.
"Just talk about it, okay?" I asked.
"I don't know..." she started.
Theresa's POV
After awhile I just let it spill out into the open.
"And I didn't know what to do when Alex was on my doorstep, so I just sent both of them away!" she bawled.
"I don't know what to say, just that you have to make it clear that there's only one of you to go around, and that one of them is going to be disapointed. There's no use in leading one or the other on," she commented, patting my back, trying to keep me from crying again.
I thought for awhile before I answered her. "I really need time to think about this," I said, sobbing.
Half an hour later, Lyn took the babies back to her place and left me to think for myself.
***********
I thought about it for three days, during which I took off of school, when I got a chilling phone call from home.
"Theresita, is Ethan there? It is imperative that I speak with him," Mama said after I answered the phone.
"No, I've been thinking and I sent him away so that I could."
"As I was saying, it is imperative I speak with him. Gwen commited suicide yesterday."
"What?"
"Yes, mi Theresita. She did. Now you see why I must speak with him."
"I'll find him, Mama, and have him call you, okay?"
We hung up wordlessly and I began searching for him. I dressed Little Ethan for the day and sent him over to Lyn's house. I didn't have to go very far.
***********
"Theresa? I wasn't expecting you today," she said, dumbfounded.
"Can you watch Little Ethan while I find out where Ethan is?" I asked.
"Sure, but he asked me to tell you next time I saw you that he was staying at the hotel by campus..." she started while I took off, leaving Little Ethan in her care.
I found him half an hour later at the Somerset Hotel, eating in the dining area.
"Theresa, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"It's Gwen. Mama just called and said she commited suicide. She needs you to call her," I said.
"Thanks, Theresa. I'll go up to my room and call her. Have you been thinking a lot the past few days?" he hinted.
"Yes, but I'm still not completely certain about what I'm gonna do, so don't push me, okay?" I asked.
***********
Two days later I was on the way back to Harmony with Lyn, Mattie, Ethan, Little Ethan, and surprisingly, Alex and Xander.
The two men were on edge and wouldn't sit closer than two seats away from each other. Ethan was clutching his seat and ready to jump up at any notice of turbulence. Alex was constantly fretting about Mattie and Xander getting sick, that he got sick in the bathroom himself.
The flight was terrible, to say the least.
What seemed like days later, we finally landed at Harmony Airport and were met by to Crane cars. Ethan took Lyn and Mattie in one, and I took Alex, Xander and Little Ethan in the other, with Crane staff driving, of course.
Our car was silent the whole time, and I heard later that Lyn's was too.
***********
We all got a good night's rest to get over the jet lag before the funeral the next day. Ethan was going through some of her things which would be given to a cousin of hers who was living in Bermuda, when he called me into his room to examine a letter the cops must've overlooked during their investigation. He called Chief Bennett, who also is Ethan's biological father, to come and examine it. He opened the white letter envelope, which was sealed with the Crane logo. He took out a two-page letter which he read to himself before stuffing it into an evidence bag.
"So, what did it say?" Ethan asked.
"We've finally found the suicide note. It explained about the tabloid. Well Theresa, you're cleared from the tabloid article. It says here that she and her mother sent it from your computer. Wait until Ivy and Rebecca find out about this," he laughed and took off with the letter.
When the confusion finally died down, Ethan took me aside.
"So my life with Gwen was a lie? I can't believe I thought it was you," he said, getting down on his knees.
I sat in silence for awhile. "I've decided about what I want to do. Go get Alex," I said, ushering him to the door.
***********
"You both know why I'm here." I started. They both nodded their heads and sat in silence.
"I've decided who I'll be with." I continued.
"Ethan, I still can't get over that you believed Gwen over me, so I've decided I can't be with you. I know now that everything we shared was a lie and that we were only together because I had thought I needed you to have the perfect life. And Alex, we've both shared things, like living in our loveless marriages, and I feel I can share things with you. So if you still want to, Alex, I'd like to be with you. I feel like I've grown up with you, and that Ethan is a part of my childhood."
"Of course!" Alex said, leaping up and wrapping me in his arms.
I finally realized I had grown up in the brief time I was away from my home, and that I didn't need Ethan to make me happy. I could make myself happy on my own.
Theresa's POV
I couldn't take it anymore.
"Both of you... just leave. I need some time to think," I ordered, shooing them out the door. They left, wordlessly. I threw myself on my bed, crying myself to sleep.
Lyn's POV
I figured when I hadn't heard from Theresa after Alex unexpectedly picked up Xander, something was wrong. The next morning, Little Ethan and Mattie got up at the same time, so I got them dressed and ready to go over to Theresa's house.
