“I know how difficult this is for you.” Ethan said.

“Do you?!” She yelled. “From what I can see Ethan, instead of being out there trying to find Ellie, you're here trying to get married!” Her words hit their mark. She watched as the blood drained from his face, as if someone had ripped his heart out.

“Gretchen,” She turned to Matthew who took hold of her hand.

“I can't get married like this.” She breathed, shaking her head as her tears began to fall. “Not without Ellie.”

“Yes, you can.” Matthew smiled. “I know how important Ellie is to you but getting married to Ethan does not mean you're walking away from Ellie. Nobody is asking you to choose, you're all going to be a family eventually and taking this step —getting married right now— is your first step to being a family.”

She searched Matthew's eyes. “Will I ever get her back?” She asked, as if Matthew held the keys to finding Ellie.

Matthew nodded.

Heaving a breath, she turned to Ethan then, his eyes fixed on her and Matthew's locked hands. Matthew released his hold on her, and she took a step toward Ethan, covering the distance that stood between them.

“I'm sorry, Ethan.” She knew her words had hurt him and he hadn't been deserving of it. For all she knew, he had practically been running around London trying to find a solution to bringing Ellie back. “I didn't mean what I said.”

Ethan nodded. “We don't have to get married, not right now.” He whispered, placing his hand on the side of her face.

“I know,” They didn't have to get married but Matthew was right; it was a step to being a family. And while she didn't want to get married without Ellie, she didn't want to walk away from Ethan either. “But we should, we should get married...” She paused, taking another step toward him until they were standing face to face. “Right now.”

**

MATTHEW COULD ONLY afford to spend a week in the Williams' manor. With a baby and a wife back home in California, he needed to leave; an announcement that devastated Gretchen further.

Matthew had observed that while Ethan and Gretchen did get married in a rushed ceremony that evening with Matthew and a few servants as witnesses, both Ethan and Gretchen seemed like anything but a couple. They seemed apart —too far apart. Ethan spent most of his time in his study accommodating visitors, and Gretchen spent most of her time in the nursery. If Matthew hadn't seen how much they loved each other the day he arrived, he would have sworn that their marriage was a loveless one.

Ellie's absence had done much more than leave a void in Gretchen's heart, it had created a void in Gretchen and Ethan's relationship.

One week seemed like a decade for in one week, Gretchen had changed dramatically. She had transition from being barely able to eat, to rejecting food completely. Ethan, who was grieving the loss of his child as well, seemed to have no patience for Gretchen's sulking.