~Destiny 24~
Most everyone had gathered around the dining room table for dinner. Everyone was extremely quite, you could have actually heard a pin drop. Rebecca was the first to break the awkward silence.
"Where's Ethan, dear?"
"I'm not sure, Mother. He said he wanted to go for a walk."
"A walk? The poor man just hasn't been himself the past few days." Rebecca wiggled in her seat. "Maybe it's the upcoming holidays. Maybe he's worried that he won't be able to provide for his family with all the expenses of his new law practices."
"I've told him not to worry about it, Mother. I would dip into my money to buy my daughter her Christmas gifts, but Ethan will have nothing of it."
"Your daughter, Gwen?" Fox stated. "Don't you mean your's and Ethan's daughter."
"Of course, that's what I meant, Fox."
"Well," Julian interrupted. "since dinner is ready let's go ahead and get started. Ethan can join us when he gets here."
-------------------------------------------
Ethan stood in front of the cottage. He wanted to talk to Teresa before everything went down tonight. There was so much he wanted to tell her. So much he wanted to apologize for. He gently knocked on the front door and seconds later, Teresa opened it. Ethan had to catch his breath. She was more beautiful now that she had ever been. Even through all the heartaches she had been through in the past few years of her life, and she could owe it to only one person. Fox.
"Ethan, what are you doing here? Isn't it time for dinner up at the mansion?"
Ethan looked down at this watch. "I guess it is."
"Then you should be with your wife and her family." Teresa insisted.
"Not before we've had a chance to talk. There's so many things I wanted to tell you, Teresa. So many things we need to discuss."
Teresa sensed the urgency in his eyes and stepped aside letting him in. "Have a seat on the sofa. Is there anything I could get you to drink?" Teresa asked.
"Have anything to calm my nerves?"
"I think there's some scotch left in the kitchen from when Sheridan lived here. Would you like some of that?"
"Sounds great." Ethan's eyes stayed fixated on Teresa.
"Are you okay, Ethan? You seem a little tense." Teresa asked concerned.
"A lot on my mind. I hope to get it all out tonight." He walked over and took a seat on the couch and minutes later, Teresa returned from the kitchen handing him his drink. Ethan downed it instantly. "Sit down, Teresa."
Teresa took a seat on the sofa beside him, "Ethan, what is all of this about? I haven't seen you this upset since...since Little Ethan passed away."
"Teresa, I'm so sorry for everything I've ever put you through. I should have stood by your side when I learned that you were pregnant. It just killed me to think that you were pregnant with Julian's baby and that you lied to me, letting me believe it was my child."
"I wanted to tell you, Ethan, but I thought I would loose you if I did."
"I know, Teresa. You did what you thought was right at the time. You were faced with a difficult situation and I was to blame for it. If I would have just ignored mother's accusations regarding you sending the letter to the tabloids you would have never felt like you had to go to Bermuda."
"It's not your fault, Ethan." She lay her hand over his.
"But it is. I let my own mother's lies and deceits tear us apart. Not yours. It wasn't your place to tell me about my paternity. It was my mother's, but I blamed you. I blamed you for not telling. But she was the only one that knew about my true paternity the day I was conceived."
"But I was your fiance. I should have told you who you true father was or maybe gave you some sort of clue...but my mother kept insisting it wasn't my place." Teresa rambled on.
"And it wasn't, Teresa. It wasn't your place. Mother should have told me years ago, but her love of money and power won out over her love for me and my true father." Ethan starred down at this hands.
"I should have never stored that letter on my computer that showed who your father was. I can never prove to you that I wasn't the one who sent it."
"No, you can't, but Julian did."
"What do you mean?" Teresa asked confused.
"I know who sent that letter, Teresa, and the truth hurts more than thinking it was you."
"Who sent the letter, Ethan? Please, who sent that letter?" She begged.
"Gwen and Rebecca." Ethan spit out.
Tears welled up in Teresa's eyes. "What?"
