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Rating: R
Important Note: This story may contain possible storyline spoilers.
In this story, Ethan has admitted to Theresa that he loves her, but he has also told her that they can't be together
that his family and her family would never allow it. Theresa told him she didn't care, but he told her she should.
If they were together it could come down to her choosing between her family and his and he couldn't, wouldn't ask
her to do that. She has now accepted that he must marry Gwen and is trying to be brave about it. The story begins
the night before Ethan and Gwen's wedding. Lyric stanzas are from Lila McCanns song "Something In The Air".
Part One: In an Ocean of Pain
THERESA LOPEZ-FITZGERALD watched as the ocean waves rolled in
and out from the beach and wondered how in the world she was going to survive tomorrow. She had been in love with
Ethan Crane all her life and tomorrow... tomorrow she was going to watch him marry another woman in a wedding that
she had been planning and designing for years. Why was fate being so cruel? She knew Ethan and her were meant to
be together. She knew it deep in her soul. But she also knew that fate was definitely not on her side anymore.
Ethan knew how she felt about him and he had told her he felt the same way, yet he was still determined to marry
Gwen.
She understood his reasons and she was trying to accept them, but it was so hard. It was so hard knowing she was
about to lose the only man she had ever loved. Tomorrow was going to be the worst day of her life and she still
wasn't sure she had the strength to survive it. She had convinced her mother that she could handle being Gwen's
maid of honor, but she wasn't so sure anymore. How in the world was she going to walk up that aisle and see Ethan
standing there knowing that he wasn't standing there waiting for her? It would kill her.
Tears welled in her eyes and she was powerless to stop them from falling. She had been so brave the last few weeks.
She had convinced her mother, Whitney, and even Ethan that she was fine. But she had been pretending because inside,
inside she was dying a slow painful death that only grew more painful as Ethan's wedding day drew near. And now
the day she had been dreading for weeks was finally here. Tomorrow her dreams of marrying Ethan would be dashed
to bits and she had no idea how she was going to survive.
Theresa hugged her knees to her chest and lowered her head against them as the tears continued to slide down her
cheeks. Maybe if she cried enough tears tonight she wouldn't have any left for tomorrow. Somehow, she doubted that
though. She could cry an ocean of tears tonight and still find more for tomorrow. Her heart was breaking and she
knew it was her own fault. If only she had listened to her mother when she told her to stay away from Ethan, maybe
she wouldn't be in so much pain right now. She had thought she was in love with him before she met him, but she
knew she hadn't really and truly fallen in love with him until she started to spend time with him and really gotten
to know him. Now she knew his heart, his soul, and it was making it that much harder to accept that he wasn't going
to marry her.
She knew she had his heart. He had told her just a few short weeks ago. That had been the greatest moment of her
life, but then he had explained that although he loved her, they could never be together. How could he turn his
back on the love they had? How could he marry someone he wasn't completely and totally in love with? She had tried
to change his mind, but he was determined to go through with the wedding. She knew in some twisted way, he was
marrying Gwen to protect her... to protect her from his family and from Luis.
Luis still didn't know she worked for Mrs. Crane or that she helped plan and was going to be in Ethan's wedding
to Gwen. She knew if he did find out, he would try to send her away. Not that he could. Now that she was eighteen
she could do whatever she wanted. She didn't want to go against him, but she would if she had to. Then again, the
only thing they didn't agree on was the Cranes. He thought she was over Ethan. Little did he know she was more
in love with him than she ever was before. She knew he would go ballistic at the mere thought of her marrying into
the Crane family. She knew he still believed that they had something to do with Papa's disappearance and she couldn't
really disagree with him. But she still didn't understand why he included Ethan in his dislike of the Cranes. Ethan
wasn't anything like the rest of his family.
Ethan. Tomorrow she would lose him. Tomorrow she would watch him marry someone else. She knew fate wasn't going
to save her this time. The wheels had already been set in motion and there was nothing anyone could do to stop
them. If only Ethan would change his mind...
'But he won't, Theresita.' Her mother's voice said echoing in her head. 'You just have to except that. He made
his choice and it wasn't you.'
Theresa cried out in agony. Ethan loved her. He told her he did. He should be marrying her not Gwen. Tomorrow should
be her wedding day to Ethan not Gwen's.
"God help me!" Theresa screamed into the cold, ocean air. "Give me the strength to deal with what
will come tomorrow! I can't... I can't do it on my own!"
Tears blinded her eyes, pain sliced through her heart, and all she could think about was the fact that tomorrow
she was going to lose Ethan forever. Tomorrow she would lose the only man she would ever love.
to part two
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