After storming through the front door and up the stairs, I lock myself into my room. Tears are falling, my hands are shaking and I force myself to take deep breaths.

Fuck!

This is absolutely not how I imagined things would go. He is going to be a dad. To Janet's baby. Their baby.

All these times Eli left at night or randomly throughout the day to meet up with his lawyer - was he actually sleeping with Janet?

I wipe away the tears with my sleeve and take another deep inhale. Okay, Romy. Calm down. You got this.

I going to go home. Now. I need space and time to think and I can't do that anywhere here. My heart hurts thinking about leaving here sooner than planned but I am so fucking confused right now. Maybe I should let him explain. What is there to explain, though? No, not this time. I am too naive and gullible, always seeing the good in people no matter what. I fell on my face with Leon and my parents, and I am not going to do it with Eli.

My hurt turns into anger and I pull my duffel bag from under the bed, then rip open the wardrobe. Trying to be neat but not having any spare energy to actually care, I hastily fold my clothes and stuff them into the bag.

I am halfway into collecting my toiletries when I hear loud knocks on my door.

"Romy, open the door. Please, darling."

Eli. My throat tightens and my heart clenches but I shake my head and continue packing.

"Please Romy, open the door before I kick it down. You have to let me explain!" His voice is laced with anguish and he pounds harder against the wooden door.

"Stop it, you idiot! Let me talk to her." I can hear Tess snapping at Eli.

"Hey, babes. Are you alright in there?"

Fresh tears come rushing in at the gentle and caring voice of my best friend. God, I want to hug her.

"I'm getting worried, Romy. Please say something so we know you're alright."

"Please tell him to go away," I croak, trying to keep the sobs at bay.

"I did try, but he won't budge," Tess answers, annoyance clear in her tone.

"Can you come in? Only you," I ask quietly.

"Sure thing, babes." Her voice fades a little as she speaks the next words. "Ben, please hold him back for a second? Okay, you can open the door," she says, her voice now louder again.

I quickly unlock it and Tess rushes inside before she slams the door shut and locks it again.

"Dang, that man is relentless," she sighs and looks at me. "Oh, no Romy. Please don't cry." She immediately pulls me into a hug. Of course, her words make me cry even harder.

"He -h-e i-i-is hav- having a b-baby," I wail.

Tess rubs my back in soothing circles. "Shhh, I know. He's an ass."

"H-how did.. did you k-know?"

"Ben told me while you were out talking to him. We didn't know Janet showed up. I'm so sorry you had to hear it from her. He should've told you. Do you want me to kick his ass? I mean, I might not do much damage if I can't get him in the balls but I will certainly try if you want me to."

She takes me by the shoulder and takes a step back, looking me over. I just shake my head, not having it in me to laugh at what she said. Her eyes land on my nearly packed bag.

"You're leaving?" she asks.

"Yeah, I think so. I need some space from all of this. I am confused and don't know what to think or believe. It's all so fucked up, Tess."

"Are you sure leaving now is the right thing to do? Maybe you should hear him out first, without having his bitch of an ex-wife there?"

"Why, so I can listen to him tell me all about how he cheated on me? Maybe you were right and it was weird that we hadn't had sex, yet. Looks like he got it somewhere else." My voice is bitter and drips with jealousy.

"You think he really cheated on you?" Tess questions.

I answer her question with a question. "You don't think so?"

"I mean, I don't know. But she could be pregnant for a long time already. Since before you and Eli met."

"Oh, you're right..."

"Would that change things for you?"

"I honestly don't know," I say with a long exhale.

"Okay, if he cheated on you, it's obvious you're going to break up with him, right?" Tess asks.

I snort but it quickly turns into a sob. I clear my throat. "Yes, definitely."

"If Janet got pregnant before you met him, would you still break up with him?"

"Yes. No... I don't know!" I cry.

"I think you should talk to him then, babes. If the answer would have been a definite yes then fuck it and leave right now. You don't need to waste your time here. But it seems like you're quite unsure so maybe talk to him before you make any rash decisions," my best friend suggests, her tone light and friendly, hopeful.

"What if he lies to me?"

"You think he would lie to you?"

"He did before. About being at the doctor's." Suddenly, something in my mind clicks. "Oh my god, Tess. He was at the doctor's with Janet. Because of the baby. And I thought he was seriously sick. That stupid fucker!" I clench my fists in anger.

"Yes, alright. I would count that into the one big whole lie regarding the baby thing."

"Don't downplay his actions!"

"I'm not," she lifts her hands in surrender. "I'm just saying that before that, I don't think he lied to you, right?"

"Not that I know of, no," I admit. "Though he probably omit-"

"Wait a minute..." Now Tess looks like something clicked in her mind. "Do you think Tommy knew?"

"What?"

"Remember the day before we left for the boat?"

"What about it?... Aah! Tommy asked Eli something about if he already told me!" I state in disbelief.

