"Tanya! Eric!" I cried while running into their embrace.
"Hi!" they both jinxed.
"Let's go get something to eat! I saw this amazing sushi bar not far from here!" Tanya offered.
"No," Zeus declined.
Tanya diverted her gaze to him. A look of annoyance overcame her, and she didn't try to hide it. "I was talking to Ivy. Not you."
Zeus clenched his jaw before turning back into his home.
"I'd love to go," I agreed. We hastily began running back towards the car.
"Ivy!" Zeus hollered.
I froze in my tracks, my eyes closing shut in fear. I felt his rough hand on mine before turning me around. Instead of cruelty, he placed something familiar in my hand.
"Don't forget your phone," he said, "Call if you need me."
He pecked me on my cheek as I tried my best not to lean away. I rushed into the car's back seat, eager to leave this place.
"Can we please leave!" I pleaded.
They both looked back at me in confusion.
"What's wrong, Ivy?" Tanya asked.
"Please just go! Go back home. I don't want to come back here," I trembled as a silent tear trickled down my cheek.
Eric took off, speeding down the road and through several traffic lights. We stopped three hours later so I could get something to eat. Once I finished inhaling the best burger I'd ever eaten, I had to face the music of my two closest friends.
"We let it go, but you need to tell us what's wrong, Ivy," Eric said, placing his hand on mine, "We love you. We'd do anything for you, and you can tell us anything."
"I'm pregnant," I confessed.
Their eyes widened in shock.
"I don't know who's the father. If I'm being honest, I don't want to keep it. When Zeus found out I was pregnant, I did a blood test with his doctor and was told it was his son. Dimitri told me Zeus lied and that it was his. Either way, I don't want the baby!" I started crying.
Tanya ran over and held tenderly within her embrace, "What happened?"
"Zeus is a monster! The way he treats Dimitri, his grandson, and his daughter is beyond the demented shit I could ever do to anyone. He threatened to hurt the two of you if I told you what he's done. I don't want either of you hurt because of me and my decisions."
"You don't want this baby," Tanya comforted, "Zeus is forcing you; we would have grabbed you much sooner."
"No, you have to take me back," I hooked my head.
"The Hell we are!" Eric burst, walking around the table to hold me in his arms, "I won't let anyone hurt you. I'll kill him for what he's done."
"Woah! What's with this big rock on your wedding ring finger?!" Tanya exclaimed.
I dropped my head in sorrow, "I agreed to marry him if I could have you both back in my life."
"Why would you do that?!" Eric stood and looked down at both of us. "Knowing what kind of piece of trash he is?!"
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to gather myself, "I won't let you get hurt. I love the both of you too much to care about what happens to me."
"You think we don't feel the same?!" Tanya stood next to Eric.
Both of them looking down at me with hurt and pain in their eyes made this even more difficult.
"I don't know what I'd do if you two got hurt because of me," I gathered, "That's why I wanted you both to stay with me at Zeus's until I figure out a way out of this."
Absent-mindedly, I rubbed my stomach from a strange, tingling, uncomfortable sensation. Tanya sat back down next to me and placed her hand on mine.
"How far along are you?" she asked.
"Almost five months," I replied.
Eric's anger softened as he sat beside me, "What if it's mine?"
I closed my eyes again, knowing my response could break his heart.
"I never planned on anyone knowing," I confessed, "If it weren't for Zeus, this would all be resolved by now,"
"If you have the baby, we'll be here for you. I've already done it before," Tanya smiled while wiping the tears from my eyes.
"I'll be there for you every step of the way," Eric comforted, "I'll raise it like my own too."
"I just don't know anymore. It's so overwhelming. This is the first time I've left Zeus's property in nearly six weeks," I sighed.
Eric inhaled sharply, "We'll be there for you now. I may not move in, but I'll be there to protect you."
I looked down at the ring on my finger. Part of me wanted to throw it and run away as far as I could until my toes touched the ocean, with the warm breeze flowing through my hair. But the sound of screeching tires filled the air. My eyes flew open in shock.
"Zeus?!"