Thanks for all of the feedback!!!!
Chapter 15
Miguel and Charity stood on the terrace in silence, each waiting for the other to speak up first.
"So."
"So."
"I see you've been doing well, you know with singing and everything," Miguel said trying to start up a conversation.
"Yeah, things are going really well," Charity replied.
"That's great," he replied. "You look amazing tonight. That dress is beautiful," he said admiring Charity.
"Thanks, I had it personally made."
"I see," Miguel replied looking at the ground. "So that was Brady Black," he said as more of a statement than a question.
"Yes, that was him," Charity replied looking at Miguel.
"So are you two, like dating?" he asked dreading her answer. Charity stared at Miguel for a few seconds before finally replying.
"Yes, we are."
"Really?" he asked shocked and hurt. "For how long?"
"I really don't think that's any of your business," she said turning away from Miguel.
"Oh, okay," he said hurt that Charity didn't want to tell him. 'Then again, I probably don't want to know,' he thought to himself.
"So, about you. I guess I should congratulate you and Kay on your child, right?" she asked barely able to finish the sentence.
"No, no, there's no need for congratulations," Miguel barely replied, thinking about his child that never made it to the world.
"Miguel, what's happened?" Charity asked seeing the sad look that came across Miguel's face.
"Kay had a miscarriage during her third month of pregnancy," he said looking toward the ground as tears formed in his eyes.
"Oh, Miguel I'm so sorry," Charity said her heart reaching out to Miguel. "That must have been a very painful time for you."
"Yeah, it was. It would have been nice to have you here and not in some unknown part of the country singing songs," he replied somewhat bitterly.
"Well I'm sorry I couldn't be here to help you mourn the loss of the child you and my cousin conceived while you were still dating me. Please find it in your heart to forgive me," Charity replied also bitterly with a touch of sarcasm.
'Did Charity just say that?' Miguel asked himself.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry Miguel. That was really rude and inconsiderate of me," Charity replied already feeling bad for what she had just said.
"It's okay, you were just saying letting off some of your anger. I understand," Miguel replied. "What happened to us Charity? We used to be so happy and in love, hell, we were about to get married. But now we don't even know what to say to each other. This isn't how it was supposed to be, this isn't how we planned it," he said taking her hand in his.
"Well things don't always go as planned, you should know that," Charity replied taking her hand away from Miguel. "Theresa didn't plan on marrying my father when she went to Bermuda, Ethan didn't plan on breaking Theresa's heart the first time he met her, I didn't plan on hearing that my fiancé and cousin were expecting a baby on my wedding day!" she said, her voice rising with every word. "Nobody plans these things Miguel! They just happen and they leave nothing but tears and regrets in their trail!"
"What do you want me to say? How can I make this okay?" Miguel pleaded.
"You can't! Don't you see? You can't say a few words and hope to live happily ever after, it doesn't work that way."
"But I love you, Charity. God, I have spent the last two years wondering where you were, how you were doing, if you were happy, everything. You can't just tell me that we have no chance of being happy," Miguel said as tears began to fill his eyes.
"I'm not saying that. You can be happy, just not with me," she replied.
"How can I? I don't want anyone but you," he said as the tears continued to fall.
Charity stared at Miguel with tears of her own falling from her eyes. At one point she probably would have taken some joy out of seeing Miguel as hurt as she was, but now she only felt sorry for him. 'How can I be happy about this? He's going through the same pain I went through two years ago. I wouldn't wish that on Miguel, even he doesn't deserve it.'
"I'm sorry that you've spent the last two years holding out hope on us, but it'll never happen. Even if we were to somehow get over the Kay incident, it still wouldn't work. You and I live two different lives now. You've got school and your family to care about and I've got singing and my family to care about. It would just be too difficult," she said trying to make him understand.
"And this decision has nothing to do with lover boy over there?" he asked bitterly pointing to Brady in the mansion.
"His name is Brady," she replied annoyed that Miguel wasn't taking this as maturely as she expected. "And to be honest, yes, Brady has a lot to do with this decision. If it weren't for him and his support, I probably would have forgiven you and taken you back even if I didn't want to."
"So you're just going to let him influence this big decision in your life?" he asked a little bit jealous.
"There is no decision to influence. Taking you back was never an option, therefore there was no decision to make. I have been with Brady for a year and a half and I love him very much. More than I have ever loved anything or anyone before and I would never walk away from him. I can't and I won't," she said staring Miguel in the eyes.
"No! I refuse to believe that you could ever love Brady the way you loved me. It's not possible!" he said angrily.
"Dammit Miguel, stop acting like this! Brady and I are together and we will be for a very long time. Whether or not you believe me is not of my concern. I came out here to talk to you so that we could resolve our problems and maybe try to be friends. I didn't come here for a fight and I won't stand here and participate in one," she said.
"I can't be your friend Charity. I just can't," Miguel said as the tears fell harder down his eyes.
"I'm sorry you feel that way," Charity said staring at Miguel with a fresh wave of tears cascading down her face. She wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to walk back into the house.
"I love you Charity," Miguel said before she could leave.
'Why is he making this harder for the both of us? Why can't he just accept this and move on?' she thought looking back at Miguel. She smiled sadly at Miguel before replying.
