Chapter 116 Do You Really Have To? Roman She knows. Savannah finally knows that spineless prick isn’t her biological father. I could see it in her eyes when she read me that damned letter—like the last string holding her together had just snapped. And me? I’m lying here with her sprawled across my chest, the paper still crumpled in her fist, her body shaking as she sobs into me. My arms are around her, but I’m useless. I don’t know how to console her without becoming the bastard she’ll hate later. I should have told her myself. Christ, I should’ve just grown a pair and told her straight to her face. Instead, I waited. I told myself I’d find the right moment, when things were calm, when she was strong enough to hear it. But that moment never came. And now? Now it’s too fucking late. If she finds out that I knew and kept my mouth shut, she’ll hate me. I know she will. But hold on… How? How will she? How could she ever find out? That monster is rotting in the ground. Kingston took the secret with him, and my men wouldn’t betray me—not with their lives. It should be buried. Done. Gone. And if the choice is between losing Savannah and lying to her? I’ll lie until my last breath. I’ll bury the truth deeper than hell itself. Her cries rip through me. I drag my hand slowly up and down her back, useless motions meant to soothe her when I know damn well nothing will. “Shhhh, it’s alright, my love,” I whisper against her hair, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. My throat is tight. “Everything will be fine.” She jerks her head against me, choking on another sob. “It’s not, Roman. My mom’s going to die. Nothing is going to be fine.” “You’ve been crying for hours, Savannah. That's enough now. You’ll hurt yourself,” I say quietly, thumb brushing the damp trail under her eye. Her breathing is ragged. She doesn’t hear me. She doesn’t care. I close my eyes for a second, thinking back to earlier today. I was in a meeting with a security company, finalizing agreements, when my secretary interrupted. Said my fiancée wouldn’t stop calling. That it was urgent. I walked out without another thought. Goldberg didn’t argue when I told him I had to come down to his office. I picked her up, carried her straight to my house, and since then she hasn’t stopped crying. Three fucking hours of watching the strongest woman I know unravel. I understand grief. I understand fear. But this level of hysteria? For a mother who stood by while her own child was destroyed, for a sister who’s done nothing but make her life miserable? Savannah’s heart is too good for this world. Too forgiving. They don’t deserve her tears. They don't deserve her. Chloe least of all. Wasting a single tear on that girl is a crime. But Savannah? She’s curled into me like her world is ending, and I hate it. I hate every part of it. “And my sister… oh my god, she’s missing.” Her words are muffled against my shirt. Her shoulders convulse with fresh sobs. “They don’t know where she is. And… and Dean said there was blood in her car. Lots of her blood, Roman.” My hand stills on her back. “Blood?” My voice is low, sharp. She nods frantically, pulling back just enough to meet my eyes. Her face is blotchy, lashes clumped with tears. “Dean said they found her blood all over the car. Her things were missing too.” My fist curls against her hip. Dean. Always Dean. Why the hell did it have to be him? Why not Alyssa? Why not Lizzie? No—he had to be the one to come running, to insert himself into her pain. He’s an opportunist, waiting for cracks so he can slide back into her life. “Yes. Dean came down to the office to see me.” She reaches for the last tissue in the box, hands trembling. “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.” My blood turns cold. Fuck. “Do you really have to?” I blurt out before I can stop myself. “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 snaps toward me, disbelief etched into her face. “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 is fierce, cutting through the tears. How could I tell her she’s already seen him? That her own father hurt her in ways she can’t forgive him for? Jesus Christ! This whole thing is crazy. It's sick. My mouth dries up. My chest feels like it’s caving in.“Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?” Her eyes narrow. Suspicion glints through the tears. “Nothing.” The word fires too fast, too sharp. She knows me too well. Fuck. She rubs her eyes with the heels of her palms and leans closer. “You’re lying to me, Roman. What is it?” My mind scrambles. I can’t give her the truth, so I give her what she’ll believe. “I don’t like the idea of you alone with that weasel. He’s unstable.” My jaw clenches. “That’s what this is about.” It works. She exhales, looking away with a sniffle. “This isn’t the moment to act jealous, Roman. I don’t want Dean. Not anymore. I love you. And I’m not going back to New Hope for him. I’m going for my mom. She needs me. Besides, the man is at the top of the suspect list in a suspected murder case. Do you really think he’s trying to get in my pants now? With all this happening?” Her voice sharpens. “Come on, Roman. Don’t make me smack some sense into you.” She glares, damp cheeks streaked with anger and exhaustion. I narrow my eyes, leaning closer. “Do you know how that last threat would sound if I was the one saying it?” She rolls her eyes, voice hoarse but firm. “Duh. I’m a woman. Deal with it.” I can’t help the laugh that slips past my lips. A rough, bitter chuckle that tastes almost like relief. I pull her back against me, pressing my mouth to her hairline. “I’m going to miss you, baby.” “It’s only for a day.” Her voice is softer now, resigned. “I’ll be back before you know it.” I tighten my hold on her, hands splayed across her hips like if I grip hard enough, she won’t go. “Fucking torture,” I mutter into her skin. She shifts suddenly, spinning around in my arms, her eyes wide and sharp. “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 pouted adorably. “And I'll murder her, too.” That earns her a genuine laugh. Deep, low, filling the room like it belongs there. Because even with her heart breaking, even with her family falling apart, Savannah still has the fire to threaten me. And I love her for it. I kiss her forehead, tightening my arms once more. But inside, I’m burning. Because while she’s worried about her mother and sister, while she clings to me like I’m her anchor, all I can think about is the truth I can’t let her find out. If she ever does, I’ll lose her. And that’s a risk I’ll never take.