Chapter 213 Sounds Peaceful Roman I took a deep breath as I stepped onto the cool, moon-washed sand. The waves crashed in slow, rhythmic pulses—beautiful, steady, calming. Or they should have been. But tonight the sound only sharpened the chaos in my head. I’d been strung tight all day. I thought that maybe walking out here, letting the water kiss my feet, letting the night swallow me whole, would help. But my chest still felt iron-clamped. My mind still churned. My stomach still twisted with something that felt halfway between rage and sickness. I felt… bad. Really bad. I sat down on the sand, dragging a hand down my face as Paula’s voice echoed in my mind, sharp as shrapnel even over the rolling of the waves. The ocean was peaceful. The world was peaceful. But inside me? It was war. God. How did everything get so twisted so fast? All I wanted was simple. A life with Savannah. A place no one could find us—no fathers, no enemies, no ghosts clawing at our backs. A home where our kids could run without fear, where their last name wouldn’t be a target painted on their foreheads. But instead… I got this. My father. The man I once idolized. All sons look up to their fathers, don't they? I did too. Once. The man I stupidly believed was strong, brave, unstoppable. The man who actually turned out to be a monster. “How do you sleep at night?” I muttered under my breath, staring out at the vast black water. “How do you live with yourself?” I remembered being little and watching him command uniformed men with cold precision. I remember thinking he was a giant, a force of nature. I remember thinking, I want to be like you when I grow up. Now the thought alone makes me sick. I shove my fingers into the sand as a tremor runs through me. Not fear—anger. Betrayal. Shame. I idolized that man. I wanted to fit into his mold—sharp edges, iron fists, unshakeable. And now I wonder if I ever truly knew him at all. The sky wavered in my vision. My throat tightened. I didn’t know if it was the wind or my own body shaking. I just want peace.I just want her. I just want a chance to rewrite the damn future so my children aren’t condemned by the sins of their grandfather. So they won't be hunted. So people won’t whisper their names with hatred. So they won’t grow up wondering why the world is waiting for them to pay for someone else’s evil. How deep does his darkness go? How many lives has he shattered? How many more truths are waiting to claw their way out? I take a deep breath. And then—darkness behind me. A pair of hands covered my eyes. “Found you!” Savannah’s giggle danced through the air. My heart—heavy, bruised, aching—lifted immediately. Her voice alone pulled the tension straight out of my shoulders. I could smell her—fresh shampoo, warm shower steam still clinging to her skin, her body wash sweet against the night breeze. I let out a soft laugh. “Yeah, right. You caught me, baby.” She removed her hands and dropped into the sand beside me, her smile soft and amused. “What are you doing out here? I thought you were coming inside.” I shrugged, staring out at the water. “I don’t know. I just… needed to feel the wind, I guess.” She didn’t try to fix it. Didn’t interrogate. Didn’t get scared by the mess swirling in my head. Instead, she simply rested her head on my arm. Warm and present in a way that no one else ever is. “We’ve both got shitty fathers,” she murmured. “It’s a sign. We’re meant to be, Roman.” A startled laugh escaped me. “That’s the conclusion you reached?” She lifted her head, grinning mischievously. A strand of wet hair slipped across her brow. She didn’t bother pushing it away. “Obviously. The universe is trying to tell us something. We’re meant to be together. You just have to believe it.” “Yeah?” I murmured. “Well, if the universe tries to take you from me, it’s going to war with me instead.” She laughed—soft and bright—and I soaked in the sound like a starved man. If I could bottle that laugh, keep it in my pocket, listen to it whenever the dark corners of life closed in… I would. We sat in silence for a moment, both of us breathing in the salt and the quiet.“When do we leave?” Savannah asked suddenly. “I don’t want to go. It’s so beautiful here.” “Me neither.” I leaned back on my palms. “There’s too much noise waiting for us outside this place. And I love it here.” Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “Maybe… we could return here after I have the baby.” I turned to her, eyebrows raised. “It’d be a wonderful place to raise a baby,” she said, cheeks flushed from excitement. “Don’t you think?” A smile tugged at my lips. “Sounds beautiful.” She squealed—actually squealed—and clapped her hands before flinging her arms around me. “Thank you! Thank you, Roman!” I kissed her cheek. “You’re welcome, baby.” She peppered kisses across my jaw, my neck, my cheek—fast and soft like butterfly wings—before her lips finally brushed mine. This kiss wasn’t rushed. It lingered, warm and wanting. My fingers found her waist, itching to hold her. Her hand slid into my hair, tugging softly, sending shivers down my spine. Her mouth trailed down my throat, the warmth of her breath curling against my skin.I wanted her. God knows I did. But my mind—damn it—wouldn’t stay where it was supposed to. It kept clawing back to Paula’s words. To my father. To buried corpses of truth. To fear. To shame. My chest squeezed painfully. If I can’t be fully here with her… then I don’t deserve to touch her like this. Savannah tugged my shirt up and I caught her hand. “Baby… stop.” The words scraped out of me, rough and unwilling. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to say. She blinked up at me. “Why?” I swallowed slowly. “I don’t want to do this when my mind isn’t all the way here. I’m… distracted. I’m sorry, Sav. I really am.” Her hand slipped out of mine. She withdrew like she’d been burned. “Oh. Of course. I understand.” She cleared her throat, cheeks flushing. “God… that was embarrassing.” “Hey.” I reached for her. “No, it’s not. Don’t say that.” She forced a thin laugh. “Yeah. Well. I guess I should go get some sleep.” She gestured backward toward the house. “I’m tired.”“Now?” I asked, hating how desperate it sounded. But she was already standing, brushing sand from her legs. “Yeah. Good night, Roman.” “Good night, my love,” I said softly. She leaned down, pressed a small kiss to my forehead then turned and walked back toward the lit-up house. I watched her disappear inside and exhaled a broken breath. “Fuck,” I muttered. “I’m such an idiot.” Right then, my phone rang. It was Reese. I picked up. “Reese.” “What’s up with you?” Reese snapped. “You sounded off in your text.” “A lot,” I muttered. “Father did a lot more damage than we know.” He let out a harsh breath. “That son of a bitch. Tell me.” I stared at the house Savannah had vanished into, guilt still clawing at me. “He murdered a man because he was in the way. A father. A good man. Someone who tried to stop him from trafficking young girls. Girls, Reese. Women. He killed him for standing in his way.” A beat of stunned silence. Then Reese hissed, “Fuck. This is messed up. That really happened?” “Yes.” My voice dropped. “And I don’t think she’s lying.” “When are you coming back? Tomorrow? I can’t wait to talk to him and he better start talking fast or I swear—” “We’ll come back the day after tomorrow,” I interrupted. “I want to spend tomorrow with Sav. I need to make up for today. It must have taken a toll on her.” His voice softened slightly. “Alright. And Penny? Should I tell her anything?” Despite everything, a small smirk tugged at my lips. “Yes. Tell Penelope that Roman says hello.” Reese laughed darkly. “She’s going to lose her mind.” “Good,” I muttered. But as I stared at the house again—at the faint light through the curtains, the shadowy outline of the room she’d disappeared into—my chest tightened all over again.I needed to fix this. I needed to fix us. And tomorrow… I would.