Chapter 9

"Gwen!" Ethan screamed as he pounded the thick bars in his hands. The rattling of the cage gave an eerie feeling. It really felt as if he were a caged animal unable to get out. But who was he kidding? He was exactly that. "Gwen!" he yelled again.

"She won't come," Pilar said grimly. She pulled the blanket around her shoulders tighter as she spoke. She had been in this cage for a day- maybe longer, but the darkness and cold around her were starting to eat away at her soul. She had lost her daughter and the thought of what Gwen was going to do to her next haunted her every move.

"Gwen!" There was no answer to his call and there was no indication that Gwen was running to him either. Ethan yelled and yelled for her and Gwen didn't come. "Where the hell is she?" he asked no one.

Pilar was looking into the black nothingness of the room when Ethan pounded against the bars of the cage again. The next sound was unfamiliar and scary. The white light sprung into the bars and they shook with fury as Ethan's hands stung, the heat searing into his palms. Against the magnetic pull of the electricity, Ethan ripped his hands away from the black cage and fell to the floor with the force. The door to the room crashed open with a bang.

She stood in the doorway with a determined and yet blank look on her face. The black remote was held high in her hand, her thumb pressed down on the red button. "You rang, darling?" Gwen smirked.

Ethan sprung from the floor in an instant. "Where's my son!"

Gwen's lips formed a smile as she walked towards him. "You mean our son, don't you? He's our son…"

"No, I mean mine and Theresa's son."

"Theresa doesn't have a son. We do." Ethan was disgusted at her words. He pulled away when Gwen reached out through the bars and grazed her hand along his jaw. "Tell me you love me."

Ethan's answer was laced with anger and hate. "No."

"Tell me," her answer more urgent.

"No," he said again.

Gwen rattled the bars hard. "Tell me!" she yelled.

Ethan took a deep breath and took a moment to answer. "I love…"

Gwen smiled. "Yes…"

"I love…" He paused as a betrayal crossed his heart. "Theresa."

Gwen's eyes bulged in rage. "All right. Fine. You just stay in there until you realize the truth!" She stomped out of the room as Ethan yelled after her.

"Where's my son! I want to see my son!" The door slammed shut and the room went dark again. Ethan was furious. Gwen was completely crazy. She believed that Little Ethan was her son. And he was in a cage! Theresa's life was in danger-- maybe it was too late… "I have to get out of here," he said to Pilar. "I can't stay in here and let Gwen hurt Theresa."

"How? The cage is locked, there are no windows, and the door needs a key. We're trapped."

Ethan's head was pounding. "I don't know. I need a plan. Maybe, somehow I could get Gwen to open the cage."

"But she never opens the cage."

Ethan sat on the cot, his head racing in ponderance. Minutes went by and he could almost hear the ticking of a clock, even though there wasn't one in the room.

The silence surrounded him and the blackness of the room enveloped his concentration. Ethan focused on space and he replayed everything that Gwen had just said to him. The words, like a tape recorder, echoed in his mind. That's when he found what he was looking for.

"That's it!" Ethan exclaimed.

"What? Did you find a way to escape?"

"No, I know a way that Gwen would let me out. Then I could call the police and get us out of here."

"How?" Pilar asked urgently.

"Gwen said that I would have to stay in here until I realized the truth…," he trailed off, his mind abuzz.

"I don't understand."

"The truth about loving her and not loving Theresa. If-- if I tell her that I love her… maybe she'd let me out of here long enough for me to get to a phone or maybe find out where the hell we are."

"What if she doesn't?"

"I have to try. I can't take just sitting around waiting," he said angrily.

"Could you really do that to Theresa?"

Ethan was startled by her question and paused. "Pilar, I love Theresa. I love her more than you'll ever know. But-- but Theresa… I don't know where she is… I don't know… if she's still alive. I have to get to her, somehow. I have to try. I have to try to get out of here, at least for my son's sake. I can't just sit here for eternity, rotting." He paused again. "Even if it means lying to my heart."

Pilar said nothing and the thought of her daughter made her numb. She nodded then, giving her assurance. Ethan began yelling for Gwen again. He was cautious of the bars and he paced around the cage screaming. "Gwen!" There was no answer to his call. "Gwen! I need to talk to you!" He yelled her name for five minutes before she came. The door opened and she appeared.

"Yes, my love?"

Ethan immediately put on his act. "There you are, honey. I was getting worried."

