From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 475

From Best Friend To Fiancé

Chapter 475

Chapter 269: Love Him Better

Savannah

:

2 weeks later in Blackwood Manor(1 week since the start of therapy.)

Two weeks had passed since I arrived at Blackwood Manor.

One week since River and I started what we jokingly–and not so jokingly–called therapy.

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They say it’s the people closest to you who know you best. Family. Lovers. Partners. The ones who see you every day. For the longest time,

I believed that was Roman. And in many ways, it still was.

But lately… It felt like River was seeing parts of me I had spent a lifetime avoiding.

Ever since our sessions began, truths had been surfacing–quietly, relentlessly. Not accusations. Not attacks. Just questions. Gentle ones. Harmless ones. The kind that slipped past your defenses and lodged themselves somewhere deep, forcing you to sit with them.

It felt like I was finally seeing myself through Roman’s eyes. Raw. No filter. And it terrified me.

Today, River sat on the bed, legs crossed, a notebook resting loosely in her lap though she barely ever wrote anything down. She just had

it to fit the picture.

I sat on the floor at the foot of Roman’s bed, my back against the frame, knees pulled to my chest. It had become our usual setup-

unbalanced, intimate, grounding.

Roman lay in our midst, unchanged. Still pale and still breathing.

Alive. That word still felt fragile.

Reginald had kept his promise–if that’s what you could call it. There was always a guard stationed outside the bathroom now. Every single time I needed to use it, he was there. Silent. Watchful. Reporting.

He wasn’t disrespectful. It wasn’t like he followed me when I went in or stood there when I took a shower. No. He just stood outside the

door. Like a ghost.

So I chose to ignore him.

I let that old dog, Reginald, do whatever he wanted. I’d stopped reacting. Stopped fighting every little cruelty he threw my way. Right now, my energy is reserved for two things only.

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Chapter 475

Protecting my peace. And protecting my child.

When Roman woke up–that was when I’d deal with Reginald. That was when I’d reclaim my voice. That was when he’d hear from me.

River cleared her throat softly. “So,” she said, easing into the session the way she always did, “two weeks ago, when you arrived at the manor, there were… certain discussions.”

I knew exactly what she meant.

Whispers. Side glances. Carefully lowered voices. Pity mixed with judgment.

“Your child,” she continued. “You and Roman.”

I swallowed. “Oh. That.”

She nodded. “Did you know about Roman’s decision not to have children before you found out you were pregnant?”

“Yes,” I said quietly. “He told me. Multiple times.”

“Did you understand why?”

“Yes.”

“And yet,” she said gently, “you still went through with it.”

I shrugged, shame creeping up my spine like a slow burn. “I think… I banked on the fact that he loved me too much to leave me.” The words sounded ugly once they were out in the open.

River didn’t flinch. She didn’t scold me. She just waited. “What was his reaction,” she asked, “when you told him?”

I stared at the floor, fingers digging into my sleeves. “He didn’t yell. He didn’t get angry.”

“Then?”

“He said he needed space.”

Her voice remained calm. “And did you give it to him?”

I shook my head immediately. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I was scared,” I admitted. “I thought if I gave him space, he’d sit with the betrayal, That it would grow. That it would turn into resentment. And I couldn’t risk that.”

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Chapter 475

River nodded slowly. “Savannah,” she said softly, “If roles were reversed… and Roman had gotten you pregnant without your consent–how

would you feel?”

The question hit like a punch to the chest. I looked at Roman instinctively. At his still face. At the man who had trusted me.

I wrapped my arms around myself. “I don’t like this question,” I whispered.

“You don’t have to answer,” she said immediately.

But I already knew the truth. And avoiding it had cost us enough.

My voice came out small. Broken. “I’d feel violated.”

River didn’t interrupt.

“Betrayed,” I continued. “Used.” Saying it hurt. Saying it felt like admitting to something unforgivable.

She nodded once. “Deep down,” she asked, “do you think you forced this baby on Roman? Do you believe that is the truth?”

My chest tightened painfully. I nodded. “Yes,” I whispered. “I did. I left him no choice.”

The silence that followed was heavy–but not cruel.

I broke.

The sobs tore out of me, loud and ugly and uncontrollable. I cried the way you cry when you finally stop lying to yourself. When the truth

settles into your bones and refuses to move.

River didn’t try to stop me. She just let me cry.

“My brother loves you,” she said after a while, her voice steady but firm. “More than he’s ever loved anyone. More than Cassandra. More

than Dahlia. More than the others before you. He practically chose you over us.”

That hurt more than anything else.

“When Roman wakes up,” she continued gently, “I hope you treat this second chance like the miracle it is. I know you love him. I truly do. But my brother has been through enough. When he comes back… please love him better. I beg you.”

Her words shattered something inside me. I sobbed harder.

Just then, the door creaked open and Reese stepped inside. He froze when he took in the scene–River on the bed, and me on the floor,

crying like my world had just ended.

“What’s happening?” he asked cautiously.

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Then his eyes landed on me. “Why are you crying on the floor?”

Panic surged. I wiped my face quickly and scrambled to my feet. “Nothing,” I said too fast. “I just–I need a moment. I need some air.”

“Savannah,” he said softly, concerned, “are you okay?”

I nodded. “Yes. I just need air. Please stay with Roman. I’ll be back.”

I didn’t wait for a response. I just fled. The hallway swallowed me whole as I ran, one thought looping relentlessly in my mind…

Was I really a bad person?

And for the first time, I didn’t know how to answer.

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