Chapter 158 He's A Man-whore! Savannah “I hate him. I hate him. I hate him.” The words tore from me like bullets, one after the other, bouncing off the walls of the hospital room. “God, I hate that smug son of a—” I caught Mom’s sleeping figure out of the corner of my eye and hissed under my breath, “—son of a bastard.” It felt good letting it all out. Not enough to stop the steam rolling through my veins, but at least I wasn’t going to implode. Reese—that walking, breathing headache—had officially moved in with us yesterday. My house. My fiancé. My peace. Everything is gone. Damn you, Roman. If I had even an ounce of self-control and strength myself, I’d make sure there was no pool for him to dive into for at least a week. But sadly, I wasn’t strong enough. Or cruel enough. Or maybe I was just too damn hormonal. That asshole, Roman, was way too sexy for his own good, and my legs seemed to part at the mere sound of his voice. Pathetic. “Feeling better now?” Alyssa’s voice chimed from behind me, light, amused, and thoroughly unhelpful. I turned and glared. “No. I feel worse.” She laughed, sliding onto the hospital bed beside me. Mom lay between us, eyes closed, her breathing shallow but steady. The nurses had said the chemo was hitting her harder this round. She’d been crying in pain when I got here, and I’d had to sit still—helpless—watching her body tremble. Now she was asleep, finally calm, her face pale under the harsh hospital light. “He seriously can’t be that bad if Roman’s letting him stay with you,” Alyssa said gently. “You need to trust your fiancée a little, Sav.” I let out a humorless snort. “Trust him? Roman betrayed me.” Alyssa raised an eyebrow. “No, he didn’t. He’s doing this for you. That’s devotion.” “Not you too,” I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. “Reese has infected you as well? Fantastic. Who’s next? Mom? Because, honestly, Lizzie’s already obsessed with the guy.” Almost like the universe had a sense of humor, the door burst open and in walked Lizzie, eyes bright, smile obnoxiously wide. “Did someone say Reese? I swear I heard his name!”I dropped my hands in despair. “There goes that. Fuck my life.” Alyssa smirked. “Your crush is staying with Savannah and Roman,” she told her. “He’s actually there right now.” Lizzie’s jaw dropped, and then, as if she’d just won the lottery, a squeal ripped from her throat that could probably summon security. “Oh great,” I muttered, watching her hop up and down like a caffeinated rabbit. “Sav!” Lizzie grabbed my hands, bouncing. “You have to take me back with you. Pretty please? I want to see him. Pleaseee?” She dragged the word out like she was auditioning for a Disney princess gig. “No.” I yanked my hand free. “I’m plotting to murder Reese, and I can’t have you getting in the way.” She blinked. “Plotting to murder him? Why on earth would you do that? He’s too hot for that.” “Because he’s out to destroy my life and my sanity,” I snapped. “So I’d rather end him first. Before the jerk ends me.” Lizzie rolled her eyes dramatically. “Please. Before you poison his tea, let me get a taste of him first. I only need one night.”Alyssa whistled low. “That’s right. Go get it, girl!” I gaped at both of them. “He’s a man-whore! Don’t you two care about STDs? Herpes? Chlamydia? Syphilis?” I made a face. “You do realize he’s probably stuck that thing into half the city's female population, right? Have some self-respect.” Lizzie just adjusted her glasses, deadpan. “Are you done?” I nodded stiffly. She turned to Alyssa. The two exchanged one glance before bursting into laughter so loud Mom stirred in her sleep. Alyssa immediately smacked Lizzie’s arm and mouthed, sorry. “I hate both of you,” I muttered. “You’re too uptight,” Lizzie said, waving me off. “No one cares how many women he’s been with. Especially me. He can add me to the list anytime. It's not like I'm asking him to marry me, I'm only going to sleep with him. Just one time. And that’s it.” “Ew.” I threw my hands up. “Fine. Go collect your complimentary case of herpes, then. I tried to warn you.” “Don’t be such a bore.”“I’m rooting for you, Lizzie!” Alyssa said, still laughing. “Go get him, tiger! And you show him how it's done.” I shot her a death glare. “I’m serious, Sav,” Lizzie continued, undeterred. “I’m coming back with you. I just need a good reason. Should I text Roman? Technically, it’s his house—” “No.” I cut her off. “He won’t mind. But you better have a reason that doesn’t sound like ‘I’m here to throw myself at Reese’ because your Herpes distributor might just think you’re too desperate.