Savannah

"Let go of me, Roman!" I thrashed against his grip as he carried me up the stairs as if I weighed nothing at all.

Thankfully, my family had dispersed to gossip about the wedding rehearsal and the drama Dean had just ignited. I felt like a fool for trusting Roman—for believing he was my ally, only to have him stay silent when I needed the truth the most.

He didn't flinch. He just climbed the stairs steadily, ignoring my protests as he hauled me toward our room.

"Put me down!" I shouted, my fists landing uselessly against his broad shoulders.

He didn't respond, not even with a grunt of exertion. He moved with an infuriating, unbothered calm, as if I were merely a distraction he had to manage. When we finally reached the bedroom, he set me on my feet. The room tilted for a second, and I had to grab the nightstand to steady my swirling vision.

A hand reached out to steady my shoulder. "You okay, Sav?"

The casual concern in his voice was the final straw. I spun around, fury flooding my veins, and slapped him across the face with everything I had.

The sound cracked through the room like a gunshot.

He didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. He just stood there, his jaw clenched, like I’d struck a wall of solid granite.

"How could you do that to me?" I yelled, shoving at his chest. "Why would you make me look like a liar?"

He didn't budge. His expression remained unreadable, though I could see the muscle twitching in his jaw. His hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists at his sides.

"Are you satisfied now?" he asked, his voice deadly calm.

"Why, Roman? Why didn't you speak up?" I shoved him again, desperation leaking into my anger.

I raised my hand to strike again, but he caught my wrist mid-air. His grip was firm, unyielding. "If you try that again," he said, his voice razor-sharp, "we’re going to have a much different conversation."

"Why did you betray me?" I hissed. "I’m your best friend! Why protect him?"

A bitter, fleeting smile crossed his lips. "I didn't betray you, Sav. I’d never do that. Everything I did... I did to protect you."

"Protect me? You made me look insane! You let him win!"

My fists slammed into his chest—once, twice. It wasn't just about hurting him anymore; it was about breaking through that mask. I needed him to feel the chaos I was feeling. But he just trapped both of my wrists against his chest, holding me still until I was forced to look up at him.

He stepped in closer, his body a wall of heat and steel. "You want the truth?" he said, his voice low and worn. "I would never let anyone hurt you, Savannah. But you have no idea what’s at stake here. You didn't ask what I’m trying to keep from falling apart."

"I don't care about the stakes! I care about the truth!"

In a moment of pure, blinded rage, I lashed out with a well-aimed kick, catching him off guard. The impact was solid, and his grip vanished instantly as he doubled over with a strangled groan of pain.

"Screw you, Roman," I breathed, my chest heaving.

He dropped to his knees, his face contorting in agony. For a second, a jolt of guilt flickered in my chest, but I suppressed it. He deserved to feel a fraction of the pain I was in.

"Fucking hell, Savannah..." he rasped, his voice tight with pain. "Are you trying to ruin me?"

"If that’s what it takes," I shot back, standing over him. "Consider this your wake-up call."

He let out a pained, maddened laugh that made me blink in confusion. "What is so funny?" I demanded.

"I haven't felt a spark like that in a long time," he muttered, more to himself than to me. He looked up, his eyes dark and burning with a new kind of intensity. The pain was still there, but it was being eclipsed by something far more dangerous.

"You're going to pay for that, Sav," he said, his voice dropping to a gravelly, promising low. "For the slap. For the kick. I’m going to make sure you remember exactly who you're dealing with."

My boldness faltered. The look he gave me ignited a wildfire beneath my skin. I hated that my breath hitched. I hated that, even now, my body was responding to the raw, primal energy radiating off him.

He rose from the floor slowly, like a predator finding its footing. In a flash, he lunged, pinning me down against the mattress before I could even gasp. My wrists were captured, held firmly above my head by his unrelenting hands.

"Roman!" I struggled, but the heat in my core flared, fed by his overwhelming presence.

His breath was hot against my ear. "Careful," he murmured, his voice velvet and fire. "You’re the one who pushed this to the limit. You’ve successfully caught my attention, bestie. Now, let’s see if you can handle it."