Utah 1987 or Eden's false death
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It is in Beautiful Peaks region, situated in the heart of the Utah mountains, that Eden Capwell and Cruz Castillo decided to celebrate their wedding, in the absence of the members of their families. After a first attempt which failed (during the fire of the Orient Express), the couple aspires only to pronounce as fast as possible the promises which will make Eden Capwell, Eden Castillo. Unfortunately for her, nothing in the progress of the events occurs as expected: at first Cruz is obliged to postpone his journey because of Carlotta Quilvar (Cruz has to accompany her to Baja, Mexico to escort the Governor of this State), then the road of Eden crosses that of Elena Nikolas. This latter organized everything to eliminate the young woman, and has no other dreams than to take her place in Cruz Castillo's life and bed.

Elena's plan is very simple: to be given a lift by Eden, to knock her out, to abandon her at the bottom of a ravine after a fall, then to take her place (Elena neglected no detail to take Eden's physical appearance) in the plane which had to lead her to Beautiful Peaks, then to blow it up in full flight, so that all her family considers her dead.

The news of the young woman's death eventually gains Santa Barbara and reaches one by one the members of the Capwell family. It is first of all C.C. and Sophia who learn by phone the terrible news: the plane rented by Eden disappeared in full flight. C.C. is annihilated by the loss of a second child, as far as Eden was the one to whom he was closest; maybe because she looked like him a lot, maybe also because she had known how to fill the space left by Channing Junior.

Then the regional radios assure the broadcasting of this information. By listening to the special reports, Jeffrey Conrad can only think of Kelly's pain when he will have to tell her the news. He does his best to console her, to surround her, to find the right words. In spite of the pain which overwhelms her, it is she, Kelly, who is going to find Cruz. This latter still ignores everything of the drama because he comes back from Mexico and gets ready to join Eden to get married. She waits for him at the beach house and announces the terrible news to him, the end of his world: Eden is not here anymore. Eden died in an accident.

Cruz refuses to believe it. How can he believe that the woman he loves, the woman that he was going to marry in a few days, was able to die? How can he conceive it, while at the bottom of his heart, he still feels her presence, all the strength of their love, while his life is annihilated forever, while the one he loved beyond everything is not here any more? How could this drama be true while nothing has changed? Cruz does not want, cannot believe it.

Then, it is Victoria Lane who learns the drama and has to announce it to Mason. This latter is very affected by the disappearance of this sister whom he fought for a long time (because she had taken his heir's place in the eyes and in the heart of their father) and whom he learnt to love over the time. And, it is thanks to his own experience (he has already known this suffering with Mary DuVall's death) that Mason tries to bring some comfort to Cruz; this latter sliding slowly on the slope of despair and self-abnegation. On the beach, Mason confides in him that time makes nothing forget; that there always will be a moment, a perfume, a word to remind to him of Eden. And that he can never forget her, never. Because as for him, he is still not able to forget Mary, even if today another woman makes his heart beat.

For all these reasons, it is with the certainty to find her that Cruz leaves with C.C. and Kelly in search of Eden, in Utah. Their research leads them on the tracks of the crash, where they are all obliged to face the evidence: Eden is dead. The long and painful work of mourning is going to begin for the beings who loved her. Of course, these hours are very painful for Cruz, who continues to keep a crazy hope, at the bottom of him, refusing any act which can confirm the disappearance of his beloved, which can make Eden's death real: religious ceremony, reading of the will.

These stages of mourning are differently lived by the young woman's relatives: C.C. isolates himself in the past, looking at old memories of Eden, whereas Sophia refuses to let go her sadness, fearing to see all her family collapsing if ever she allows herself to express her pain. However, it is her who faces the daily realities. It is her who finishes, with the help of Julia and Mason, convincing Cruz to be present in the reading of the will and to accept Eden's inheritance. And it is her who gathers family and close friends to honor Eden's memory, and offers her, even in absence of a body, a moving farewell ceremony.

It is in the small chapel in the city filled with wax candles and white flowers that, in the strictest intimacy, the Capwells and their friends meet in memory of Eden. Supported by Sophia's love, C.C. is the first one to reach the lectern to honor with some words the memory of his adored daughter. He has in front of him all his loved ones, Sophia, Kelly, Ted, Mason, but also Victoria, Julia, Hayley, Jeffrey and Cruz.

