Gwen taps her foot nervously on the carpet. She
slumps against the sofa
cushions and sighs loudly. Pilar enters the room then, and smiles
sympathetically at Gwen. “I’m sorry, Gwen. I know you’re worried about
where
Ethan is. He has been gone practically the entire day, hasn’t he?” Pilar
asks.
Gwen smiles sadly. “Yes, Pilar, and the strangest thing is that he didn’t
even tell me where he was going. I was planning on a romantic picnic for
the
two of us today.” Gwen gazes into space. “I was hoping tonight Ethan would
propose to me again. I won’t be foolish this time and say no to him!” she
laughs.
Pilar rubs Gwen’s shoulder affectionately. “Ethan loves you, Gwen. There
is
no one else in this world he would rather be with. I’m sure it will be
no
time at all until you and Ethan set a date for the wedding.”
“Thanks, Pilar.” Gwen stands up to face Pilar, and goes on to say, “I
want you to sit in the front row with my family at the wedding. You’ve
always been such a dear to me.”
Pilar envelopes Gwen in her arms. Wouldn’t my Theresa love to see me
embracing Gwen Hotchkiss, Pilar thinks to herself, a wry grin on her face.
****
Ivy watches Pilar and Gwen from the hallway, a stony expression on her
face.
I will not let Gwen Hotchkiss marry my son, Ivy thinks angrily. I can’t
allow it, because if the marriage does take place, I’ll lose everything.
Ivy closes her eyes, and remembers that fateful day just over a year ago…
The man grabs Ivy around the neck, and covers her mouth with his hand.
“Do
you understand me, Ivy? DO YOU?” he yells. Tears spill down Ivy’s cheeks.
He
releases his grip on her neck slightly, and uncovers her mouth.
“Why are you doing this to me? Why?” she sobs.
The man frowns menacingly at her. “I will lose everything if that son of…if
Ethan marries Gwen. Everyone I am close to will be affected if the truth
comes out. The same goes for you. We can’t let that happen, Ivy,
and we won
’t…right?” he growls.
Ivy whispers between her tears, “But Ethan loves Gwen. He wants to spend
his
life with her. I know about the agreement, but what am I supposed to do?
I
can’t break up my son’s relationship with his girlfriend, I just can’t.”
“Come on, Ivy! There will be other girls for Ethan, but if our secret comes
out, you and I will be the big losers.”
Ivy opens her eyes and tries to clear her thoughts, but the man’s final
words ring in her ears for the rest of the night.