Gwen and Johnathan were eating dinner when they heard a commotion.

“ You can’t go in there, Sir.”

” She’s my wife, dammit!”

Gwen braced herself as the door opened.

” Ethan.”

” Gwen! What is wrong with you? Why have you moved out?”

Johnathan turned to the maid who came in right behind Ethan. “ Call security.”

” Daddy, that’s not necessary.”

” Gwen..”

” Daddy, no need for security. We’re all civilized here. Ethan and I can talk like adults.”

“ Thank goodness you’ve come to your senses.”, Ethan sighed. “ Where are your things.”

” In my room, where they belong.”

” Gwen..”

” Don’t ‘Gwen’ me Ethan. What did you think? You could choose Theresa and HER child over your own family AGAIN, and I would just take you back? Sorry, I laid out the rules for you, Ethan, and you spit on them. Well, I understand. SOMEONE has to put this child first, and that person will be ME!”

” You think I don’t love our baby? You?”

” No, Ethan. I know you don’t love me, and I’m not too sure about our child. Oh, you feel obligated to us, but that’s not love.”

” Gwen, can’t we go somewhere private to talk?”

” Talk about what? Whatever I have to say to you Ethan I can say in front of my father. He knows how I feel about it.”

” I can’t believe you’re being so irrational, Gwen.”

Gwen raised her hand in protest. “ Don’t! Stop! Don’t go there, Ethan. I just got serious déjà vu, back to when we were first engaged. I suspected something about Theresa, and you just dismissed me and my feelings as paranoia. Yeah, I was so paranoid that you called off her wedding hours before it was supposed to happen. I should have washed my hands of you THEN! That was my mistake. It was my mistake to give YOU so much power in my happiness. Never able to feel secure and safe in my own skin. Always looking over my shoulder for Theresa…and, now that I realize it, for you. I didn’t trust you as far as I could spit, and maybe it was pride. The inability to admit that the man I had given 10 years of my life to, my virginity to, and who was willing to bet the rest of my life on, had dumped me for a teenaged whore. That’s quite a blow for ANY woman’s ego, let alone someone who had been raised as I had.

But, I’m through. We’re through. I’m going back to work at Hotchkiss for my father. I’ll have more than enough money to hire the help to raise my child.”

” What about me being a full-time father.”

” Go talk to Theresa. I’m sure she’ll be happy to have you around little Ethan. “

” This is MY baby too!”

” And, we’ll work out a generous visitation schedule. My lawyers will contact you.”

” I can’t believe you’re doing this to our family.”

” Ethan, I didn’t do anything. I just took cues from you. You have your priorities: it’s Theresa, and then everything else, including your family. I had to decide whether or not I could accept that. I can’t. I deserve to have someone in my life who loves me for ME. Who loves ONLY me. I know…odd concept – a wife being married to man who totally wants to be with her.”

” I want to be with you.”

” No, you don’t, Ethan. I’ll be honest for the both of us. You might care for me, but you don’t love me. You love Theresa. Doesn’t matter if she lies 24-7, and if she gets into mess after mess, you’re right there to clean up after her. For you, that’s love. I never ‘needed’ you enough. And, when I pretended and played the game like Theresa, I was miserable. I hope she makes you happy, Ethan. I really do. But, it’s not my problem. As you think about other things, you better think about this. How you’re going to have time with your child that does NOT include Theresa. I don’t want that woman around my child, and I’ll go to court to prevent it from happening. How this inconveniences you is irrelevant to me. I know what I’m going to do for my child. And Theresa is NOT going to be an influence in his or her life.

You should go, Ethan. We are finished. “

Ethan looked at Gwen, and realized that she wasn’t going to change her mind. He turned away and left the dining room and mansion in silence.

Johnathan went over to Gwen and hugged her.

” Are you OK?”

” I’m going to be fine. The hardest is behind me, Daddy. I’m going to take a walk.”

“ Want some company?”

” No thanks.”

Gwen left the house and wound up at the bench under her favorite tree. As she sat down, she thought about this tree. So many important things in her life had happened here – most of them dealing with Ethan. It was fitting that at the end of their relationship, she would come here. Gwen thought about what she had done. She had really ended it with Ethan. There hadn’t been a day in the last 14 years where he hadn’t been a part of it, and now she had rid herself of him forever.  All they shared was the baby growing inside of her. Some would call that the strongest bond of all, but Gwen knew that they would soon become little more than strangers who co-parent. Part of her was sad about it, but considering all that had happened, especially over the past 3 years. This was never a situation where people would wind up ‘friends’. It just wasn’t possible.
 

Julian was sitting in little Ethan’s room, playing with him after his bath.

” Pookey, are you in here?”

Rebecca came into the room. “ Julian, what are you doing?”

” I’m playing with my son.” Upon seeing Rebecca, little Ethan’s face went from a smile to a frown. He looked at Julian with pleading eyes.

” Rebecca, please respect my time with little Ethan.”

” Julian, isn’t that what nannies are for? I’ll make sure to hire another one right away.”

“ You’ll do no such thing!”

Little Ethan and Rebecca looked at Julian in shock.

” Rebecca, dear, I’ll be spending this time every night with my son. It’s part of my routine.”

” But, Pookey, what about me?”

” Amuse yourself, Rebecca.”

” You have custody of the kid, Julian. Nobody’s around that would care.”

” I would care, Rebecca. This is my son, and I’m going to do right by him.” The tone in Julian’s voice told Rebecca that he meant business.

” Ok, I’ll go downstairs. I’ll be waiting for you.”

” Fine.”

Rebecca left, and Julian went back to playing with his son.

” I know…you don’t want Rebecca around here anymore than I do. But, for now, she’s a necessary evil. I’ll make sure that she doesn’t bother you. She’s not nice and wonderful like Eve, is she? But then nobody is like Eve. I promise you, Son, that you will not be made to suffer because of the adults around you. I’m sure Pilar is talking to Theresa right now, and she’s going to take my deal. You’re my last chance to get it right, and if I have to, I’ll force the rest of them to get it right too.”

Julian smiled at his son, who loved rolling the ball back and forth.