She answered the door with puffy eyes and a red nose, wearing a bathrobe, her normally tidy hair in a disheveled mess.
"Lyn, I don't know what to do," she cried. I let myself and the kids in and settled them in Little Ethan's room with some toys.
"Just talk about it, okay?" I asked.
"I don't know..." she started.
Theresa's POV
After awhile I just let it spill out into the open.
"And I didn't know what to do when Alex was on my doorstep, so I just sent both of them away!" she bawled.
"I don't know what to say, just that you have to make it clear that there's only one of you to go around, and that one of them is going to be disapointed. There's no use in leading one or the other on," she commented, patting my back, trying to keep me from crying again.
I thought for awhile before I answered her. "I really need time to think about this," I said, sobbing.
Half an hour later, Lyn took the babies back to her place and left me to think for myself.
***********
I thought about it for three days, during which I took off of school, when I got a chilling phone call from home.
"Theresita, is Ethan there? It is imperative that I speak with him," Mama said after I answered the phone.
"No, I've been thinking and I sent him away so that I could."
"As I was saying, it is imperative I speak with him. Gwen commited suicide yesterday."
"What?"
"Yes, mi Theresita. She did. Now you see why I must speak with him."
"I'll find him, Mama, and have him call you, okay?"
We hung up wordlessly and I began searching for him. I dressed Little Ethan for the day and sent him over to Lyn's house. I didn't have to go very far.
***********
"Theresa? I wasn't expecting you today," she said, dumbfounded.
"Can you watch Little Ethan while I find out where Ethan is?" I asked.
"Sure, but he asked me to tell you next time I saw you that he was staying at the hotel by campus..." she started while I took off, leaving Little Ethan in her care.
I found him half an hour later at the Somerset Hotel, eating in the dining area.
"Theresa, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"It's Gwen. Mama just called and said she commited suicide. She needs you to call her," I said.
"Thanks, Theresa. I'll go up to my room and call her. Have you been thinking a lot the past few days?" he hinted.
"Yes, but I'm still not completely certain about what I'm gonna do, so don't push me, okay?" I asked.
***********
Two days later I was on the way back to Harmony with Lyn, Mattie, Ethan, Little Ethan, and surprisingly, Alex and Xander.
The two men were on edge and wouldn't sit closer than two seats away from each other. Ethan was clutching his seat and ready to jump up at any notice of turbulence. Alex was constantly fretting about Mattie and Xander getting sick, that he got sick in the bathroom himself.
The flight was terrible, to say the least.
What seemed like days later, we finally landed at Harmony Airport and were met by to Crane cars. Ethan took Lyn and Mattie in one, and I took Alex, Xander and Little Ethan in the other, with Crane staff driving, of course.
Our car was silent the whole time, and I heard later that Lyn's was too.
***********
We all got a good night's rest to get over the jet lag before the funeral the next day. Ethan was going through some of her things which would be given to a cousin of hers who was living in Bermuda, when he called me into his room to examine a letter the cops must've overlooked during their investigation. He called Chief Bennett, who also is Ethan's biological father, to come and examine it. He opened the white letter envelope, which was sealed with the Crane logo. He took out a two-page letter which he read to himself before stuffing it into an evidence bag.
"So, what did it say?" Ethan asked.
"We've finally found the suicide note. It explained about the tabloid. Well Theresa, you're cleared from the tabloid article. It says here that she and her mother sent it from your computer. Wait until Ivy and Rebecca find out about this," he laughed and took off with the letter.
When the confusion finally died down, Ethan took me aside.
"So my life with Gwen was a lie? I can't believe I thought it was you," he said, getting down on his knees.
I sat in silence for awhile. "I've decided about what I want to do. Go get Alex," I said, ushering him to the door.
***********
"You both know why I'm here." I started. They both nodded their heads and sat in silence.
"I've decided who I'll be with." I continued.
"Ethan, I still can't get over that you believed Gwen over me, so I've decided I can't be with you. I know now that everything we shared was a lie and that we were only together because I had thought I needed you to have the perfect life. And Alex, we've both shared things, like living in our loveless marriages, and I feel I can share things with you. So if you still want to, Alex, I'd like to be with you. I feel like I've grown up with you, and that Ethan is a part of my childhood."
"Of course!" Alex said, leaping up and wrapping me in his arms.
I finally realized I had grown up in the brief time I was away from my home, and that I didn't need Ethan to make me happy. I could make myself happy on my own.