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Babysitting would’ve been the perfect excuse, but you guys don’t have any kids yet.” She pouted dramatically. That word—kids—hit me like a whisper in the dark. My hand drifted to my stomach without thinking, a gentle reflex I didn’t even understand. Lately, with everything happening—Mom’s illness, the fight with Roman, the thing with Kingston, Uncle Jace being my dad, Reese, the general, Dahlia—I’d forgotten the conversation Roman and I kept avoiding. The one about babies. About the future. I couldn’t live like this forever. It wasn’t what I imagined my life to be.“Sav?” Alyssa’s voice cut through my thoughts. “You okay?” I blinked, forcing a smile. “Yeah. Zoned out for a sec.” But Lizzie’s sharp eyes had already noticed where my hand was resting. Her mouth dropped open. “Oh my God, Sav, are you pregnant?” Alyssa’s head snapped around. “Wait, what?” Heat crawled up my neck. Suddenly it felt like the spotlight was on me, in front of a thousand people… and I was about to make the biggest flop of the century. “I—uh—no,” I stammered. “I mean, I don’t know.” Alyssa’s hand landed on my thigh, warm and comforting. “Have you checked?” I nodded. “A few weeks back. It was negative. But I was on the pill then. So I don't know.” “Oh, that explains it,” she said, half-grinning. “Still, you should test again. Pills fail. And your hormones have been all over the place lately.” Lizzie adjusted her glasses again, eyes narrowing like she was inspecting me under a microscope. “Come to think of it… you do look different.” I groaned. “Please don’t start.”“I’m serious,” she said, crossing her arms. “You’re glowing. And also really moody. And now poor Reese is catching all your temper swings. Classic pregnancy symptoms.” I dug my nails into my thighs. “You’re not funny.” But her words wormed their way under my skin. Glowing. Moody. Temper swings. My heart gave a slow, nervous thump. My period. When was the last time—? I mentally flipped through the last few weeks like pages in a book I didn’t want to finish. Mom’s chemo. Roman’s fight with Penny. Reese moving in. Endless tension. Sleepless nights. And then it hit me like a cold wave. My period was running late. I sat there, suddenly weightless and heavy at the same time, Alyssa and Lizzie still bickering in the background about who got to hold the pregnancy test first if I took one. Their voices felt far away. What if it was true? Roman and I hadn’t exactly been careful lately. We’d been… erratic. Angry, passionate, intense, spontaneous, distracted—but never careful. At least I knew the truth, we weren't. Roman probably thought I was taking the pills. Holy shit. This is getting real. My pulse fluttered. I tried to laugh it off, but it came out shaky. “Okay, you two need to calm down. I’m probably not even pregnant. I’ve just been stressed.” I tried to convince myself. Alyssa smirked. “Stressed and glowing?” Lizzie squealed. “Oh my God, Reese is gonna flip when he finds out he’s living with a pregnant woman! Imagine his face when you start throwing up in the morning.” “Lizzie!” I hissed, swatting her arm. “Who cares what that creep thinks?” She just giggled, totally unbothered. But my hands were trembling. Because if I really was pregnant… What then? A baby would change everything. It would make it all harder, heavier, realer. But also, even more beautiful. For the first time since Reese arrived, my anger gave way to something else—something raw and uncertain. Fear, maybe. Or hope. I couldn’t tell which. Alyssa’s phone buzzed, snapping me out of the thought spiral. “Your mom just texted me,” she said to Lizzie. “She wants to know if you’re staying the night with mom. Or if you're going to be looking after Emily.” I looked at Mom again—peaceful and felt the guilt tug in my chest. “Hell no!” Lizzie said. “I'm not. I'm going with Sav. And we're leaving now. Right, Sav?” “I’ll stay a little longer,” I said softly. Alyssa nodded. “Okay. Want me to grab you coffee?” I shook my head. “No, thanks.” She and Lizzie slipped out, whispering about test brands and baby names as if my entire life wasn’t possibly about to change if the suspicions became true. When the door clicked shut, I sank into the chair by the bed and let out a long breath. Mom stirred faintly, murmuring something I couldn’t make out. Her hand shifted, fingers brushing mine. I held it gently. “Don’t worry about me,” I whispered. “I’m fine.” But I wasn’t. My chest tightened as I pressed my palm flat against my stomach. And then, clear as day, the realization dropped again—this time heavier, final.It was time Roman and I had that discussion.