Sacrifices of the Soul, Chapter Seventeen
 
 

" You've only loved me?", Ethan asked, totally puzzled. " Can't be, Theresa. You love Chuck, remember?"

" There is no Chuck. He was just some guy Whitney gave tennis lessons to."

" What?"

" I needed a boyfriend, and Whitney provided me with one."

" There is no Chuck?"

" No. But, Gwen was on my back about proving that I had a boyfriend, so, Whitney helped me. "

" No Chuck?"

" Yes. There was no Chuck. I knew that if we spent time together, you would realize how much you loved me, and that we were supposed to be together. And, I was right? See today? You admitted that you loved me. Just like I always knew it would be. You see, there is no Chuck, Ethan, and we can be together, just like it was always meant to be. It was fate. I knew that fate would draw us together, and reveal the love between us. "

" Fate? FATE? You're standing here, telling me that your 'boyfriend', really wasn't your boyfriend. That he was, in essence, a figment of your imagination, just like everything between us." Ethan laughed a little as he began to walk around in a circle.

" I'll be damned. I can't believe I was a fool like this. "

" A fool?"

" Yes, Theresa. I've been a fool. Falling for one of the oldest cons going, but, a fool nonetheless."

" I…..I don't understand."

" You stand here and tell me that CHUCK, the guy that you've been using as a way to get me to feel sorry for you..to empathize with you, isn't a real guy at all. He's a fake. "

Ethan shook his head.

" It was all a lie. ALL A LIE. If there never was a Chuck, then that means that Gwen's been right all along. YOU have been after me since the beginning, with those incidents."

" No, they were accidents."

" Accidents, my eye. Frank Lomax told me that you were my stalker, but, I looked into those brown eyes, and wondered how, possibly, YOU could be a stalker."

" But, I wasn't stalking you."

" Save it! Save it for someone who will actually believe you, Theresa. My God, Gwen was right. From the beginning, you've only wanted to break us up, haven't you? HAVEN'T YOU?"

" Ethan..I wanted you to realize that you love ME, and not Gwen."

" LOVE YOU? I don't even know you. "

Ethan talks, mostly to himself. " I'm a fool. I was considering throwing away the woman that's been a part of my life for over a decade, for some sweet young thing, who has been golddigging from the WORD GO!"

" Golddigging?"

" Yes, Theresa. You say that you've been 'IN LOVE' with me all your life? You didn't even KNOW me, Theresa? How could you be IN LOVE with someone that you don't even know? The only way that you could have KNOWN me, is if you read about me. You LOVED me from magazines?"

" Yes…NO……remember, Mama would talk about you too."

" I doubt that I was home long enough over the years for Pilar to give you consistent descriptions of my life, considering that I've been away at some type of school since I was ten years old. "

" No. I love YOU, Ethan."

" You love ME. You don't know me. If you did, you would know that I hate lying and deceit. You allowed me to defend you, falsely, time and time again, when Gwen would accuse you CORRECTLY of your duplicity. I can't believe how much I disrespected Gwen, and allowed you to make a fool out of me, with every defense that I did. You KNEW she was telling the truth, but, since your goal was to destroy my relationship with Gwen, you kept silent."

" I didn't want to destroy your relationship with Gwen."

" YOU DIDN'T?"

" No. I wanted you to realize that our love was stronger."

Ethan stood in silence at that remark.

" You don't think that ruining a relationship that I've been involved with for over a decade wouldn't be harmful to Gwen? What did you think about how Gwen would feel? How devastated she would be? That maybe her heart would be broken. She loves me."

" But, I love you more."

" You love me more? What the hell are you talking about? You love me more? Do you even have a clue as to what love is? Love isn't stalking, lies and deception. Love isn't golddigging and taking a job with my mother because you want to be near me. Love isn't accepting the Wedding Coordinator's position of a wedding that you WANT TO STOP!

NONE of these things is love.

I've been a complete fool. You've been a liar from the very beginning, and silly me, I thought you were like Pilar, one of the most honest and decent people I've ever met. I thought, you being her daughter, that those traits were naturally passed onto you. Boy, was I wrong. I may have been blind before, but, I'm not anymore. I'm onto to you, Theresa. Your scheme has been exposed, and I want you OUT of my life."

"Ethan….you don't mean that!", Theresa says desperately through her tears.

" I most definitely do. It's time to settle things right now." Ethan goes over to Theresa and takes her by the arm.

" Where are we going?"

" To set things right.", he says as he leads her towards the Mansion.
 

Gwen, Rebecca, Julian and Ivy were all in the Crane Living Room, looking over the final arrangements for the reception so far. Julian was informing them of the Secret Service call that he had just received for information about how Vice-President Gore's presence would be handled. They all looked up when Theresa and Ethan came into the room.

Pilar, who had just gone to get some tea, returned just in time to see Theresa and Ethan come in. From the look in Theresa's eyes, she knew that something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

" Mother, Father, Gwen, I'm sorry to inform you that Theresa has just informed me that she has to resign as Wedding Coordinator."

" Resign? Theresa, why?", Ivy asks.

" She's been getting behind in her studies, and this is an important semester for any Senior, mother. Colleges look very down on students that they perceive are slacking off this semester. And, we don't want the colleges to get a bad impression of you, do we, Theresa?", Ethan asks, his eyes coldly focused on her.

" No. My education has to mean more right now, Mrs. Crane. I've done all I can."

" Theresa's resignation also includes that of being your Personal Assistant, Mother. The Cranes have taken up too much of Theresa's valuable time."

" Now, Ethan, I understand the wedding, but.."

" Her education, Mother. You wouldn't want Pilar to think that you didn't honor her commitment to furthering her children's education, would you?"

" Well, no, but.."

