CHAPTER 2
As Ethan walked along the beach, his thoughts settled on Theresa. How had he let the situation get this far?? Why didn't he just marry Theresa even after he found out that Gwen was pregnant?? Simple--Gwen told him that if he didn't do the "right" thing and choose her over Theresa, he would never be a father to his baby. Ethan immediately realized that Gwen had been manipulating him ever since she discovered that she was pregnant. What's worse, Ethan also realized that what he had said to Gwen earlier was indeed true: Gwen really never gave a damn about little Sarah--all Gwen wanted to do was use Sarah to rip him away from his true beloved, Theresa.
Ethan began to wonder if Gwen had been lying to him and keeping secrets from him as well, so he decided to go back to Gwen's room at the hospital and confront her about his suspicions even though he had told her that he never wanted to see her again. Ethan had questions to which he needed answers, and only Gwen could give him those answers.
Ethan turned around and slowly made his way back to the hospital. As soon as he got there, he immediately went to Gwen's room.
"I've just realized something tonight," Ethan told Gwen. "I've just realized that you have been manipulating me ever since you got pregnant, maybe even before you got pregnant." "Have you been lying to me, and have you been kepping secrets from me too??" "If you have, Gwen, don't lie to me about it; tell me the truth for once."
"Oh, please, Ethan. Why would I manipulate you?? What reason would I have for lying to you? I love you, Ethan!! You know me; we've known each other since childhood." Gwen replied in a b*tchy tone.
"Don't give me any of that 'I love you, you know me' bullsh*t, Gwen. You wanna know something?? I don't know you at all. Do you know where Theresa is, huh?? Ethan asked.
"In hell, I hope," Gwen replied with a menacing look on her face.
"How can you be so cold and cruel, Gwen?? Theresa is in surgery right now, where surgeons are busy working feverishly to relieve her of the subdural hematoma you caused when you beat her in the head with that bedpan!!" Ethan stated, a worried look on his face.
"The Gwen I once knew would never have done something like that. So, Gwen, I want the truth, and I want it NOW!!!" Ethan demanded.
"Okay, okay, Ethan. Just chill out. What do you want to know??" Gwen asked.
"Well, you can start with the e-mail to the tabloid and work your way to the present," Ethan replied.
"Okay, okay," Gwen said. "I'll tell you everything, but you're not gonna like it."
"Just spit it the hell out!!!" Ethan shouted.
"ALL RIGHT!!" Gwen shouted. "My mother was snooping around in your mother's bedroom trying to dig up dirt on her, and I was my mother's look-out. You know my mother, Ethan. She's always after the Crane zillions. Any way, my mother thought that she could use any dirt she dug up on your mother to expose her and get Julian and his zillions for herself. Well, one day she found a laptop with your paternity papers on it in your mother's bedroom. My mother thought that the laptop belonged to your mother, but I told her that the laptop really belonged to Theresa, not your mother. That's when my mother decided to expose both your mother and Theresa. Do you remember the night on which my mother gathered your mother, Theresa, Julian, you, Sam, Grace, Pilar, and Alistair (via speakerphone) into the Crane living room because she had something she wanted to tell everyone?? That was the occasion on which my mother was going to expose your mother and Theresa, but I had to stop my mother from doing so because I heard you say that if anyone tried to come between you and Theresa that that person would be out of your life forever. Well, I couldn't have that, now could I?? So, I talked with my mother and we decided to send the paternity info to the sleaziest tabloid in town. I came up with the idea to send it from Theresa's laptop to set her up to take the fall in case you ever traced the email. That way, you would think that Theresa had destroyed your life and you would come running back to me. Things didn't quite work out that way, so I called the tabloid and forced them to print an article on which email address the email was sent from. I also made sure that your mother got the first copy of that issue. You see, I had to turn your mother against Theresa first before I could turn you against her."
"Wait a minute, you set Theresa up?! You mean to tell me that Theresa was telling the truth when she was proclaiming her innocence?! You also knew of my paternity before I did and you didn't tell me?! You stood up there on Theresa's and my wedding day and you lied straight to my face?!" an appalled Ethan replied.
"Damn skippy!" Gwen retorted. "I had to do what I did. I had to make you doubt Theresa. I had to destroy your faith and trust in Theresa if I was going to have any chance at stealing you back. If you ask me, it was the perfect plan to get even with that little b*tch. Yes, Ethan, I've lied to you, manipulated you, and even used an innocent baby girl against you to get what I wanted. So what?? It worked, didn't it?? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! Oh, by the way, the main reason for sending the email to the tabloid was to get even with Theresa for taking you away from me. So the hell what if you got hurt in the process. It was well worth it. One more thing: Sarah wasn't your little girl. I had a one-night-stand in New York when I went up there to interview for that job I told you about. How do you think I got the interview and the job offer, anyhow?? I only told you that Sarah was yours to keep you from marrying that little b*tch Theresa."
"You cold-hearted, cruel, callous b*tch!!!" Ethan shouted. "I can't believe you destroyed my life just to get even with Theresa for winning my heart. I can't believe you lied to me about Sarah being mine just to keep me from marrying my beloved Theresa, my true soulmate. Who are you?? I don't even know who you are anymore. I no longer want anything to do with you, and I never want to see you or hear from you ever again as long as I live. I HATE YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME AND THERESA, GWEN!!! By the way, Theresa is no b*tch. She is the love of my life, and I know now that she always will be. Goodbye forever, Gwen, and good riddance!!!"
With that, Ethan stormed out of Gwen's hospital room and out of her life for the last time.