The voice filled with emotion, C.C. starts his reading. Cruz is in tears. C.C. approaches the breaking point, so much the pain tortures him from the inside. He takes a book of poetry and begins to read. But under Sophia's watch, C.C. does not manage to read any more. C.C. cracks and gives up in under the weight of pain, whereas Sophia gets up to join him. Mason observes him. C.C. collapses on the lectern and turns away so that we do not see his sadness, as Sophia joins him and supports him by her strength. C.C. seems exhausted, incapable to face. And Sophia takes him back to his seat.

Mason then gets up, joins them and comes to take the place of C.C. at the lectern. Mason begins his text, the look riveted on the ground. Then in his turn, he takes a book and begins to read. Mason leaves the lectern under the looks among others of Ted, C.C. and Sophia. Behind the scenes of church Elena's presence is undoubtedly there.

Then comes the so long-awaited and so dreaded moment when Cruz gets up to reach the lectern. Cruz takes out a piece of paper from his jacket. A long moment of break. Cruz folds up the paper, giving up reading to speak about the one he loved. Elena goes away. Kelly is in tears.

Forced to accept reality, Cruz returns to Utah with Kelly, for an ultimate goodbye to his beloved. There, in the middle of nowhere, with an eagle as an only witness, Cruz says his farewells to his former life, to this being who illuminated his days, and he confides Eden's soul to the bird of prey.

At his return, Cruz knows that he will never be the same man: although he is still alive, to live has no sense for him anymore. He still has to face a terrible test, anchoring more Eden's death in reality: the reading of the will. At first, Cruz announces to the Capwell family his intention to leave the city. During the reading at the Capwell mansion, in C.C.'s study, Cruz refuses to accept Eden's goods that she left him in inheritance. Of course, Cruz eventually goes back over his decisions: he stays in town and accepts Eden's inheritance thanks to Sophia's intervention which will have found the right words to make him lower his barriers.

And in memory of Eden, Cruz opens a detective's agency: the Last Resort Agency, so that continues forever his memory. Several investigations (Lucy and her rapist, the kidnapping of Johnny Wallace, the disappearance of Mason...) will occupy Cruz and will limit his spirit to be obsessed by the memory of Eden.

On her side, Eden is well alive and concentrates all her strengths to walk again, determined by the need to find Cruz and her loved ones.

So, Eden manages to escape Cain Garver's cabin one day, her prison in the mountains, to take the bus and join Santa Barbara. There, she imagines, due to clues left here and there, that Cruz replaced her and that Eleanor Norris took her place in Cruz's life. She even assists on the other side of the window of the beach house a curious scene: Eleanor throws herself on Cruz's neck, playing all the possible cards to be desired by him. Hurt in her flesh, Eden leaves the place but, in her haste, she knocks down a flowerpot pot on the window. Eden comes back later at the beach house to see Cruz. She sees the note which he left for his sister, Carmen: he is at the Orient Express with Eleanor.

It is thus at the Orient Express that Eden goes then, whereas Cruz and Eleanor drink a glass of champagne (a little earlier, Cruz pushed away Eleanor's advances, explaining to her that he is not ready to betray Eden). As Cruz raises his glass of champagne, his look goes towards the silhouette of the fair-haired woman, dressed in a simple blue dress with flowers... Before she turns around, his heart has already understood what his reason cannot believe. And as she faces him, Cruz cannot refrain from murmuring: "Eden". Eleanor does not believe her eyes: "My God". And the eyes filled with emotions, Eden and Cruz find themselves again, and their world seems to find the sensation to be complete again. It is under the eyes of an impassive Eleanor that Eden and Cruz's eyes get united: without the slightest word being said, the couple Eden and Cruz is reformed, even if it has never been really separated.

Under the shock of emotion, Eden's legs abandon her and she collapses. As Cruz rushes to her, a weapon intervenes between them. Cain came to take back the woman he wants to keep for him. Both men begin to fight, and Cain almost knocks Cruz out. In face of Eleanor and the waiters, Cain drags Eden, taking her to his world and threatening everybody to kill her if ever somebody intervenes. The doors of the Orient Express elevator close in front of Cruz, separating him again from his beloved. In the foyer of the Capwell Hotel, Cain, still dragging Eden, passes in front of C.C., who discovers, amazed, that his daughter is alive.

Cruz and Eleanor leave on the tracks of Cain. This latter ran away with his car and drives on the road towards the Abernathy stables, situated in the north districts of the city.