"Goodbye Miguel," and then she was gone, leaving Miguel to stay on the terrace and cry for the love he had just lost.
Kay had been watching the terrace for the past thirty minutes waiting for Miguel or Charity to emerge from it. 'Dammit! Charity is going to forgive Miguel and I'll be chopped liver all over again! This can't be happening!' she thought to herself, still watching the terrace door. She saw Charity emerge from it and noticed that she was wiping tears from her face. 'Hmm.maybe things didn't go so well for my crazy cousin after all' she thought as she saw Charity head towards her, not aware of where she was going.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Charity said after bumping into someone. She looked up and saw that it was Kay. 'This is so not what I need right now' she said to herself.
"So, Charity, how have things been for you? You know without Miguel and all, I figured you would have spent a lot of your time crying," Kay said with a smirk.
'Be nice Charity. Just remember she lost her baby and she shouldn't be insulted' Charity thought to herself before replying.
"Well I guess you figured wrongly. I barely thought about Miguel while I was gone," she said before attempting to walk past Kay. However, Kay wouldn't have any of that. She pulled Charity's arm and prevented her from walking by.
"And I'm supposed to believe that? Please Charity," Kay responded with a roll of her eyes. "I know you want Miguel, but I'm telling you now, you can't have him."
'Screw being nice! I'll give Kay exactly what she deserves,' Charity thought. "And you know all about wanting something you can't have, don't you Kay? After all, you did spend most of your life pining over a guy who was in love with me, didn't you?" Charity said with a smirk.
Kay stared at Charity in shock. 'Since when did Charity grow a backbone?' she asked herself. 'This is not right! I'm supposed to be gloating and rubbing my happiness in her face, she shouldn't be smiling right now!'
"Yeah, well that was the past," Kay said to Charity. "In the present, Miguel and I are very happy together. We love each other very much and we won't let anyone come between us, okay?" she said in a warning tone.
"Oh really?" Charity asked with a smile on her face. "Tell me this then, if you two are so "happy" together, why did Miguel just spend the last thirty minutes trying to get me to take him back?"
"Wha- What?" Kay asked taken back by Charity's statement. 'I thought he gave up on her!' she thought.
"You heard me Kay, Miguel still wants me, so save your lies and schemes for someone who'll believe you," Charity replied once again attempting to walk past Kay.
"I won't let you take him away from me, okay? I have worked too hard to finally get to where I am right now and I'm on my way to making Miguel fall in love with me, there is no way I'm letting you ruin everything again!" Kay said angrily.
"Funny how you said 'make him love me,' then again I guess that's what you have to do when the guy you love loves someone else, isn't it Kay?" Charity asked smugly. Kay stayed silent. Charity took a deep breath before speaking again. "Don't worry Kay, I don't want Miguel," she said exasperated.
"Sure, you're just saying that so that you don't look too bad in front of me. You just can't handle the fact that it's over and that I won," Kay said smugly.
"Won what Kay?" Charity asked angrily. "The only thing you won was my leftover. You seem to forget that I had Miguel first, you know the real Miguel that loved unconditionally. The Miguel you have is nothing but a man who spends all of his time mending his broken heart. If that's the Miguel you want, go ahead and take him. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go spend some time with Brady, my boyfriend, so move!" Charity said pushing past Kay.
"Wow, if I had any doubts before, I certainly don't anymore," Kay said before Charity could walk away.
"What are you talking about?" Charity asked exasperated.
"I'm talking about you being a Crane. You just acted like a bit*h, don't get me wrong I always thought you were one, but now you just proved it to me. Alistair and Julian must be so proud, you're a Crane through and through," she said hoping what she was saying was hitting a nerve in Charity.
"You're damn right I am, and don't you forget it," Charity said steely before walking away and leaving a shocked Kay behind her.
"So how'd it go?" Brady asked as Charity came up to him.
"Not as well as I expected, but still I said all I had to say," she replied.
"And what about your little interaction with Kay?" he asked referring to what he had just seen.
"When is anything with Kay ever easy?" she asked exasperated.
Brady laughed at the tired look that came across Charity's face before pulling her to sit on his lap.
"At least you got it over with," he said rubbing her lower back.
"Yeah, that's true. So how do you think things are going with Ethan and Theresa?" she asked turning in their direction.
"I don't know, guess we'll just have to wait and see," he replied before turning his attention back to the party while silently watching Theresa and Ethan.
Meanwhile.
Ethan and Theresa stood by the window in silence, each deep in thought. Every few seconds Ethan would glance at Theresa only to find her looking across the room at everyone but him. Finally the silence was too great and he decided to speak up.
"I heard about your big fashion show in Paris a few months ago, congratulations," he said.
"Thank you," Theresa replied. "I worked really hard on it, I'm glad the critics liked it."
"You are a really amazing designer. I've seen a couple of you televised shows on T.V., they're outstanding."
"Thank you," Theresa said looking away from Ethan.
'Why is she being so distant?' he thought to himself. "So how does it feel to finally become a designer? I know that when we first met, designing was a big dream of yours.
"Ethan can we stop with the small talk? You obviously have something you want to say, so go ahead and say it," Theresa said looking up at Ethan.