Gwen smiled suspiciously. "Really…? And why's that?" she asked walking towards him. "Did you want to see your son again?"

"You mean our son, don't you?"

Gwen hesitated before she answered, studying him carefully. "Yes… our son."

"What do you say you let me out of here…?

"I don't know..."

"Please," he pouted. "I can't stand being away from you."

Gwen was beginning to believe him. "All right." She opened the cage door slowly and let Ethan out, locking the door quickly to prevent Pilar from going anywhere. "But how do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Let me prove it to you." Ethan went forward and kissed her. Pilar thought she would gag as she watched.

It was definitely something that Ethan hadn't expected to do but it was working. He could tell from prior knowledge that Gwen was beginning to really buy his story.

Ethan pulled back, trying to imagine what Theresa would look like standing before him, but he was disappointed and heartbroken to find Gwen in her place.

"I'll see what I can do," Gwen said with a mischievous smile.

Gwen led Ethan out of the room that he and Pilar were being held captive in. For the first time, he saw where it was that he was being held. As he walked down the dark hallway with Gwen turning back to him every other second, he couldn't help but feel that he knew the place.

Could it be… ?

It couldn't possibly…

Could it?

The hallway of the building that he was walking through smelled odd, as if it hadn't been used for years. Suddenly, Gwen stopped in front of a door on the left and stared at Ethan.

"Are you ready, my love?"

Ethan didn't know what she was talking about. Ready for what?

"Always," he said smoothly.

Gwen cracked open the door and a sliver of light rayed through, accentuating the floor under Ethan's bare feet.

Gwen let Ethan in first, watching him intently. Ethan was flooded with a familiar feeling when he saw the furniture. And when he walked inside, and studied the room, he knew where he was.

No!

How could she have brought me here!

Everything in the room was the same. All the furniture was and looked the same; it hadn't been touched in years.

The bed had the same comforter on it that it had the last time he saw it.

The last time …

Ethan's mind swirled with memories of his times in this room, some good and some not.

He remembered being in that bed many times, some with Gwen, most with Gwen, and some with Theresa.

The memories of Theresa, touching him, kissing him, loving him, ran much needed warmth through his body. He could almost feel her body with the thought of her in that bed with him. He stared out the window and saw the beautiful scenery before him. How was it that he was surrounded by such beauty and felt empty within?

Gwen turned his gaze back to her. "Many happy times here." He smiled, not exactly thinking of the same memories that she was. "Tell me you love me…," she whispered, bringing his face to hers.

He swallowed hard, trying to hide any doubt. "I do," he lied. Gwen smiled before she kissed him. He didn't respond to her lips at first and forced himself to kiss back. Gwen pulled him back towards the bed, trying not to stumble. When they fell atop the soft bed, Ethan realized just why she had brought him to this room.

Gwen pulled back and breathed in his ear. "Make love to me, Ethan," she sighed.

Ethan froze. Suddenly, Pilar's words echoed in his head.

Could you really do that to Theresa?

He felt Gwen's lips on his as Pilar's statement continued to play.

Could you really do that to Theresa …?

Could you …?

He suddenly pushed from her mouth, tearing himself away from the kiss. Even if he could lie, even if he could say 'I love you' to someone he did not, he could never betray Theresa. She was in his heart always. She was in his soul. Theresa was always a part of him and would always be. What they shared together wasn't something tangible. It wasn't something to be seen. But it was there. It couldn't be boxed and burned like Gwen wanted him to do. He swore on their wedding day, vowed to forever love Theresa. He vowed his loyalty, his love, his faithfulness.

His faithfulness…

Even if he did want to save himself, save Pilar, save his son, he couldn't do this. He didn't know if Theresa was still alive, but all he knew was that they had a part of each other that was only shared between them, between their love. That was something that no one could take from them. No one…

"Gwen- Gwen, we can't," he said apologetically.

"Of course we can," she said to him firmly. "We're married."

"Yes," he said falsely. "But, we shouldn't rush. Let's just go a little slower."

"I don't want to go slow," she said through her teeth and he knew that her anger was mounting.

"Gwen, it's been so long. We shouldn't make a mistake."

"A mistake? We love each other." She paused, staring at him. "Make love to me," she said, almost commandingly.

"Gwen… I- I can't."

She didn't say anything at first and Ethan was starting to get worried. "You still love her." A statement. He didn't answer and prayed that his eyes didn't reveal the truth. "Answer me!" she screamed. It was odd how scared Ethan was beginning to feel in her presence. Gwen quickly slid her hand under a pillow and pulled out an oiled black revolver. "ANSWER ME!" The gun was pointed at his chest and he couldn't believe what she was doing.

