Chapter 97: A Contract Wife

"I love you, Ivy, I love your..." Silas groaned as his pace increased.

His words stopped Ivy's heart for a second, but before she had time to stomach them...

"Fuck. That was good," Silas said as he rolled over to his side shortly after, snoring gently.

Ivy carefully stood up from the bed and went to the bathroom to clean up inside. Her heart pounded.

Had Silas meant that? Or was it just in the moment of pleasure?

She had no clue, but one thing was certain: fear was the first emotion she felt, even before surprise, and she hoped to God Silas hadn't meant that.

When she was done with her bath, she returned to the bed, her heart still pounding out of fear.

Ivy was later woken up by the ringing of her phone. She turned, stretched, and reached for it on the bedside table. Silas was still sleeping soundly beside her, but he did look like he had gotten up before.

"Hello," she said, answering the phone without checking the screen.

"Hey, Ivy. How are you? Were you sleeping?" Theresa asked.

Ivy cleared her throat. "No. I was just resting," she lied.

Theresa seemed to believe it. "Alright. I'm heading over to Thomas's place, so I might be running late for lunch."

Lunch, she had almost forgotten.

"Okay," Ivy said, and then she realized it might be a good opportunity to apologize to Rosie again. "I'll meet you there. Just let me know when."

"Alright," Theresa said. "I will be leaving in about thirty minutes."

Ivy sat upright on the bed. "Okay. See you soon."

"Thanks, Ivy, you're the best," Theresa said, dropping the call.

"Off to your girls' date?" Silas groaned from beside her.

Ivy turned to him, her cheeks heating up. "Yes. I'm going to prepare."

"Alright," Silas said.

She stood up, had a shower, and then picked a pink gown for her outfit. She dressed in front of Silas, with his eyes scanning all over her body hungrily.

"I'm going to meet Theresa at Thomas's house," she told him when she was done.

"Okay, dear. Have fun, I'll be waiting for you," Silas smiled.

Ivy nodded as she reached for her black bag. "Alright. Bye."

"Bye," he said.

She waved and left the room, her cheeks turning pink as she made her way downstairs.

Had he meant those words earlier? Or had they been a mistake? Or had he simply forgotten he said it?

Ivy had no idea, and she knew she didn't want to think about it as she slid into the car.

"We're going to Thomas's house," she told Bud. "But stop at any pharmacy you see on the way there."

She needed a morning-after pill for all the sexual marathons. Even though Silas had mostly released outside her, she wasn't going to take the chance of having his child.

She leaned into the car seat, her heart twitching with pain. She was a contract wife, for goodness sake! She wasn't supposed to be heartbroken because she couldn't allow herself to love Silas or even carry his child.

"We're at a pharmacy, ma'am," Bud said, breaking her thoughts.

"Alright," she said, recovering quickly. She stepped out of the car, got the pills and some water. When she returned to the car, she popped some and downed it with water.

Shortly after, they arrived at Thomas's house.

"I'll be out soon," she told Bud as she left the car.

Ivy made her way to the living room and sat. She was pressing her phone when Rosie saw her.

"What are you doing here?" Rosie asked. She wasn't shouting, but her tone was sharp.

Ivy stood up from the couch, smiling. "Hey Rosie. How are you?"

"You didn't answer my question?"

Ivy stepped forward. "I wanted to apologize. I know it was stupid of me to tell others. Please forgive me."

Before Rosie's own deepened, she said, "It's not that easy. You did..."

"You're here!" Theresa cheered, entering the living room, interrupting Rosie.

Rosie turned to Theresa, her anger replaced by surprise. "Hey Theresa, I didn't know you were here."

"Where's Thomas?" Theresa replied.

Ivy moved closer. "Ivy and I are having lunch today. I asked her to join me here."

Ivy watched as the anger in Rosie's eyes turned into jealousy, but it switched to even deeper anger. "Alright, have fun," she said, trying to hide her anger. Ivy caught Rosie's books and her poor attempt to recover.

"Let's go," Theresa said, pulling her away gently.

"I'm sorry," Ivy muttered to Rosie, who gave her a glare before walking away.

She didn't know why she felt guilty for hanging out with Theresa. And as Bud drove behind Theresa until they got to the four-star restaurant, Ivy wondered if she had made a terrible decision.

"We're here!" Theresa smiled as they both got down from their cars. "The seafood platter is to die for," she grinned, leading Ivy inside the restaurant.

Their table was close to the window, which Ivy immediately approved of. As they sat, a young waitress approached them. "Good afternoon, ma'ams. I'm Gelene, your server for the day," she smiled as she gestured to the rectangular box on the table. "These are your menu lists. Go over them and I'll come back to get your orders."

"Thank you, Celene?" Theresa smiled.

"You're welcome," Celene said, before turning to leave.

Theresa faced Ivy, leaning forward. "So what are you hav-" she was cut off by the ringing of her phone. "Excuse me," she said, reaching for it.

Ivy scrolled through the menu as Theresa answered her phone.

"Oh lord!" Theresa gasped, springing to her feet.

Ivy's heart dropped. "What happened?"

"Let's have lunch another time, please," Theresa replied instead, already picking up her bag.

"What's wrong?" Ivy asked, she could hear the shock and confusion in her voice.

Theresa didn't answer, she just dashed out of the restaurant. Ivy followed, calling her name, but Theresa was too buried in her own world to even hear. She stormed into her car and drove off, leaving Ivy standing in front of the restaurant.

"What happened?" Bud asked, rushing to her.

"I have no idea," Ivy replied sadly. "Let's just go home."

Bud nodded and together they went to the car. Ivy was still shocked at Theresa's behavior so dialed her line, hoping for an explanation, but Theresa didn't pick up.

Ivy leaned into the seat, hoping that Theresa was okay. Then suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

"Bud, let's go to Mill Valley," she instructed.

Since she was already outside, she could as well pay Rita a visit. The drive there was quick, so quick that Ivy didn't have time to think of what she would say to Rita. She could only hope Rita was at home this time.

When they reached Rita's street, Ivy murmured to Bud, "Thank you," and got out of the car. She walked towards the pink house and held her breath as she knocked.

There was no response, so she knocked again. Finally the door opened and Rita popped her head out.

"Rita! I'm so glad to catch you!"

"You need to leave!" Rita snapped, gritting her teeth.

Ivy frowned, she wasn't taking no for an answer today. "I'm not-"

"Please," Rita's voice was urgent, pleading. "I'll call you. Please go." She shut the door.

Ivy froze, unable to shake off the feeling that Rita was in trouble.