"What happened to you?" he asked.
"Excuse me?" Theresa asked insulted by his question.
"I mean that you seem so much more colder and distant from the Theresa I knew," Ethan said trying to explain.
"Well the Theresa you knew was nothing but a lovesick teenager who finally realized she had to grow up after boyfriend broke her heart," Theresa replied.
"Theresa, I'm so sorry for the way I treated you before you left. You have to know that I did want to marry you, but I couldn't just leave Gwen with my child. Although that doesn't matter since Gwen was lying about the entire pregnancy," Ethan said sadly.
"Yeah, I heard about that," Theresa said barely showing any emotion in her voice.
"You did?" he asked surprised that she already knew. "Well why didn't you try to contact me when you found out?" he asked not knowing why Theresa hadn't tried to get back together with him after knowing that Gwen lied.
"Because you deserved it," Theresa said, not admitting that she had just found out today. 'He doesn't need to know that,' she thought to herself.
"What?" Ethan asked looking at Theresa in shock.
"Don't look at me like that Ethan. What did you expect, me to come running into your arms after you finally realized what I've been telling you for years? Sorry, it doesn't work that way. Gwen's lies and deceit toward you is nobody's fault but your own, so don't expect sympathy from me," she said coldly.
"I know, you were right and I was wrong, I see that now. But we can move on from here Theresa. We can make it work this time," Ethan said taking Theresa's hand in his.
"I don't believe you!" Theresa exclaimed snatching her hand away from Ethan. "You are a married man and you have the nerve to try to get back together with me while your wife is right there across the room! How dare you!"
"But I'll end things with Gwen. I'll divorce her and you and I can be together, and be as happy as we used to be," Ethan said.
"We were never completely happy Ethan," Theresa said. "I thought we were, but looking back on it, we weren't. I spent our entire relationship hiding one secret or another from you. Not only that but we were constantly trying to prove our relationship to everyone around us. That wasn't happiness, Ethan," she said looking at him.
"But we can be happy now, Theresa! I'm willing to forgive you for all your lies and schemes, and we can work things out," he said.
'Forgive me? Forgive me?! How dare he sit here and tell me that he forgives me! I should be forgiving him for the way he treated me after Gwen announced her pregnancy!' Theresa thought to herself angrily.
"I don't want your damn forgiveness Ethan!" she exclaimed. "Do you know why I constantly lied to you? Do you know why I always kept secrets from you? It's because you made me feel like I had to! You sit there and preach about honesty and how much it means to you, but the truth is you only hear what you want hear. You don't want the truth unless it somehow benefits you and fits into your perfect little world!" she yelled. She took a deep breath before speaking up again. "God, there were so many times when I wanted to tell you the truth and every time I came close, you made me feel like I would lose you forever if I told you the truth."
"So it's my fault that you didn't have enough faith in me or our relationship that you felt you had to lie?" Ethan asked getting angry.
"No, no it's not," Theresa said as realization dawned on her. 'It's not his fault at all, it's my fault' she thought to herself. "It's not your fault Ethan, it's mine. I'm the one who didn't have enough faith in this relationship; I'm the one who lied in this relationship. It had nothing to do with you," she said as she realized the truth in her words.
"But it's okay Theresa," Ethan said trying to make her understand. "We can get over this."
"No we can't! Don't you see? Even when I thought I was in love with you, I still self-consciously knew that our relationship wasn't strong enough to last hard times. I lied to you because I knew we weren't strong enough to overcome these things together. And we still aren't," she stated.
"Yes we are! We can overcome anything Theresa! You just have to give us a chance"
"There's no point! Do you honestly think Gwen is just going to easily let you leave her for me again? What about your mother? She still hates my guts, and believe me the feeling is mutual, but do you think she's just going to sit down and watch me reenter your life again? It won't work," she said.
"I don't care what they think Theresa. I want to be with you and I won't let them interfere. I'm telling you we can be together, what's stopping you?" he asked.
'The fact that I'm in love with your half-brother' Theresa thought to herself. She turned around and saw that Fox was still talking to Sheridan and Luis and it didn't look like he would be coming to her any time soon. Turning back to Ethan, she responded.
"What's stopping me is the fact that you're dreaming Ethan. What you want for us can never be. You're still just a little boy living in a big world Ethan. You don't know what you want and you can't stand here and tell me you want me when you don't even know me anymore."
"Of course I know you. You're the same Theresa who walked in here years ago with that sparkle in her eyes. You're the same Theresa that would sit and talk about fate and destiny for hours on end. You're the same Theresa who would do anything for the ones she loved. You're the Theresa I know and love," he said bringing his hand up to stroke her cheeks.
"Stop it Ethan," Theresa said pulling her face away from Ethan. "You and I are through, we have been since the day you proposed to Gwen. No one forced you to make that decision but you, and now you have to deal with it. I've moved on with my life and I'm happy. I won't throw it all away just to be with a man who chooses to live in his own fantasy world."
"I can be part of your world Theresa. I'll give up everything and follow you anywhere, just don't walk away," Ethan pleaded.
"I'm sorry Ethan," Theresa said turning around and preparing to walk away.
