An almost heartbreaking chapter, at least it was for me.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.

Chapter Eight

My Confession

"I—I—" Esteban said again. He couldn't seem to force the words out.

"Just say I do," hissed Charlotte. "It's that simple."

Esteban cast a glance at Maddie and noted the depressed look on her face. This was it. Once he said 'I do,' there would be no turning back. He took a deep breath and looked once more at Maddie. Tears filled her eyes as she ran from the sanctuary. Esteban sighed and turned to the minister, then to Charlotte.

"I— DON'T!" he cried.

Every person there stared at Esteban in amazement. Had he said what they thought he had said?

"I can't go through with this," he said, suddenly feeling confident. "I don't love Charlotte Danvers. I never have. I only agreed to marry her because of her money. I now know how wrong I was and what a terrible mistake I have made. I hurt the girl I really love because I went chasing after the wealth of this world. I was a fool, a complete idiot to believe that I could be happy with just money. But what is money without the person you truly love? Love is more important above all things in this world. It is to be treasured always, like a pearl of great price. Maddie Fitzpatrick is my world. I love her more than any other person I have ever loved before. I wish to tell her that now."

"What about the wedding celebration at the Tipton?" asked someone.

"We'll still have it," said Esteban. "But we won't celebrate me getting married. We'll celebrate love and friendship."

The congregation cheered and made their way towards the sanctuary doors. Maddie&Esteban

I am a stupid fool! Maddie's heart cried, as she raced out of the church. How could I possibly think that Esteban would change his mind?

Maddie dropped to her knees before a budding apple tree and cried. Life was no good now, she decided. With Esteban married, Maddie had no reason for living. It didn't matter that she had the most brilliant mind in Boston. It didn't matter that even though her family fought sometimes, they still loved each other. It didn't matter that she had a friend like London Tipton that despite her faults, was still kind to Maddie. . .sometimes.

"I will never be happy again," Maddie told herself. "I will never have the love of Esteban that I crave so much. No one else in the world can compare with my amigo. He was my everything. My reason for waking up each morning. My reason for going to sleep at night. The reason. . .the reason I learned to love."

Happy shouts reached Maddie's ears and she turned her head towards the church. Several people poured out of it's welcoming doors. Maddie swallowed her anger and sadness as she noticed Charlotte and Esteban among the crowd. Maddie could see Charlotte's lips moving and she guess that the French woman was telling Esteban that she would meet him inside the limo. Wait. . .where was Esteban going? Maddie heard her name shouted above the noise. Esteban was probably wanting to say goodbye to her one last time because he thought that maybe Maddie wouldn't go to the wedding celebration at the Tipton.

Well he's right, thought Maddie, bitterly. I don't want to go to his stupid wedding party. I'd rather die then wish him and that— that vixen a happy lifetime together.

Maddie rose to her feet and walked towards the graveyard behind the church. She touched the headstones gently. This would soon be her home. Here, among the dead and the forgotten. No one would remember her. No one would care. No one would even miss her.

Maddie&Esteban

Esteban shouted Maddie's name again. She didn't seem to hear him. He raced towards the tree where he had just seen her. Maddie was gone. Esteban looked around and soon spotted her walking among the gravestones. What was she going? Esteban's heart raced with fear. Something in her movements frightened him. Was it possible that she was thinking about suicide? Could it be that his amor was capable of taking her own life?

With his heart beating a mile a minute, Esteban ran as fast as he could until he was within a few feet of Maddie.

"Maddie, wait!" he called.

Maddie stopped, but didn't turn.

"I won't go with you," she said, her voice sounding like tinkling ice.

"Maddie, listen to me," pleaded Esteban. "I have a confession to make."

Maddie turned slowly. She raised her sorrowful eyes to Esteban.

"Yes?" she whispered. "Why have you come in search for me? Did you miss me that much? Did you come to invite me personally to your wedding party?" There was a note of bitterness in her voice.

"No," said Esteban. "I am here because I. . . because. . ." Maddie stared at him. Why did she do that? It was almost unnerving. Esteban swallowed several times as he looked down at his feet. "There is no wedding party, Maddie. At least not for me."

Maddie stared at him, as if she was trying to take in what he had just said. Had her ears deceived her?

"What do you mean?" asked Maddie, trying to keep her voice from sounding to hopeful lest she be crushed again.

"I didn't go through with it," said Esteban, with a small smile. "I told everyone in there I didn't love Charlotte."

"What. . .why?" asked Maddie.

"Because I love someone else."

Maddie's hopes rose again.

"You do?" she asked.

"Si, senora," said Esteban. "I love you, Maddie. I always have. You are the answer to all my dreams. You are my sun, my moon, my guiding star. My kind of wonderful, that's what you are."

Maddie gave him a tender smile as he took her hands in his.

"Maddie, with you I found so many things. A love so new only you could bring. There's just no one else like you. Tell me you feel the same way."

Maddie could almost feel the burn as she felt Esteban's eyes fixed on her. They made her feel very small and vulnerable. Perhaps it was time for the truth.

"Esteban, I love you," said Maddie. "Without you I feel so lost. I couldn't bare the thought of someone else sharing the love that was suppose to be for me. Someone else who's hand you would hold, someone else who would cry on your shoulder."

Esteban squeezed her hand.

"Through those months of my engagement something inside me changed," he said. "I realized more then ever you were the one I wanted to spend my life with. Every night I would cry and tell myself how much I loved you and that what I was doing was foolish. Then when Charlotte would come to see me, she would tell me that I needed to forget about you. That you were so young and that you were not what was best for me." He drew in a deep breath and sighed. "I loved you so much that it hurt. My heart called for you but it never got an anwser. There's a big hole in my chest where my heart used to be. The wind is caught in it, howling. So there's always something inside me crying. . .

Tears rolled down Esteban's cheeks as he tentatively wrapped his arms around Maddie's shoulders and pulled her close.

"Why did you get involved with Charlotte in the first place?" asked Maddie.

"Because, mi amor, I thought you loved Xavier. It made me angry thinking I was losing you to another man. So when I got back from New York, I sunk into deep depression and Mr. Moseby suggested I take a vacation. I thought that by marring Charlotte that I could possibly forget about you, knowing you would never belong to me."

"Why didn't you call off the wedding after you learned I still loved you?" asked Maddie.

"Because Charlotte wouldn't let me. I went to see her after I took you home and she told me if I called the wedding off she would ruin me. So I convinced myself that marring her would be the best thing for me. I was running into financial trouble and I knew Charlotte's money would be able to take care of that."

"But she didn't even love you," protested Maddie. "Why would she agree to marry you?"

Esteban gave her a funny smile.

"Because I'm cute?" he said and Maddie laughed. "I think it was because she realized that you loved me. I had told her often about my friends in Boston and at once she I noticed she seemed to take an instant disliking to you."

"So I guess that's it, huh?" asked Maddie.

Esteban nodded. "Pretty much," he said.

"So what will you do now?"

Esteban smiled and slipped his arms around Maddie's waist.

"I think I'll take a pretty girl to a party," he said.

Maddie smiled too as Esteban lifted her up and brought her towards the church. Everyone was gone, including Charlotte.

"How are we going to get to the Tipton?" Maddie asked.

"I asked Mr. Moseby to call a taxi," Esteban explained. "Here it comes."

Once the taxi had stopped, Esteban set Maddie into a seat and stepped in after her.

"To the Tipton Hotel, driver," he said. Esteban turned to Maddie and took her into his arms. He held her as if he would never let her go.

As nice of an ending as that sounds, I'm not finished yet. So stay tuned!