From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 24

**Chapter 18: Retail Therapy**

Savannah

The windshield wipers squeaked rhythmically against the glass, a futile attempt to drown out the relentless throb echoing in my head. The town, cloaked in darkness, appeared transformed—neon signs flickered like distant stars, storefronts yawned with sleep, and familiar streets lay silent, taunting us with their stillness.

“Dean,” I urged, my voice strained from fatigue, “this is the fourth time I’m asking. We’ve been driving in circles for hours. Do you know anyone she might be with?”

My eyes darted across the dimly lit streets of New Hope, as if searching for a phantom in the shadows. The car’s heater hummed softly, providing the only warmth in this suffocating atmosphere.

We had scoured every possible place: bars filled with laughter, diners where the coffee was perpetually warm, the bowling alley echoing with distant cheers, that one grimy nightclub with its obnoxious blinking sign, even the eerie church on Grove Street that had terrified Chloe as a child.

Yet, we found nothing.

Dean remained silent, his grip on the steering wheel tightening as he made another left turn.

“She’s out there somewhere, Sav,” he finally said, his jaw clenched with determination. “She’s emotional, vulnerable. We can’t just abandon her. I refuse to let her fall into the wrong hands.”

I crossed my arms defiantly. “She fell into yours, didn’t she?”

His gaze flickered to me, a moment too long, before he returned his focus to the road, as if avoiding the weight of my words.

“She’s incredibly fragile,” he insisted. “She never meant any harm. Alyssa had no right to treat her like that.”

“She’s not a lost puppy, Dean. She’s a grown woman with a mouth that can stir up chaos. And maybe, just maybe, she’s pulling this stunt for attention.”

He shifted gears, his frustration palpable. “Chloe isn’t like that. She’s a genuinely good person, okay? Alyssa had no business coming at her like that.”

“She used Emily to get the attention of a bridal magazine. What’s good about that?”

“Chloe is emotionally fragile. She was just trying to cope in her own way. Don’t we all handle pain differently?”

Yeah, Dean. We sure do.

09:30 Tue, Nov 25 DA

Chapter 24

I guess I’ll go live with a couple of fake tears on your wedding day too.

I turned to him, incredulous. “Cope? You’re unbelievable. She nearly shattered our family, and now she’s vanished into thin air, and you’re defending her?”

“She didn’t intend any harm. Look, Emily’s awake now. She’ll be discharged in the morning. Lizzie mentioned your fiancé managed the situation with her father.”

That caught me off guard. “He did?”

“You broke my heart, Dean. Then you cozied up to my sister. And now, here you are, defending her like she’s the sun itself. How dare you?”

He flinched at my words, and I felt a small surge of satisfaction. Let him feel something, too.

He hesitated, searching for the right words. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“You didn’t have to.” I turned to face him, really looking into his eyes. “You dumped me with a text. A single, cold sentence. And now you have the audacity to sit here, mooning over my sister as if I never existed.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. But it was for the best.”

“For you, maybe.” I leaned back in my seat, fists clenched in frustration. “We’ve moved on, right?”

Dean nodded, his eyes still scanning the streets, lost in thought.

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” I murmured, a faint smile creeping onto my lips. “I didn’t move on, Dean. I upgraded.”

Dean didn’t respond, his grip on the steering wheel tightening as if he could crush it with sheer will. His jaw was set, eyes narrowed on the road ahead.

I didn’t expect a retort; that wasn’t a line that required a response.

Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into the lot of an upscale mall on the edge of town. I had suggested stopping by on a hunch—Chloe was vain, and if she was upset, there were only two things she would do: cry to Dad or splurge on things she didn’t earn.