From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 199

**TITLE: Dreams Folding Into Broken Time**
**Chapter 199**

The stillness that enveloped us should have brought some semblance of relief, yet it pulsated with an intensity that felt as loud as a scream echoing in a vacant room.

I took a shaky breath, forcing the air deep into my lungs, as if it could somehow anchor me in this moment. “Just don’t say anything else. We’re going in circles here. We’re reopening wounds that should have long since healed, and I refuse to go through this again.” My throat felt raw, a reminder of the battles we’d fought, but I pressed on, determined. “I’m happy now. I’ve found love. I’ve moved on, Dean. I’ve healed from you. And honestly, I wish you could do the same. You’re consumed by bitterness and jealousy, and it’s eating you alive from the inside out. Please, find help. I truly want that for you.”

For the briefest moment, something flickered in his eyes—was it regret? Shame? But just as quickly as it appeared, it was extinguished, smothered beneath a sneer that twisted his features into something unrecognizable.

“I don’t need help,” he spat, his voice sharp and bitter. “I’m fine. All I need is for the cops to stop harassing me and showing up at my door every damn day.”

I turned my gaze to the window, watching the trees blur past like fleeting memories. I had no response to that, nor did I want to engage further.

“Everyone keeps telling me they believe me,” he continued, his voice dropping to a weary whisper. “They say they know I didn’t do it. But the truth is, I can still feel their stares boring into my back. I hear the whispers that follow me as I walk by. I see the way they look at me now—it’s different. It’s like they’ve already decided I’m guilty. They look at me as if I have blood on my hands, Sav.”

I swallowed hard, fighting the sympathy that tugged at my heart but refusing to give in. “Look, I really don’t know what to say—”

The shrill ring of my phone sliced through the tension like a lifeline thrown into turbulent waters. A wave of relief washed over me as I saw the caller ID: Roman.

“Great,” Dean muttered, his recognition immediate. I could see his knuckles whiten again around the steering wheel, a sign of his rising agitation.

I pressed the phone to my ear, and Roman’s voice flowed through the speaker like honey, deep and smooth, soothing every tense muscle in my body. “My love,” he purred. “Is he bothering you yet?”

A smile crept onto my face before I could rein it in. “I can handle him,” I replied, striving to keep my tone light and carefree.

“You sure?” His voice held a hint of warning beneath its warmth. “You can always let me know if it gets too much. Just one word, and I’ll have a chat with him.”

I glanced at Dean, who looked as if he might shatter the steering wheel at any moment. His jaw worked furiously, grinding invisible teeth as he fought against whatever demons plagued him.

I laughed softly into the phone, the sound genuine and bright. “Nah, he’s no match for me. I can really handle him.”

A smile tugged at my lips, a flicker of warmth in the cold atmosphere. “Goodbye,” I said softly before ending the call.

The silence that followed was heavy, yes, but it was no longer unbearable. Roman’s voice echoed in my mind, a reminder that I wasn’t alone—not in this car, not in this world.

I slipped my phone back into my purse and turned to Dean, who wore an expression drawn tight with anger, his lips pressed into a thin, furious line. “How much longer until we get there?” I asked, striving for a calmness I didn’t entirely feel.

His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, refusing to acknowledge me. He simply tilted his jaw toward the windshield. “We’re already here.”

My stomach dropped, my heart plummeting with it. The sight of the building looming ahead—the place where my mother waited—hit me like a tidal wave crashing onto the shore.

I took a deep breath, my fingers trembling as they brushed against the pepper spray nestled in my bag. “Here goes nothing.”

But deep down, I wasn’t sure which terrified me more: facing my mother after everything I had learned, or being trapped in this car for even one more second with Dean.