"No! Wait Theresa!" Ethan said grabbing her hand. When he touched her hand he couldn't help but look down at the shining jewelry on her finger. "Oh my God, is this an engagement ring?" he asked looking up at her face.
"Yes," Theresa said, not wavering her eyes from Ethan's.
Ethan felt like he had just been hit by a ton of bricks. 'Why? Why does she have to be engaged? Why did I let her go so that someone else could have her?' "Who's, who's the guy?" he asked barely able to get the words out. Theresa took a deep breath before replying, knowing that Ethan wouldn't like her answer.
"Fox," she said simply waiting for Ethan's reaction.
"WHAT?" he asked loudly. Luckily, no one but Theresa was able to hear him.
"You heard me Ethan. Fox and I are engaged and we're planning on getting married in a couple of months," she said.
"No! No, I won't allow that to happen!" he exclaimed.
"Excuse me? You won't allow it happen?" she exclaimed. "My marriage to Fox is none of your business and you will not do anything to ruin this for either one of us, is that clear?" she asked angrily.
"Why him, Theresa? What does he have that I don't?" he asked.
"It's not about what he has, it's about what he does," she replied. "Fox loves me, Ethan. He loves me when I'm mad, he loves me when I'm sad, he even loves me I'm being a bitch and taking out my frustrations on him."
"I love you too Theresa," Ethan said.
"Not like Fox. You held me up on a pedestal and you loved me as long as I stayed up there. But the instant I fell, you turned your back on me, and Fox wouldn't do that. Fox would pick me up and help me get back up there and stay by side the entire time. You acknowledged my good qualities and ignored my faults. Fox acknowledges both and still loves me just the same. You never could do that," she explained.
"My brother knows nothing about love, I'm afraid that you're being deceived," he said trying to make her understand. 'There is no way my brother is going to get to marry Theresa. I won't let it happen,' he thought.
"If that's what you want to believe, then go ahead Ethan. I trust Fox with all my heart and I know that I never feel like I have to lie to him in order to keep him in my life. If you choose to not accept the fact that I'll be marrying him, that's fine with me, I really don't care," she said as she tried to walk away once again. However, Ethan grabbed her and pulled her back a little harder than before.
"Excuse me Ethan! Let go of my arm!" she exclaimed.
"No, you're not leaving me to go be with my brother! I won't allow it," he said with determination.
Meanwhile.
Fox had been talking to Luis and Sheridan for a while and had realized that he and Luis had a lot more in common than they thought. While talking to Luis and Sheridan, Fox couldn't help but occasionally glance at the corner where Ethan and Theresa stood talking. Sheridan noticed it but decided to wait till Luis was gone before questioning Fox.
"So, Fox, how's life like in California," Sheridan asked.
"Oh you know, same old, same old," he said once again letting his eyes wander toward Ethan and Theresa. From where he was standing he could see that Theresa had said something that totally shocked him. 'Looks like my idiotic older brother knows about my engagement to Theresa' he thought to himself with a smirk on his face.
"What's so funny?" Luis asked noticing the smirk that came across Fox's face.
"Oh, nothing important. Just an old memory," Fox lied.
"So do you plan on moving back to Harmony?" Sheridan asked.
Fox was about to respond when he turned his once again to look at Theresa and Ethan. What he saw made his blood boil. Ethan had grabbed Theresa's arm and was holding her tight, refusing to let go. He looked at Theresa's face and saw that she was scared of Ethan. Before anyone could stop him, Fox charged across the room. Luis and Sheridan followed him, wondering why he took off so quickly. Upon reaching them, Fox roughly pushed Ethan away from Theresa, knocking him to the ground.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he asked Ethan angrily.
"Fox, what's the hell is your problem?" Ivy asked already rushing over and bending down to help Ethan stand up.
"My problem is Ethan thinking he has the right to grab Theresa and prevent her from walking away!" he exclaimed. He was about to go after Ethan again when Theresa pulled him back.
"He's not worth it Fox," she said still rubbing the arm that Ethan squeezed. 'No doubt this is going to leave a bruise,' she thought to herself. "Let's just go, everyone is already looking at us," she said referring to everyone in the room who had now turned their attention to them.
"We're not done talking," Ethan said advancing toward Theresa.
"Oh yes you are," Fox said stepping in front of her.
"Stay out of this. This is between Theresa and I," Ethan said trying to push past Fox.
"There is nothing left to talk about Ethan. I said all that I had to say, now you need to accept it and move on," she said stepping in front of Fox.
"Accept it?!" he exclaimed, his anger boiling inside of him. "I just found out that you're engaged to Fox, my half brother, and you want me to accept it?!" he yelled angrily.
Gasps were heard all around the room at Ethan's last statement. Shocked expressions came across the faces of all the occupants, except Brady, Charity, and the other Cranes, yet no one said a word. All pairs of eyes turned to look at Theresa and Fox, waiting for some kind of explanation. The silence continued to radiate through the room until one voice sounded loud and clear.
"WHAT?!?!?" It was Ivy.
TBC.
I know I said I would put everyone's reaction in this chapter, but I got too into the conversations and realized this chapter would be way too long if I added the reactions. Sorry.
Next Chapter - What's everyone reaction to Theresa and Fox's engagement?
