From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 193

**TITLE: Dreams Folding Into Broken Time**
**Chapter 193**

“Yes, Dean came down to the office to see me.” Savannah’s voice trembles as she reaches for the last tissue in the box, her fingers shaking like leaves in a storm. “He’ll be taking me back to New Hope to see my mom. I want to know who my real father is, Roman. I want to look him in the eye and ask why he left me with that horrible man. Why my mother obeyed everything he said.”

A chill sweeps through my veins, a rush of icy dread that settles in my gut. Goddammit.

“Do you really have to?” The words spill out before I can rein them in, a desperate plea escaping my lips. “He’s of no use to you now, Sav. It’s not like you need him in your life. He’s as good as dead now.”

Her head jerks toward me, disbelief written all over her face, the shock palpable. “Are you serious? You’re actually saying this, Roman? He might be of no use to me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know. I need to see him. I need to hear from him. I need to know why.” Her voice rises, fierce and unwavering, slicing through the veil of tears that threaten to spill over.

How could I possibly explain that she’s already faced him? That her own father inflicted wounds too deep to heal? Jesus Christ!

This whole scenario is utterly insane. It’s twisted.

My mouth feels parched, and my chest constricts as if a heavy weight has settled upon it.

“Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?” Her eyes narrow, suspicion flickering through the tears like a candle in the dark.

“Nothing.” The word bursts from my lips, too quick, too sharp, like a gunshot in the silence.

She knows me too well; I can feel the tension tightening between us. Damn it.

I tighten my hold on her, my hands splayed across her hips as if I could somehow tether her to me, to prevent her from leaving. “Fucking torture,” I mutter into her skin, my voice barely above a whisper.

Suddenly, she shifts, spinning around in my arms, her eyes wide and fierce. “And don’t you dare think about spending the day with Penny. I’ll kill you if I come back and find out you did.” She pouts adorably, a playful threat lacing her words. “And I’ll murder her, too.”

Her fierce spirit elicits a genuine laugh from me, deep and low, filling the room with warmth. Even amidst her heartbreak, even as her family crumbles around her, Savannah still possesses the fire to threaten me, and I can’t help but love her for it.

I kiss her forehead, tightening my embrace once more, but inside, I’m a tempest of emotions. While she worries about her mother and sister, while she clings to me as if I’m her anchor in a turbulent sea, all I can think about is the truth I dare not let her uncover.

If she ever finds out, I’ll lose her. And that’s a risk I’m not willing to take.