In the foyer of the Capwell Hotel, it is the biggest excitement. C.C. made Sophia come and announces her that Eden is alive... Then Pearl Bradford and Carmen arrive and learn the news. Cruz then realizes that he had already met Cain.

Cruz then understands that Eden was held and captive in the cabin, perhaps hurt. Powerless, Eleanor attends the slow reunion of Cruz and Eden.

At the Abernathy stables, where Cain dropped Eden off, Eden realizes that only a few steps lacked to her to find herself in Cruz's arms. Eden blames Cain for having intervened: everybody is going to be on their heels. Eden begs him to leave her, to allow her to find her family. But Cain does not hear her: he wants to finish it, and refuses to say to Eden the reasons which urge him to act like this. Obliged to pursue his plan, Cain ties Eden up and gags her, to be free and to be able to find Eleanor in the offices of the Last Resort Agency. There, they fail to see each other and Eleanor leaves indirectly a meeting place: on the beach, right by the coastguards cabin.

Pearl learns the information that a car identical to Cain's was seen on Medo road (an old road full of potholes which goes along the Abernathy ranch) and informs Cruz about it. He immediately decides to drive there with C.C..

Meanwhile, Eden succeeds in dialing the number of the police headquarters, when Cruz is about to go into the building where she is locked up. He leaves without seeing her, after C.C. tells him that a man matching Cain’s description was seen on the beach.

On the beach, Cain and Eleanor face each other. Cain then grasps Eleanor and wonders why he did not make it, he was supposed to finish the job and kill Eden. She then reads in his eyes that he fell in love with Eden. Not to have respected his commitments, she threatens him with marital court because there is no limitation for war crimes. Avid to finish it, Eleanor threatens him with a weapon; Cain tries to negotiate his return to the mountains. Some voices far away allow Cain to run away. Eleanor then makes believe that she has been assaulted by Cain.

At the Capwell mansion, Sophia announces to Ted that Eden is alive and that Cruz and C.C. saw her.

On the beach, Cruz and C.C. discovers that it is not Eden who is here, but Eleanor, slightly hurt to her arm. They are warned by a policeman that a phone call to 911 was made from the Abernathy stables by a person incapable to speak.

Stretched out on the hay, Eden dreams about her reunion with Cruz. When Cain arrives, he does not listen to Eden who shouts him that she has pain in her legs and that she needs to go to the hospital. He eventually confesses to her that she is not welcome here anymore, and that certain persons want to kill her.

Suddenly Cruz and Eleanor appear, both armed, in the stables. Cruz shoots Cain, as this latter points a gun. He is hurt in the nape of the neck. Eden and Cruz find each other and admit their love, as the lack and the absence. All of this happening under Eleanor's eyes. The news then spreads: Sophia and Ted learn that Eden is led to the hospital, certainly wounded but alive.

The ambulance drivers advance and Eden asks for a stretcher or for a wheelchair. She cannot walk. At the hospital, the anxiety is omnipresent, pressing on the reunion enjoyment. Sophia, who did not see Eden yet, makes Cruz understand that she wants to be the first one to see her, as the nurse authorizes only a single person. Then it is Cruz's turn.

Eden and Cruz's reunion is interrupted by a policeman who comes to take Eden's testimony. Behind the door, Eleanor listens to all the conversation. Eden remembers a few things, Cain’s name, that he fought in Vietnam, that she gave a woman a lift, then that this woman took out a gun. Eden assures Cain's defense, finding excuses in the long silence of more than three months. Then, Eden has to face the terrible news: she has new damage to her spinal column, a lesion which will prevent her from walking ever. Eden chooses to say nothing to Cruz, leaving him in ignorance of it.

Sophia is the first one to understand the reason which maintained Eden away, that this reason has nothing to do with Eleanor, and why today she pushes Cruz away. Sophia assures her that Cruz loves her beyond everything, whether she is a disabled person or not, able of walking or not... In Cruz's eyes, it does not matter, because he loves her. Purely and simply. He loves her.

It will be necessary to wait for some long months and a lot of time and love so that, slowly, Eden lets Cruz come back towards her. Cruz will need a great deal of patience to leave space and time for Eden, while he has just found her alive. In the past, their relationship has already known difficulties (Kirk Cranston, Santana Andrade...), but nothing that they could not beat. But, today, the stroke of fate which strikes Eden seems insuperable to her and, in spite of Cruz's love, she knows or believes to know that the handicap which affects her will put an end to her love story with Cruz.

Text written for this site by Lilian