"Gwen, no. Of course not." The will and fight to live was strong now. It finally became clear to Ethan just how dangerous the situation was. "I love you, Gwen." But his fearful eyes gave away the truth. Gwen was extremely angry now. She pointed the gun higher now, level with his forehead.

"Don't lie to me!" she yelled, clicking the hammer back and Ethan could see a bullet born in the chamber. "DON'T LIE TO ME, GOD DAMN IT!" The gun was shaking in her furious hand and he could see a raging fire in her eyes, a terrifying one.

"Gwen, I-"

"ANSWER ME! YOU STILL LOVE HER!" The gun was shaking closer to Ethan now and he tried to move backward to the farthest extent to get out of its reach. Ethan felt like he was trapped. And in truth, he was. He was stuck between a gun and the truth. If he told it, the gun would go off. If he didn't, the gun would go off. What was he supposed to do?

"Gwen, I-I… She's my wife…," he managed to get out.

"No! Answer me!" she shouted again.

He realized that there was no way out and he was going to have to tell the truth. He began nodding slowly, giving his answer without speaking. "Yes…"

"Yes," Gwen said with him. "Yes. And what? You thought by lying to me that I'd leave her alone!"

"No, Gwen--"

"No! That whore has taken everything from me! And there is no way that you can make that go away!" Gwen got off the bed and paced. Fury was fueling her mind and she couldn't think straight anymore. She turned back to Ethan. "Get up," she commanded, pointing the gun at him. Ethan obeyed her and stood before her, waiting for her next move. Gwen pushed him out of the room with the tip of the pistol against his back. "Keep walking," she hissed when he stopped to speak. She pushed him down the same hallway that they'd been down only minutes before and back to confinement.

Pilar was terrified when she saw Ethan being led back into the cage by a gun. Something had gone wrong.

"Get in!" Gwen yelled at Ethan as she pushed him into the cage. The cage door slammed with a bang and Gwen thrashed the key around in the lock to make sure they couldn't get out. Just as she was about to walk away from the cage, Gwen's cell phone rang on her hip. She walked to the corner of the room to talk and Pilar asked Ethan what happened.

"She figured it out. I'm sorry, Pilar. I'll get us out of here."

"It's okay, Ethan. I'm just glad you're all right. We have to have faith. We have to ask God for His help." Ethan nodded. He opened his mouth to speak when he heard Gwen's voice walking back towards the cage.

"Well, my confidant in Harmony just called me. I'm sure you two would be happy to know that Theresa was just released from the hospital. Unfortunately, the push I gave her down the stairs didn't send her home in a body bag."

"Oh my, God! Theresa! She's alive!" Pilar cried.

"Theresa…," Ethan whispered happily, tears forming. "She's alive! She's really alive!" Pilar and Ethan hugged in their excitement and let their tears of joy fall.

"Hey!" Gwen called their attention back to her. "There's more. It turns out that when she got to the hospital, they discovered that she was pregnant."

"Pregnant…?" Ethan said softly. "Theresa's pregnant…"

"Oh my, God! Mi niñ a! She's going to have a baby." Pilar and Ethan were so happy, they couldn't believe it was happening.

"Sorry to get your hopes up, but um… I said that Theresa was pregnant."

Pilar and Ethan both froze. "What do you mean?"

"It seems that the fall caused her to miscarry," she said smiling.

"No…," Ethan said, tears falling. "No, she-- she lost the baby… Our baby…"

"Yeah." Gwen seemed delighted with the heartbreaking news.

"How could you!" Ethan cried.

"How? How! Ethan, she killed my baby!"

"No, she didn't! That happened because of a fight that you got into when you were in jail for almost killing Theresa!"

"No! She killed Sarah! Our Sarah! It was all her fault! She stole my baby, she stole you, and she stole my life! And now, karma finally got her. She killed my baby and nature killed hers."

"No, you did-"

"The bible says, 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.' A baby… for a baby."

Ethan couldn't believe what she was saying. She was claiming that karma killed Theresa's baby because Gwen lost hers when Gwen was to blame for both deaths! "You monster!"

"Theresa's the monster! She is to blame for everything! And she's paying for it… She's gonna pay for it all…" Gwen smiled at him then and Ethan was shocked at his sudden urge to strangle her; end all the evil that was surrounding him once and for all…