As Ethan walked along the beach, his thoughts settled on Theresa. How had he let the situation get this far?? Why didn't he just marry Theresa even after he found out that Gwen was pregnant?? Simple--Gwen told him that if he didn't do the "right" thing and choose her over Theresa, he would never be a father to his baby. Ethan immediately realized that Gwen had been manipulating him ever since she discovered that she was pregnant. What's worse, Ethan also realized that what he had said to Gwen earlier was indeed true: Gwen really never gave a damn about little Sarah--all Gwen wanted to do was use Sarah to rip him away from his true beloved, Theresa.
Ethan began to wonder if Gwen had been lying to him and keeping secrets from him as well, so he decided to go back to Gwen's room at the hospital and confront her about his suspicions even though he had told her that he never wanted to see her again. Ethan had questions to which he needed answers, and only Gwen could give him those answers.
Ethan turned around and slowly made his way back to the hospital. As soon as he got there, he immediately went to Gwen's room.
"I've just realized something tonight," Ethan told Gwen. "I've just realized that you have been manipulating me ever since you got pregnant, maybe even before you got pregnant." "Have you been lying to me, and have you been kepping secrets from me too??" "If you have, Gwen, don't lie to me about it; tell me the truth for once."
"Oh, please, Ethan. Why would I manipulate you?? What reason would I have for lying to you? I love you, Ethan!! You know me; we've known each other since childhood." Gwen replied in a b*tchy tone.
"Don't give me any of that 'I love you, you know me' bullsh*t, Gwen. You wanna know something?? I don't know you at all. Do you know where Theresa is, huh?? Ethan asked.
"In hell, I hope," Gwen replied with a menacing look on her face.
"How can you be so cold and cruel, Gwen?? Theresa is in surgery right now, where surgeons are busy working feverishly to relieve her of the subdural hematoma you caused when you beat her in the head with that bedpan!!" Ethan stated, a worried look on his face.
"The Gwen I once knew would never have done something like that. So, Gwen, I want the truth, and I want it NOW!!!" Ethan demanded.
"Okay, okay, Ethan. Just chill out. What do you want to know??" Gwen asked.
"Well, you can start with the e-mail to the tabloid and work your way to the present," Ethan replied.
"Okay, okay," Gwen said. "I'll tell you everything, but you're not gonna like it."
"Just spit it the hell out!!!" Ethan shouted.
"ALL RIGHT!!" Gwen shouted. "My mother was snooping around in your mother's bedroom trying to dig up dirt on her, and I was my mother's look-out. You know my mother, Ethan. She's always after the Crane zillions. Any way, my mother thought that she could use any dirt she dug up on your mother to expose her and get Julian and his zillions for herself. Well, one day she found a laptop with your paternity papers on it in your mother's bedroom. My mother thought that the laptop belonged to your mother, but I told her that the laptop really belonged to Theresa, not your mother. That's when my mother decided to expose both your mother and Theresa. Do you remember the night on which my mother gathered your mother, Theresa, Julian, you, Sam, Grace, Pilar, and Alistair (via speakerphone) into the Crane living room because she had something she wanted to tell everyone?? That was the occasion on which my mother was going to expose your mother and Theresa, but I had to stop my mother from doing so because I heard you say that if anyone tried to come between you and Theresa that that person would be out of your life forever. Well, I couldn't have that, now could I?? So, I talked with my mother and we decided to send the paternity info to the sleaziest tabloid in town. I came up with the idea to send it from Theresa's laptop to set her up to take the fall in case you ever traced the email. That way, you would think that Theresa had destroyed your life and you would come running back to me. Things didn't quite work out that way, so I called the tabloid and forced them to print an article on which email address the email was sent from. I also made sure that your mother got the first copy of that issue. You see, I had to turn your mother against Theresa first before I could turn you against her."
"Wait a minute, you set Theresa up?! You mean to tell me that Theresa was telling the truth when she was proclaiming her innocence?! You also knew of my paternity before I did and you didn't tell me?! You stood up there on Theresa's and my wedding day and you lied straight to my face?!" an appalled Ethan replied.
"Damn skippy!" Gwen retorted. "I had to do what I did. I had to make you doubt Theresa. I had to destroy your faith and trust in Theresa if I was going to have any chance at stealing you back. If you ask me, it was the perfect plan to get even with that little b*tch. Yes, Ethan, I've lied to you, manipulated you, and even used an innocent baby girl against you to get what I wanted. So what?? It worked, didn't it?? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! Oh, by the way, the main reason for sending the email to the tabloid was to get even with Theresa for taking you away from me. So the hell what if you got hurt in the process. It was well worth it. One more thing: Sarah wasn't your little girl. I had a one-night-stand in New York when I went up there to interview for that job I told you about. How do you think I got the interview and the job offer, anyhow?? I only told you that Sarah was yours to keep you from marrying that little b*tch Theresa."
"You cold-hearted, cruel, callous b*tch!!!" Ethan shouted. "I can't believe you destroyed my life just to get even with Theresa for winning my heart. I can't believe you lied to me about Sarah being mine just to keep me from marrying my beloved Theresa, my true soulmate. Who are you?? I don't even know who you are anymore. I no longer want anything to do with you, and I never want to see you or hear from you ever again as long as I live. I HATE YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME AND THERESA, GWEN!!! By the way, Theresa is no b*tch. She is the love of my life, and I know now that she always will be. Goodbye forever, Gwen, and good riddance!!!"
With that, Ethan stormed out of Gwen's hospital room and out of her life for the last time.