" It's regrettable, Mother. But, you can find another assistant, and the wedding plans are far enough along that between you, Gwen and Rebecca, I know that you can handle it. Isn't that right, Gwen?"

" Yes, Ethan. We can handle the plans." Gwen gets up and goes over to Theresa and hugs her. " Theresa, I don't know what to say. You helped me when I needed it the most. I don't think that this wedding would be taking place without you."

" Gwen, it was no bother.", Theresa said, her eyes barely lifting off the floor.

Julian watched this scene with interest. Something was afoot. In all Ethan's life, he had never seen the boy act like, well, a CRANE. Though he had denied it for months, Julian had known that something was happening between Ethan and Theresa. Today's events are very curious indeed. But, Julian decided to sit back and watch this play out.

Ethan went over to the desk, and began writing something. He returned to Theresa, and stretched out his hand.

" Here."

Theresa looked up at him. " What is this?"

" This is a check for your services and a severance. "

" I didn't expect to be paid for being a Wedding Coordinator.", Theresa barely mumbles.

" Nonsense. You performed a service, you should be paid for it. It can help you with your education fund."

Theresa stared up at Ethan, and saw nothing but ice in his eyes. She just stood there, and Pilar came by and took the check from Ethan. " Thank you, Ethan. This is more than generous, and will be put to good use."

" Nonsense, Pilar. I paid Theresa the going rate for excellent Wedding Coordinators. She put such time and effort into our wedding, you would have thought that she was planning her own. " It did not escape Pilar the little emphasis that Ethan put on 'own'.

Ethan turned to Julian. " Grandfather said that he was sending some contracts from Singapore that he wanted me to check."

"Yes. They're in the library."

Ethan left with Julian, not looking back.

Pilar turned to Ivy, " Mrs. Crane, would you mind it if I went home with Theresa tonight?"

" Of course, Pilar. I'll see you tomorrow."

Rebecca got Ivy back to discussing the reception as Gwen watched as Pilar literally had to help Theresa out of the house. After some time, Gwen told Ivy that she and Rebecca had to leave for a dinner date with her father, and they left. They said nothing in the limo back to the house.
 

Julian and Ethan had finished discussing the contracts, and Ethan was about to leave the library when Julian asked,

" Son, would you like to join me in a drink?"

Ethan thought about it, and then said, " Sure."

Julian poured them both brandys, and Julian returned to behind his desk, and Ethan sat in front.

" Would you like to explain to me what all that nonsense was about in the Living Room with Theresa?"

" Nonsense?"

" Come on, Ethan. Your old man knows better. What happened?"

" Theresa isn't the person I believed her to be, Father. She wanted to make a fool out of me, and I'm glad that I found out the truth about her before I made a mistake that I would have regretted. I am the Heir to the Crane Empire, and I know what I have to do. I don't know how I could have ever doubted that Gwen was the perfect life partner for the life which I will lead."

Julian raised his glass. " I'm glad to hear you talk so smart, son. Now, if your slimy old man can give you a little piece of advice…..if ' I' could figure out that there was something wrong, a smart woman like Gwen certainly will. Go to her, and smooth things over. Make sure she knows her place in your life."

Ethan finished the drink, and put the glass down on the desk. " Father, you don't give out good advice often, but, you're right. Thank you."

Ethan left the room, and Julian smiled. " That's my boy. A Crane, through and through."
 

Pilar helped Theresa into the house. Theresa had said nothing during the ride on the way home. She had been perfectly still, with the tears streaming down her face. Theresa put one foot in front of the other, but, she didn't even know what she was doing. Once they were in the living room, Pilar sat Theresa down on the couch and asked,

" Theresita, what is wrong? What happened? Theresa?"

Theresa looked at Pilar with lost eyes.

" He said that he loved me too."

" Who?"

" Ethan. He said that he loved me, Mama. "

" When?"

" Today. He admitted that he loved me. I was so happy Mama, and then…."

" Then, what?"

" He said that Chuck had been a fool, and that he knew what he had in me. And, I told him."

" Told him what? What?"

" That there was no Chuck."

Pilar closed her eyes. " Theresa……Theresa…."

" He had said he loved me. What did it matter about Chuck? But, when I told him that, Ethan became enraged. He accused me of being a golddigger and a liar, and that he had been warned about girls like me, and that I thought I could use myself to worm myself into the Crane Mansion. It  was awful.", Theresa wailed as she began sobbing.

" Theresa, I warned you, mija. That your lies would come back to haunt you."

" I should have kept them to myself."

Pilar removes Theresa from her shoulder and looks her directly in the eye. " No! Don't you understand yet? You should not have told the lies or did the schemes in the first place. THAT is why you are here, right now. Your deceit caught up with you, and if you had never told Ethan, whatever you had would not have been real, and would have been destroyed anyway. Better now that you learn this lesson, so that you can get on with your life."

" Maybe when Ethan calms down…"

" Shut up! Shut up! Do you realize what happened today? You were 'dismissed', Theresa! Nothing can be more clear. I believe that I will get a call from Ethan or Mr. Crane very soon, informing me that you are NEVER to set foot on the Crane Estate again. Ethan does not want to see you, Theresa. Accept it, and move on."

" NEVER, Mama! I will never accept it, and I'll love Ethan until the day that I die!", Theresa screams before running to her room.

Theresa is in her room, and Pilar is about to begin cooking dinner when the phone rings.

" Hello?"

" Pilar, it's Julian Crane."

" Yes, Mr. Crane. "

" Pilar, I wanted to get something straight with you. I believe it would be best if Theresa never returns to the Mansion. If she needs something from you, she is to wait at the gate in the security office. Is that clear?"

" Yes, Mr. Crane."

" Goodnight.", Julian says before hanging up the phone.

Pilar shakes her head and goes in to cook dinner.