Please leave feedback!!!
Chapter 15
Miguel and Charity stood on the terrace in silence, each waiting for the other to speak up first.
"So."
"So."
"I see you've been doing well, you know with singing and everything," Miguel said trying to start up a conversation.
"Yeah, things are going really well," Charity replied.
"That's great," he replied. "You look amazing tonight. That dress is beautiful," he said admiring Charity.
"Thanks, I had it personally made."
"I see," Miguel replied looking at the ground. "So that was Brady Black," he said as more of a statement than a question.
"Yes, that was him," Charity replied looking at Miguel.
"So are you two, like dating?" he asked dreading her answer. Charity stared at Miguel for a few seconds before finally replying.
"Yes, we are."
"Really?" he asked shocked and hurt. "For how long?"
"I really don't think that's any of your business," she said turning away from Miguel.
"Oh, okay," he said hurt that Charity didn't want to tell him. 'Then again, I probably don't want to know,' he thought to himself.
"So, about you. I guess I should congratulate you and Kay on your child, right?" she asked barely able to finish the sentence.
"No, no, there's no need for congratulations," Miguel barely replied, thinking about his child that never made it to the world.
"Miguel, what's happened?" Charity asked seeing the sad look that came across Miguel's face.
"Kay had a miscarriage during her third month of pregnancy," he said looking toward the ground as tears formed in his eyes.
"Oh, Miguel I'm so sorry," Charity said her heart reaching out to Miguel. "That must have been a very painful time for you."
"Yeah, it was. It would have been nice to have you here and not in some unknown part of the country singing songs," he replied somewhat bitterly.
"Well I'm sorry I couldn't be here to help you mourn the loss of the child you and my cousin conceived while you were still dating me. Please find it in your heart to forgive me," Charity replied also bitterly with a touch of sarcasm.
'Did Charity just say that?' Miguel asked himself.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry Miguel. That was really rude and inconsiderate of me," Charity replied already feeling bad for what she had just said.
"It's okay, you were just saying letting off some of your anger. I understand," Miguel replied. "What happened to us Charity? We used to be so happy and in love, hell, we were about to get married. But now we don't even know what to say to each other. This isn't how it was supposed to be, this isn't how we planned it," he said taking her hand in his.
"Well things don't always go as planned, you should know that," Charity replied taking her hand away from Miguel. "Theresa didn't plan on marrying my father when she went to Bermuda, Ethan didn't plan on breaking Theresa's heart the first time he met her, I didn't plan on hearing that my fiancé and cousin were expecting a baby on my wedding day!" she said, her voice rising with every word. "Nobody plans these things Miguel! They just happen and they leave nothing but tears and regrets in their trail!"
"What do you want me to say? How can I make this okay?" Miguel pleaded.
"You can't! Don't you see? You can't say a few words and hope to live happily ever after, it doesn't work that way."
"But I love you, Charity. God, I have spent the last two years wondering where you were, how you were doing, if you were happy, everything. You can't just tell me that we have no chance of being happy," Miguel said as tears began to fill his eyes.
"I'm not saying that. You can be happy, just not with me," she replied.
"How can I? I don't want anyone but you," he said as the tears continued to fall.
Charity stared at Miguel with tears of her own falling from her eyes. At one point she probably would have taken some joy out of seeing Miguel as hurt as she was, but now she only felt sorry for him. 'How can I be happy about this? He's going through the same pain I went through two years ago. I wouldn't wish that on Miguel, even he doesn't deserve it.'
"I'm sorry that you've spent the last two years holding out hope on us, but it'll never happen. Even if we were to somehow get over the Kay incident, it still wouldn't work. You and I live two different lives now. You've got school and your family to care about and I've got singing and my family to care about. It would just be too difficult," she said trying to make him understand.
"And this decision has nothing to do with lover boy over there?" he asked bitterly pointing to Brady in the mansion.
"His name is Brady," she replied annoyed that Miguel wasn't taking this as maturely as she expected. "And to be honest, yes, Brady has a lot to do with this decision. If it weren't for him and his support, I probably would have forgiven you and taken you back even if I didn't want to."
"So you're just going to let him influence this big decision in your life?" he asked a little bit jealous.
"There is no decision to influence. Taking you back was never an option, therefore there was no decision to make. I have been with Brady for a year and a half and I love him very much. More than I have ever loved anything or anyone before and I would never walk away from him. I can't and I won't," she said staring Miguel in the eyes.
"No! I refuse to believe that you could ever love Brady the way you loved me. It's not possible!" he said angrily.
"Dammit Miguel, stop acting like this! Brady and I are together and we will be for a very long time. Whether or not you believe me is not of my concern. I came out here to talk to you so that we could resolve our problems and maybe try to be friends. I didn't come here for a fight and I won't stand here and participate in one," she said.
"I can't be your friend Charity. I just can't," Miguel said as the tears fell harder down his eyes.
"I'm sorry you feel that way," Charity said staring at Miguel with a fresh wave of tears cascading down her face. She wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to walk back into the house.
"I love you Charity," Miguel said before she could leave.
'Why is he making this harder for the both of us? Why can't he just accept this and move on?' she thought looking back at Miguel. She smiled sadly at Miguel before replying.
