Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. I am merely borrowing
them for my story. They belong to James E. Reilly and NBC.
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On August 9, 1958, I was brought into this world. My parents, Charles and
Anna, gave me the name, Ivy Liliana Winthrop. My childhood was harsh, to say
the least. I have no brothers or sisters and my parents were always away.
The loneliness got to me, so I began venturing out. I would often go to the
Country Club and I made many friends there. But they were all snobs and I
never wanted to be like them. My Father and Mother didn't want me to attend
boarding school because they were afraid of sending me away from where they
could keep an eye on me. They thought that I would somehow meet some boy
from the wrong side of the tracks and he would sweep me off my feet. Little
did they know, that happened anyways, and it happened here in Harmony. But
that story comes a little bit later. When I was 15 years old, my Father ran
for political office and was elected Governor of Harmony. I remember what
that kind of power did to him. I believe it corrupted his mind. He always
felt as if he had the upper hand in our house and he would show his power off
when my Mother would do something that he didn't approve of. I remember one
instance where my Mother refused to go with him to a party because she said
she was sick. My Father didn't believe her and assumed that she wanted to
stay home because she had a lover that was supposed to come over. He hit her
that night for the first time. Sadly, it wasn't the last time. The beatings
would get more frequent and I couldn't take it anymore.
The summer when I turned 19 changed my life forever. I would often go to the
beach just to get away from my Father. He had never hit me, but I was always
afraid that eventually he would. On June 27, 1976, I went to the beach just
like I did on other days. I remember that date for two reasons. It was the
day I met Sam Bennett and the following year on the same date, my Ethan was
born. I was just getting out of the water and I looked up. There he was,
looking back at me with those eyes that could look through my soul. I was
drawn to him and he was drawn to me. We walked towards each other, our eyes
still in contact. At first we didn't say anything, we just stood there
staring at one other. He finally broke the silence and said, "Hi, I'm Sam
Bennett. What's your name?" I told him my name and we spent the afternoon
together. We stayed on the beach that night and watched the sunset. It was
getting late and I was afraid that my parents might worry about me so I told
him I had to go. Since I had walked, Sam offered to drive me home. I gladly
accepted. He drove me home and walked me to my door, giving me a kiss on the
cheek before leaving. We agreed to meet the next day at the beach. For
several weeks after our first meeting we would go along in this same fashion.
But everyday was a whole new experience for both of us. 1 month after we
met, we confessed our love to each other. That was the night that we first
made love. It was the most amazing feeling that I have ever had. To be
intimate with someone that you love more than life itself is like going to
Heaven. Sam knew that my Father was the Governor and we always had to sneak
around in order to be together, especially since elections were coming up and
my Father wanted to be reelected. I came home one morning after spending the
night with Sam and by the look on my parents' face, something was going on.
They asked me to sit down and I did as I was told. My Father told me that he
knew a way that he would be reelected and I was the key to it. Alistair
Crane had offered my Father a deal that he couldn't refuse. The Cranes would
give my Father the power he needed to stay in office and my Father would make
sure that the Cranes would have a say in the Harmony Government. But in
order to do that, I had to marry Alistair's son, Julian. I broke down in
tears and refused to do it. I was so panicked that I blurted out that I
loved someone else. That was when my Father finally raised his hand at me.
He slapped me across the face and told me that if I didn't marry Julian
Crane, the boy that I loved would be 'taken care of'. I couldn't let that
happen, so I agreed. I was about to leave the house when my Father stopped
me. He told me that the wedding was to take place in 2 hours and I had to
get ready. They had a dress ready for me and someone did my hair and makeup.