"They somehow learned of my paternity and learned that you had it stored on your computer. They e-mailed it to the tabloids with every intention of it coming out on our wedding day." Ethan stood up from the sofa and hurled his shot glass across the room, "Damn them to hell. They ruined everything for me."
Teresa jumped. She had never seen Ethan this angry. "Ethan, calm down. Please."
Ethan turned and saw the fear that outlined Teresa's face. He took a deep breath and got himself back together. "That's not all, Teresa."
"I'm afraid to ask." Teresa stated.
"Baby Sarah isn't mine." He whispered.
"What? I don't understand? How could she not be your daughter? You admitted to sleeping with Gwen the night you thought I was executed."
"That much is true, Teresa, but Gwen didn't become pregnant that night. She became pregnant several days later after visiting a clinic."
Teresa covered her mouth, "She visited a sperm bank? Oh my God, Ethan, I'm so sorry." She went over and wrapped her arms around him drawing him in close to her.
Ethan broke down. "I've lost two children now, Teresa. First Little Ethan and now Sarah, I don't know how much more I can take."
"You still have Sarah. She may not be your true daughter, but you love her all the same." Teresa said trying to comfort him.
Ethan shook his head, "I know, Teresa, but it still hurts to know that I'm not the one who helped conceive her."
"That doesn't make you any less of a father to her. She loves you, Ethan and I know you love her. Fox and I will help you keep her if you're afraid that Gwen will try and take her away from you."
"I'm not worried about Gwen taking her away from me. Julian has already offered to help me gain full custody of Sarah. But now that you've brought up the subject of you and Fox..."
"Ethan, please, I don't want to hear your opinions on Fox." Teresa turned her back on him.
"Teresa, this isn't what it seems."
"Then what is it, Ethan?"
"Does Fox know?"
"About Little Ethan? No, he doesn't?"
"Why haven't you told him?" Ethan asked.
"I've had my own demons to fight, Ethan. How can I tell Fox about Little Ethan when I couldn't even deal with his death? It's time now, I know. Fox and I are very close and very much in love. I want to tell him. I'm just not sure how."
"Let me help you, Teresa."
Most everyone had gathered around the dining room table for dinner. Everyone was extremely quite, you could have actually heard a pin drop. Rebecca was the first to break the awkward silence.
"Where's Ethan, dear?"
"I'm not sure, Mother. He said he wanted to go for a walk."
"A walk? The poor man just hasn't been himself the past few days." Rebecca wiggled in her seat. "Maybe it's the upcoming holidays. Maybe he's worried that he won't be able to provide for his family with all the expenses of his new law practices."
"I've told him not to worry about it, Mother. I would dip into my money to buy my daughter her Christmas gifts, but Ethan will have nothing of it."
"Your daughter, Gwen?" Fox stated. "Don't you mean your's and Ethan's daughter."
"Of course, that's what I meant, Fox."
"Well," Julian interrupted. "since dinner is ready let's go ahead and get started. Ethan can join us when he gets here."
-------------------------------------------
Ethan stood in front of the cottage. He wanted to talk to Teresa before everything went down tonight. There was so much he wanted to tell her. So much he wanted to apologize for. He gently knocked on the front door and seconds later, Teresa opened it. Ethan had to catch his breath. She was more beautiful now that she had ever been. Even through all the heartaches she had been through in the past few years of her life, and she could owe it to only one person. Fox.
"Ethan, what are you doing here? Isn't it time for dinner up at the mansion?"
Ethan looked down at this watch. "I guess it is."
"Then you should be with your wife and her family." Teresa insisted.
"Not before we've had a chance to talk. There's so many things I wanted to tell you, Teresa. So many things we need to discuss."
Teresa sensed the urgency in his eyes and stepped aside letting him in. "Have a seat on the sofa. Is there anything I could get you to drink?" Teresa asked.
"Have anything to calm my nerves?"
"I think there's some scotch left in the kitchen from when Sheridan lived here. Would you like some of that?"
"Sounds great." Ethan's eyes stayed fixated on Teresa.
"Are you okay, Ethan? You seem a little tense." Teresa asked concerned.