"Goodbye Miguel," and then she was gone, leaving Miguel to stay on the terrace and cry for the love he had just lost.
Kay had been watching the terrace for the past thirty minutes waiting for Miguel or Charity to emerge from it. 'Dammit! Charity is going to forgive Miguel and I'll be chopped liver all over again! This can't be happening!' she thought to herself, still watching the terrace door. She saw Charity emerge from it and noticed that she was wiping tears from her face. 'Hmm.maybe things didn't go so well for my crazy cousin after all' she thought as she saw Charity head towards her, not aware of where she was going.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Charity said after bumping into someone. She looked up and saw that it was Kay. 'This is so not what I need right now' she said to herself.
"So, Charity, how have things been for you? You know without Miguel and all, I figured you would have spent a lot of your time crying," Kay said with a smirk.
'Be nice Charity. Just remember she lost her baby and she shouldn't be insulted' Charity thought to herself before replying.
"Well I guess you figured wrongly. I barely thought about Miguel while I was gone," she said before attempting to walk past Kay. However, Kay wouldn't have any of that. She pulled Charity's arm and prevented her from walking by.
"And I'm supposed to believe that? Please Charity," Kay responded with a roll of her eyes. "I know you want Miguel, but I'm telling you now, you can't have him."
'Screw being nice! I'll give Kay exactly what she deserves,' Charity thought. "And you know all about wanting something you can't have, don't you Kay? After all, you did spend most of your life pining over a guy who was in love with me, didn't you?" Charity said with a smirk.
Kay stared at Charity in shock. 'Since when did Charity grow a backbone?' she asked herself. 'This is not right! I'm supposed to be gloating and rubbing my happiness in her face, she shouldn't be smiling right now!'
"Yeah, well that was the past," Kay said to Charity. "In the present, Miguel and I are very happy together. We love each other very much and we won't let anyone come between us, okay?" she said in a warning tone.
"Oh really?" Charity asked with a smile on her face. "Tell me this then, if you two are so "happy" together, why did Miguel just spend the last thirty minutes trying to get me to take him back?"
"Wha- What?" Kay asked taken back by Charity's statement. 'I thought he gave up on her!' she thought.
"You heard me Kay, Miguel still wants me, so save your lies and schemes for someone who'll believe you," Charity replied once again attempting to walk past Kay.
"I won't let you take him away from me, okay? I have worked too hard to finally get to where I am right now and I'm on my way to making Miguel fall in love with me, there is no way I'm letting you ruin everything again!" Kay said angrily.
"Funny how you said 'make him love me,' then again I guess that's what you have to do when the guy you love loves someone else, isn't it Kay?" Charity asked smugly. Kay stayed silent. Charity took a deep breath before speaking again. "Don't worry Kay, I don't want Miguel," she said exasperated.
"Sure, you're just saying that so that you don't look too bad in front of me. You just can't handle the fact that it's over and that I won," Kay said smugly.
"Won what Kay?" Charity asked angrily. "The only thing you won was my leftover. You seem to forget that I had Miguel first, you know the real Miguel that loved unconditionally. The Miguel you have is nothing but a man who spends all of his time mending his broken heart. If that's the Miguel you want, go ahead and take him. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go spend some time with Brady, my boyfriend, so move!" Charity said pushing past Kay.
"Wow, if I had any doubts before, I certainly don't anymore," Kay said before Charity could walk away.
"What are you talking about?" Charity asked exasperated.
"I'm talking about you being a Crane. You just acted like a bit*h, don't get me wrong I always thought you were one, but now you just proved it to me. Alistair and Julian must be so proud, you're a Crane through and through," she said hoping what she was saying was hitting a nerve in Charity.
"You're damn right I am, and don't you forget it," Charity said steely before walking away and leaving a shocked Kay behind her.
"So how'd it go?" Brady asked as Charity came up to him.
"Not as well as I expected, but still I said all I had to say," she replied.
"And what about your little interaction with Kay?" he asked referring to what he had just seen.
"When is anything with Kay ever easy?" she asked exasperated.
Brady laughed at the tired look that came across Charity's face before pulling her to sit on his lap.
"At least you got it over with," he said rubbing her lower back.
"Yeah, that's true. So how do you think things are going with Ethan and Theresa?" she asked turning in their direction.
"I don't know, guess we'll just have to wait and see," he replied before turning his attention back to the party while silently watching Theresa and Ethan.
Meanwhile.
Ethan and Theresa stood by the window in silence, each deep in thought. Every few seconds Ethan would glance at Theresa only to find her looking across the room at everyone but him. Finally the silence was too great and he decided to speak up.
"I heard about your big fashion show in Paris a few months ago, congratulations," he said.
"Thank you," Theresa replied. "I worked really hard on it, I'm glad the critics liked it."
"You are a really amazing designer. I've seen a couple of you televised shows on T.V., they're outstanding."
"Thank you," Theresa said looking away from Ethan.
'Why is she being so distant?' he thought to himself. "So how does it feel to finally become a designer? I know that when we first met, designing was a big dream of yours.
"Ethan can we stop with the small talk? You obviously have something you want to say, so go ahead and say it," Theresa said looking up at Ethan.