"Exactly! I bet he was talking about the baby. Now you have to talk about him, Romy. You need to know what the hell is going on," Tess concludes.

I sigh. "I guess you're right. I am scared, though. What if he did cheat on me? He did go to Janet after he left the dinner table so quickly a few days before the boat." My anxiety and worries creep up on me again.

"Maybe, but you won't know unless you talk to him."

I nod. "You're right."

In search of Eli, I run into Bennett in the kitchen.

"Hey, how are you doing?" he carefully asks.

I shrug before leveling my gaze at him.

"Right, that was probably a stupid question," he scratches the back of his neck.

"Where is he?" I ask him.

"Oh, uh, he went to the garage I think. I told him to go somewhere else so you have some space."

"That was kind of you, thanks Ben," I smile at him. "I need to talk to him, though."

"Do you want me to give you a ride?"

I think about his offer for a moment. If he drives me, I have no choice but to drive back with Eli and I don't know if I want that.

"Uh, no thank you, I'll just borrow Tess's car."

"Okay." Ben clears his throat. "I know it looks bad, Romy, but it's not as bad as it looks."

Of course, he defends his best friend, I would do the same.

I worry my lip between my teeth and bob my head. "I think I will determine for myself how bad it looks."

"Fair enough."

I pull up to the garage in Tess's car around twenty minutes later. The large door is wide open, and the lights are on but I don't see Eli anywhere. I walk around the side of the building and spot him leaning against the wall. The sun is barely providing any light at this hour and I can't make out the details of his face. He seems lost in thought, though.

"Eli?"

His head whips in my direction and he straightens his posture, pushing off the wall.

"Romy," he breathes.

"I came to talk and to let you explain." I cross my arms in front of my chest.

"Yes, thank you. I- uh I don't really know where to start," he stumbles a little over his words and I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Don't be a dick, too, Romy.

"Did you cheat on me?" I blurt out, not being able to stand it any longer. My hands get clammy and I wring them together to keep myself from wiping them on my pants.

"What?! No! No, definitely not. I swear I didn't cheat on you, darling," he strongly asserts his innocence. I wince at the term of endearment. "Ja- she has been pregnant for a little over four months now, so..." he trails off.

It's like a boulder was lifted off my chest after hearing those words. He didn't cheat on me after all. Hope sparks somewhere deep in my soul but I am quick to shut it down. This is not over yet.

"It happened while you were still married." I finish for him.

"Yes, definitely not after I met you."

I nod.

"How long have you known?" I ask, hoping he won't lie to me. If Tess is right and he knew before we left for the boat, then I know he's lying if says he only found out a few days ago.

"The day I left dinner and we fought, that was when I found out. That was I why was being so distant after."

Okay, so he's not lying. That's good, right?

"And the doctor? You went with Janet, didn't you?" I question him further.

He nods. "I'm sorry for lying to you about that," he grunts out.

"You should be. I was seriously worried about you and your well-being while you were with another woman and your unborn baby." I cannot keep the bitterness out of my voice. He looks at me like I've slapped his beautiful face and I immediately feel guilty for being such a bitch. I know this can't be easy for him, either.

"Why did Tommy know?"

"Know what?" he tilts his head in confusion.

"About the baby. He asked you if you told me already, remember?" I start biting my lip so hard, it starts bleeding a little.

"Don't do that, darling. You're gonna hurt yourself," Eli whispers firmly as he takes a step toward me, reaches out his hand and pulls my lip from between my teeth. A shudder rakes through me at his touch. "It looks like the two of them are screwing now, so Janet must've told him. I'm very surprised he didn't tell you that day," he explains his theory.

"He was probably scared you're going to kill him if he did," I voice my thoughts.

"Yeah, maybe."

"So, what now?" I ask him.

He shakes his head and looks down at his boots.

"What will your future look like?" I ask him. "With the baby... and all?" I add.

He runs his hand over his face and through his hair multiple times before looking up at the sky. Then, he looks straight at me.

"I have to care for the baby. I cannot abandon it just because it has a shitty mom, Romy. You understand that, don't you?"

I nod because I do. I do understand it but that doesn't mean I have to like it. A few tears are slowly making their way down my cheeks and I am quick in wiping them away.

"I will also lose the house."

The house he loves so much. "Why?"

"Because if she has a child, she has the bigger need for the house and the judge will rule in her favor," he says through gritted teeth. He sounds angry and almost devastated.

"I wish I could've seen it. That house of yours," I tell him.

"Yeah, me too," he whispers sadly. "I didn't want to bring you there while she is still living in it. Didn't feel right."

"I understand." I look at him, into his green eyes.

"You look like you have more questions," he states and he's right. I do. But I am scared to ask the next question because I might not like the answer. Fresh tears are rolling once more.

"Please don't cry, baby." My eyes narrow into slits at the pet name and he notices his mistake. "Sorry, I forgot," he apologizes. His little slip up gives me the confidence to finally ask,

"What about us?"