From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 143

**Chapter 90: Don’t Go**

**Roman**

As I ascended the staircase, I casually tossed the note into the fireplace, watching with a mix of satisfaction and dread as it curled and blackened, consumed by the flames. The thought of Savannah discovering it sent a chill down my spine. I couldn’t afford to let her see it—not when our relationship was already hanging by a thread.

Each step felt increasingly burdensome, as if the weight of my secrets was pressing down on me. An unsettling silence enveloped the house, its stillness amplifying my anxiety. I should have felt a sense of relief with Reese finally gone, banished from my home like the loud nuisance he was, but instead, the quiet felt suffocating. It wrapped around me, tightening like a noose, making it hard to breathe.

When I reached my bedroom door, an unfamiliar chill seeped into the air, sending a shiver down my spine. It felt as if the room was holding its breath, waiting for me to enter. My instincts screamed at me to brace myself for the impending storm that awaited me upstairs.

Good God, how utterly pathetic was I? Here I was, Roman Blackwood, a man who had faced countless challenges, yet I found myself hesitating at the threshold of my own bedroom, paralyzed by fear of the tempest that was Savannah.

Savannah.

She was not just my best friend; she was my fiancée, the one person who anchored me in this chaotic life. Yet, in this moment, she felt like my executioner, ready to deliver the verdict on my unspoken sins.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the confrontation ahead. With a reluctant push, I opened the door and stepped into the room. The atmosphere was eerily serene, almost too peaceful for the storm brewing within me. I half-turned to close the door behind me, but before I could fully process my surroundings—

Smack.

The sound of her slap sliced through the air, sharp and jarring, before the sting even registered on my cheek. My head snapped to the side, caught completely off guard by her sudden aggression.

“What the—”

“Why did you keep that away from me?! Why? For five fucking years, Roman! You made me look foolish back there!” Her voice was a tempest, shaking with rage, her hands clenched into tight fists, her eyes wild and shimmering with unshed tears. It was a sight that twisted my gut, making me feel smaller than I ever had.

I clenched my jaw, rolling it to dispel the shock. No one had dared to lay a hand on me in years, yet this fierce little woman thought nothing of it. And the most infuriating part? I allowed it.

Her slap was nothing compared to the dagger embedded in her words.

Her breaths came in quick, uneven gasps, and each word struck me like a bullet, piercing through the armor I had built around myself.

What had my family done? What vile poison had they unleashed on her in my absence? My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Reese. That insufferable prick was going to pay for this. No one laid a hand on her and got away with it—not while I still drew breath.

I forced air into my lungs, dropped the bag I had been holding onto the table, and stepped toward her with caution. “Savannah, I’m so sorry. I truly am. You shouldn’t have had to endure any of that while I was away. They had no right to treat you that way. I promise you, I’ll take care of Reese. He will regret ever laying a finger on you.”

She crossed her arms, tapping her foot in a steady rhythm that spoke volumes of her restrained fury. Her lips pressed together tightly, as if she were holding back a torrent of emotions.

“Go on,” I urged softly, my voice barely above a whisper. “Say it, Sav. Just let it out.”

She inhaled sharply, her expression shifting as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders, then she unleashed her words like a storm. “Your stepmother insinuated you’re sleeping with her.”

In that moment, the room tilted on its axis. Time seemed to freeze, and the air thickened with the weight of her accusation.