Pilar was there with me through every step of the way. She knew about Sam
and how difficult this was on me. She told me to go to him, but I couldn't
risk his life. I didn't tell Pilar that my Father had threatened to hurt
him. So I married Julian Crane that day on September 30, 1976. That's not
all that happened that day. When I came back from the wedding, Pilar told me
that Sam had stopped by and she told him that I married Julian. She said he
was heartbroken beyond belief. I went upstairs and cried. I didn't come
down until almost an hour later. I slowly came down the stairs but stopped
when I overheard Julian and Alistair talking. The were discussing me and
their 'deal' with my Father. Julian Crane had no intention of ever trying to
be a good husband to me. It was nothing more than a business deal. I fled
from the mansion in tears and found myself at Sam's house. I could see the
pain in his eyes when he opened the door. He pulled me close to his body and
I cried in his arms. He didn't ask me quesions because he knew I was
hurting. We made love again that night for the last time. I returned back
to the Crane Mansion the next day and everyone was asking me questions about
where I had been. I refused to answer them and I refused to sleep with
Julian. Two weeks later I found out that I was pregnant. I knew it was
Sam's baby because I still hadn't slept with Julian. I knew that the only
thing I could do to protect my unborn child was to sleep with Julian and
pretend this baby was his. So I did and gave birth to Ethan Samuel on June
27, 1977, passing him off as a Crane. I didn't see Sam again until years
later, but everytime I looked at Ethan, I saw him. Ethan was very much like
his Father and I had to do whatever it took to protect him. I gave birth to
another son, Gregory Richard, on December 4, 1979, a daughter, Alaetra
Mariana, on March 12, 1982, and then another daughter, Jaden Leigh, on May
22, 1985. My children became my pride and joy, and my only reason for not
taking my own life. I know it sounds cruel, but Ethan is my favorite of all
my children. Don't get me wrong, I love ALL of my children more than my own
life, but it's different with Ethan because Sam is his Father. I sent all of
my children off to boarding school for their own good. My plan is to keep
them as far away from Julian and Alistair's influence as possible.
This family sure has its secrets. When Sheridan, Julian's little sister, was
only a child, they sent her away. They claimed that she only had a bad dream
about killing someone, but she felt as if it were real. I often wonder what
really happened that night. It didn't make sense that Alistair would have
his little girl sent away for only a nightmare. She was so young and
innocent and like a daughter to me. She is only two years older than Ethan
and they became the best of friends. Ethan was heartbroken when his aunt was
sent away. I found out the day Sheridan was sent away to Paris that Pilar's
husband, Martin, dissappeared the day before. Poor Pilar. She has always
been a great friend and loyal confidant. I did what I could to help her and
her family out, but Julian took all the credit for it. That bastard.
Years passed and my loneliness grew. Ethan came back to Harmony with his
girlfriend, now fiancee, Gwen Hotchkiss. I loved having him back home. It
didn't make me feel as lonely when he was around. But he did make me think
of Sam. Then, one day, out of the blue, I came home from shopping to find
Sam at my door. He was the new Chief of Police and needed to speak to
Julian. I hadn't seen him since the night Ethan was conceived. All of the
memories of Sam came flooding back to me and the love I felt for him
returned. I could tell that he was nervous, too. I don't mean to sound
modest, but I don't think all of his feelings for me are gone. It turns out
that he had gotten married and had three children. I had already heard about
it, but I had always hoped it wasn't true. I decided to start finding ways
to get close to Sam. I threw dinner parties and invited the Bennetts and
Russells, occasionally stealing a kiss from Sam when he least expected it. I
got close to his wife, Grace, and realized that she knew nothing about my
past with her husband. I admit that I pulled some pretty ugly stunts to try
and win Sam back, but I had to do it. My life has been nothing but miserable
since I had to leave Sam. Julian does nothing but cheat on me and drink his
damn brandy. But now I think I have Julian right where I want him.
I discovered that Julian had a past relationship with Eve Russell, Grace
Bennett's best friend. I know that if TC, Eve's husband, ever found out,
he'd kill Julian. So I decided to have a little fun with the good doctor. I
got ahold of this bird statue that Eve was ranting and raving about and found
some naughty pictures of her and Julian inside. Now I can control both of
them. If Eve doesn't help me win Sam back, I'll destroy her life and she'll
be just as miserable as I am. But I better be careful.
I also found out that Julian and Alistair hired an imposter to break up the
blosoming romance between Sheridan and Luis. I don't see why they can't just
let true love be. I was going to tell Sheridan about it, but Julian used
Ethan as his pawn. He knows that the only soft spot I have is Ethan and
that's how he always gets to me. But my belief is that Sheridan and Luis
love each other very much and true love will always win out. When that day
comes, I want to be there to see the look on Julian's face. I would also
love to be there when Luis finds out the truth about the imposter. The truth
always comes out in the end and I want to see Luis kick Julian's ass. Until
that happens and until I get Sam back, I guess I'll just have to sit back and
watch Julian and Eve's life unravel at my hands.