"A lot on my mind. I hope to get it all out tonight." He walked over and took a seat on the couch and minutes later, Teresa returned from the kitchen handing him his drink. Ethan downed it instantly. "Sit down, Teresa."
Teresa took a seat on the sofa beside him, "Ethan, what is all of this about? I haven't seen you this upset since...since Little Ethan passed away."
"Teresa, I'm so sorry for everything I've ever put you through. I should have stood by your side when I learned that you were pregnant. It just killed me to think that you were pregnant with Julian's baby and that you lied to me, letting me believe it was my child."
"I wanted to tell you, Ethan, but I thought I would loose you if I did."
"I know, Teresa. You did what you thought was right at the time. You were faced with a difficult situation and I was to blame for it. If I would have just ignored mother's accusations regarding you sending the letter to the tabloids you would have never felt like you had to go to Bermuda."
"It's not your fault, Ethan." She lay her hand over his.
"But it is. I let my own mother's lies and deceits tear us apart. Not yours. It wasn't your place to tell me about my paternity. It was my mother's, but I blamed you. I blamed you for not telling. But she was the only one that knew about my true paternity the day I was conceived."
"But I was your fiance. I should have told you who you true father was or maybe gave you some sort of clue...but my mother kept insisting it wasn't my place." Teresa rambled on.
"And it wasn't, Teresa. It wasn't your place. Mother should have told me years ago, but her love of money and power won out over her love for me and my true father." Ethan starred down at this hands.
"I should have never stored that letter on my computer that showed who your father was. I can never prove to you that I wasn't the one who sent it."
"No, you can't, but Julian did."
"What do you mean?" Teresa asked confused.
"I know who sent that letter, Teresa, and the truth hurts more than thinking it was you."
"Who sent the letter, Ethan? Please, who sent that letter?" She begged.
"Gwen and Rebecca." Ethan spit out.
Tears welled up in Teresa's eyes. "What?"
"They somehow learned of my paternity and learned that you had it stored on your computer. They e-mailed it to the tabloids with every intention of it coming out on our wedding day." Ethan stood up from the sofa and hurled his shot glass across the room, "Damn them to hell. They ruined everything for me."
Teresa jumped. She had never seen Ethan this angry. "Ethan, calm down. Please."
Ethan turned and saw the fear that outlined Teresa's face. He took a deep breath and got himself back together. "That's not all, Teresa."
"I'm afraid to ask." Teresa stated.
"Baby Sarah isn't mine." He whispered.
"What? I don't understand? How could she not be your daughter? You admitted to sleeping with Gwen the night you thought I was executed."
"That much is true, Teresa, but Gwen didn't become pregnant that night. She became pregnant several days later after visiting a clinic."
Teresa covered her mouth, "She visited a sperm bank? Oh my God, Ethan, I'm so sorry." She went over and wrapped her arms around him drawing him in close to her.
Ethan broke down. "I've lost two children now, Teresa. First Little Ethan and now Sarah, I don't know how much more I can take."
"You still have Sarah. She may not be your true daughter, but you love her all the same." Teresa said trying to comfort him.
Ethan shook his head, "I know, Teresa, but it still hurts to know that I'm not the one who helped conceive her."
"That doesn't make you any less of a father to her. She loves you, Ethan and I know you love her. Fox and I will help you keep her if you're afraid that Gwen will try and take her away from you."
"I'm not worried about Gwen taking her away from me. Julian has already offered to help me gain full custody of Sarah. But now that you've brought up the subject of you and Fox..."
"Ethan, please, I don't want to hear your opinions on Fox." Teresa turned her back on him.
"Teresa, this isn't what it seems."
"Then what is it, Ethan?"
"Does Fox know?"
"About Little Ethan? No, he doesn't?"
"Why haven't you told him?" Ethan asked.
"I've had my own demons to fight, Ethan. How can I tell Fox about Little Ethan when I couldn't even deal with his death? It's time now, I know. Fox and I are very close and very much in love. I want to tell him. I'm just not sure how."
"Let me help you, Teresa."