From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 114

**TITLE: Dreams Folding Into Broken Time**

**Chapter 74: She Played Everyone**

“Dean, enough!” Dad’s voice thundered through the ballroom, slicing the oppressive atmosphere like a knife through butter. His eyebrows shot up so high, I feared they might just burst from his forehead in a fit of rage.

For a fleeting moment, panic gripped me. What if he collapsed right here, right now, in front of all these guests? The thought sent a chill racing down my spine.

Yet, even the tempest of Dad’s fury failed to quell the brewing storm. There was something in the air, a palpable tension that had Chloe trembling in her heels, her usually confident demeanor crumbling. My father’s threats toward Dean echoed ominously, and my heart raced as I contemplated the secrets lurking beneath this chaotic facade. What dark truth was about to unravel?

“Well, if you have something to say, Dean, now’s your chance. Better to get it out than let it fester,” Alyssa’s voice broke through the clamor as she emerged from the throng, stepping forward like a referee unaware of the impending brawl. Her courage was commendable, but I could sense the danger lurking just beneath the surface.

Dean whirled around, his movements erratic, reminiscent of a drunken man struggling to find his balance. His gaze locked onto mine, and I could feel Roman’s arm tighten protectively around me, a solid anchor in this sea of chaos. The tension radiating from him was sharp, like a coiled spring ready to snap.

“Oh, believe me, I have plenty to say,” Dean declared, his smile twisted and bitter, a predator relishing the hunt. “Let’s start with the reason behind our break-up, shall we, Sav? Don’t you want to know who was really pulling the strings?”

The floor seemed to drop away beneath me, and my throat went dry as his words hung in the air like a guillotine waiting to fall. The reason for our split? What revelations was he about to unleash?

“Dean! Just shut up!” Chloe screeched, her voice cracking like glass shattering against marble. The desperation in her tone was palpable, and I could see her composure slipping.

“Let my son speak,” Dean’s mother interjected, her tone calm and collected, silencing Chloe with a single, lethal glance. “Go on, son.”

Dean regarded his mother as if she had just handed him a loaded weapon. “Thank you, Mom.” He flashed her a smile that twisted my stomach into knots.

Ugh. A Mama’s boy too? How had I never noticed that before?

Chloe swayed on her heels, her composure threatening to collapse. Dad’s face twisted into a storm of rage, but for once, he was not in control. His dream of reclaiming his former glory was slipping away, unraveling before the eyes of all our guests.

Dean leaned forward, his eyes sparking with defiance. “And don’t even think of asking how I discovered your schemes. You’re not the only one with eyes and ears everywhere.”

Chloe found her voice, thin and tremulous. “So you lied to me, Dean?! You deceived me! Was it your plan all along to humiliate me like this? On this day of all days?”

Dean’s expression contorted with hurt and anger. “You deceived me first! You took my love for granted. You planned to divorce me a day after our wedding because you found out I was sick. You never loved me. I was foolish to believe you ever would. You should be ashamed of yourself, Chloe. It’s my fault for falling for a woman like you.”

“You were weak.” Chloe’s sneer dripped with venom. “How could I possibly love a man so easily controlled? So easily deceived?”

The words struck him harder than any physical blow could. His laughter emerged choked and desperate, a sound that echoed the pain of betrayal lingering in the air.