"What happened to you?" he asked.
"Excuse me?" Theresa asked insulted by his question.
"I mean that you seem so much more colder and distant from the Theresa I knew," Ethan said trying to explain.
"Well the Theresa you knew was nothing but a lovesick teenager who finally realized she had to grow up after boyfriend broke her heart," Theresa replied.
"Theresa, I'm so sorry for the way I treated you before you left. You have to know that I did want to marry you, but I couldn't just leave Gwen with my child. Although that doesn't matter since Gwen was lying about the entire pregnancy," Ethan said sadly.
"Yeah, I heard about that," Theresa said barely showing any emotion in her voice.
"You did?" he asked surprised that she already knew. "Well why didn't you try to contact me when you found out?" he asked not knowing why Theresa hadn't tried to get back together with him after knowing that Gwen lied.
"Because you deserved it," Theresa said, not admitting that she had just found out today. 'He doesn't need to know that,' she thought to herself.
"What?" Ethan asked looking at Theresa in shock.
"Don't look at me like that Ethan. What did you expect, me to come running into your arms after you finally realized what I've been telling you for years? Sorry, it doesn't work that way. Gwen's lies and deceit toward you is nobody's fault but your own, so don't expect sympathy from me," she said coldly.
"I know, you were right and I was wrong, I see that now. But we can move on from here Theresa. We can make it work this time," Ethan said taking Theresa's hand in his.
"I don't believe you!" Theresa exclaimed snatching her hand away from Ethan. "You are a married man and you have the nerve to try to get back together with me while your wife is right there across the room! How dare you!"
"But I'll end things with Gwen. I'll divorce her and you and I can be together, and be as happy as we used to be," Ethan said.
"We were never completely happy Ethan," Theresa said. "I thought we were, but looking back on it, we weren't. I spent our entire relationship hiding one secret or another from you. Not only that but we were constantly trying to prove our relationship to everyone around us. That wasn't happiness, Ethan," she said looking at him.
"But we can be happy now, Theresa! I'm willing to forgive you for all your lies and schemes, and we can work things out," he said.
'Forgive me? Forgive me?! How dare he sit here and tell me that he forgives me! I should be forgiving him for the way he treated me after Gwen announced her pregnancy!' Theresa thought to herself angrily.
"I don't want your damn forgiveness Ethan!" she exclaimed. "Do you know why I constantly lied to you? Do you know why I always kept secrets from you? It's because you made me feel like I had to! You sit there and preach about honesty and how much it means to you, but the truth is you only hear what you want hear. You don't want the truth unless it somehow benefits you and fits into your perfect little world!" she yelled. She took a deep breath before speaking up again. "God, there were so many times when I wanted to tell you the truth and every time I came close, you made me feel like I would lose you forever if I told you the truth."
"So it's my fault that you didn't have enough faith in me or our relationship that you felt you had to lie?" Ethan asked getting angry.
"No, no it's not," Theresa said as realization dawned on her. 'It's not his fault at all, it's my fault' she thought to herself. "It's not your fault Ethan, it's mine. I'm the one who didn't have enough faith in this relationship; I'm the one who lied in this relationship. It had nothing to do with you," she said as she realized the truth in her words.
"But it's okay Theresa," Ethan said trying to make her understand. "We can get over this."
"No we can't! Don't you see? Even when I thought I was in love with you, I still self-consciously knew that our relationship wasn't strong enough to last hard times. I lied to you because I knew we weren't strong enough to overcome these things together. And we still aren't," she stated.
"Yes we are! We can overcome anything Theresa! You just have to give us a chance"
"There's no point! Do you honestly think Gwen is just going to easily let you leave her for me again? What about your mother? She still hates my guts, and believe me the feeling is mutual, but do you think she's just going to sit down and watch me reenter your life again? It won't work," she said.
"I don't care what they think Theresa. I want to be with you and I won't let them interfere. I'm telling you we can be together, what's stopping you?" he asked.
'The fact that I'm in love with your half-brother' Theresa thought to herself. She turned around and saw that Fox was still talking to Sheridan and Luis and it didn't look like he would be coming to her any time soon. Turning back to Ethan, she responded.
"What's stopping me is the fact that you're dreaming Ethan. What you want for us can never be. You're still just a little boy living in a big world Ethan. You don't know what you want and you can't stand here and tell me you want me when you don't even know me anymore."
"Of course I know you. You're the same Theresa who walked in here years ago with that sparkle in her eyes. You're the same Theresa that would sit and talk about fate and destiny for hours on end. You're the same Theresa who would do anything for the ones she loved. You're the Theresa I know and love," he said bringing his hand up to stroke her cheeks.
"Stop it Ethan," Theresa said pulling her face away from Ethan. "You and I are through, we have been since the day you proposed to Gwen. No one forced you to make that decision but you, and now you have to deal with it. I've moved on with my life and I'm happy. I won't throw it all away just to be with a man who chooses to live in his own fantasy world."
"I can be part of your world Theresa. I'll give up everything and follow you anywhere, just don't walk away," Ethan pleaded.
"I'm sorry Ethan," Theresa said turning around and preparing to walk away.
"No! Wait Theresa!" Ethan said grabbing her hand. When he touched her hand he couldn't help but look down at the shining jewelry on her finger. "Oh my God, is this an engagement ring?" he asked looking up at her face.
"Yes," Theresa said, not wavering her eyes from Ethan's.
Ethan felt like he had just been hit by a ton of bricks. 'Why? Why does she have to be engaged? Why did I let her go so that someone else could have her?' "Who's, who's the guy?" he asked barely able to get the words out. Theresa took a deep breath before replying, knowing that Ethan wouldn't like her answer.
"Fox," she said simply waiting for Ethan's reaction.
"WHAT?" he asked loudly. Luckily, no one but Theresa was able to hear him.
"You heard me Ethan. Fox and I are engaged and we're planning on getting married in a couple of months," she said.
"No! No, I won't allow that to happen!" he exclaimed.
"Excuse me? You won't allow it happen?" she exclaimed. "My marriage to Fox is none of your business and you will not do anything to ruin this for either one of us, is that clear?" she asked angrily.
"Why him, Theresa? What does he have that I don't?" he asked.
"It's not about what he has, it's about what he does," she replied. "Fox loves me, Ethan. He loves me when I'm mad, he loves me when I'm sad, he even loves me I'm being a bitch and taking out my frustrations on him."
"I love you too Theresa," Ethan said.
"Not like Fox. You held me up on a pedestal and you loved me as long as I stayed up there. But the instant I fell, you turned your back on me, and Fox wouldn't do that. Fox would pick me up and help me get back up there and stay by side the entire time. You acknowledged my good qualities and ignored my faults. Fox acknowledges both and still loves me just the same. You never could do that," she explained.
"My brother knows nothing about love, I'm afraid that you're being deceived," he said trying to make her understand. 'There is no way my brother is going to get to marry Theresa. I won't let it happen,' he thought.
"If that's what you want to believe, then go ahead Ethan. I trust Fox with all my heart and I know that I never feel like I have to lie to him in order to keep him in my life. If you choose to not accept the fact that I'll be marrying him, that's fine with me, I really don't care," she said as she tried to walk away once again. However, Ethan grabbed her and pulled her back a little harder than before.
"Excuse me Ethan! Let go of my arm!" she exclaimed.
"No, you're not leaving me to go be with my brother! I won't allow it," he said with determination.
Meanwhile.
Fox had been talking to Luis and Sheridan for a while and had realized that he and Luis had a lot more in common than they thought. While talking to Luis and Sheridan, Fox couldn't help but occasionally glance at the corner where Ethan and Theresa stood talking. Sheridan noticed it but decided to wait till Luis was gone before questioning Fox.
"So, Fox, how's life like in California," Sheridan asked.
"Oh you know, same old, same old," he said once again letting his eyes wander toward Ethan and Theresa. From where he was standing he could see that Theresa had said something that totally shocked him. 'Looks like my idiotic older brother knows about my engagement to Theresa' he thought to himself with a smirk on his face.
"What's so funny?" Luis asked noticing the smirk that came across Fox's face.
"Oh, nothing important. Just an old memory," Fox lied.
"So do you plan on moving back to Harmony?" Sheridan asked.
Fox was about to respond when he turned his once again to look at Theresa and Ethan. What he saw made his blood boil. Ethan had grabbed Theresa's arm and was holding her tight, refusing to let go. He looked at Theresa's face and saw that she was scared of Ethan. Before anyone could stop him, Fox charged across the room. Luis and Sheridan followed him, wondering why he took off so quickly. Upon reaching them, Fox roughly pushed Ethan away from Theresa, knocking him to the ground.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he asked Ethan angrily.
"Fox, what's the hell is your problem?" Ivy asked already rushing over and bending down to help Ethan stand up.
"My problem is Ethan thinking he has the right to grab Theresa and prevent her from walking away!" he exclaimed. He was about to go after Ethan again when Theresa pulled him back.
"He's not worth it Fox," she said still rubbing the arm that Ethan squeezed. 'No doubt this is going to leave a bruise,' she thought to herself. "Let's just go, everyone is already looking at us," she said referring to everyone in the room who had now turned their attention to them.
"We're not done talking," Ethan said advancing toward Theresa.
"Oh yes you are," Fox said stepping in front of her.
"Stay out of this. This is between Theresa and I," Ethan said trying to push past Fox.
"There is nothing left to talk about Ethan. I said all that I had to say, now you need to accept it and move on," she said stepping in front of Fox.
"Accept it?!" he exclaimed, his anger boiling inside of him. "I just found out that you're engaged to Fox, my half brother, and you want me to accept it?!" he yelled angrily.
Gasps were heard all around the room at Ethan's last statement. Shocked expressions came across the faces of all the occupants, except Brady, Charity, and the other Cranes, yet no one said a word. All pairs of eyes turned to look at Theresa and Fox, waiting for some kind of explanation. The silence continued to radiate through the room until one voice sounded loud and clear.
"WHAT?!?!?" It was Ivy.
TBC.
I know I said I would put everyone's reaction in this chapter, but I got too into the conversations and realized this chapter would be way too long if I added the reactions. Sorry.
Next Chapter - What's everyone reaction to Theresa and Fox's engagement?
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