Chapter 246 A House Full Of Lies Savannah I searched my memory again, slower this time, as if digging deeper might suddenly unearth something I’d missed. Ramsey. The name rang hollow. I had nothing. Roman had never mentioned a Ramsey. Not once in passing, not in irritation, not even during one of those rare moments where he spoke about his family with exhaustion etched into his voice. Reese hadn’t either—and it wasn't like Reese talked a lot to me though. But if there was a brother named Ramsey roaming these halls, one of them should have said something. Just like Roman mentioned River and Rhys. Yet here he was. Ramsey Blackwood. Standing a few feet away from me, back turned, posture slightly hunched like he was bracing for something that never came. “I’ve never heard about you before,” I blurted out before I could soften it. The words slipped free—too blunt, too honest. I winced internally, but Ramsey only let out a quiet, nervous chuckle. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, fingers lingering there as though the skin might burn if he pulled away too quickly. “Oh. That happens all the time,” he said lightly. Too lightly. “I’m kind of… forgotten around here.” Forgotten. The word landed harder than I expected. “But,” he added quickly, almost rushing to fill the silence, “I’ve heard about you. A lot, actually. Everyone’s been talking about you ever since our brother got engaged to you.” My lips twitched. Talking about me? I resisted the urge to laugh. If people had truly been talking, it hadn’t shown in their behavior. The cold stares, the deliberate silences, the way they all pretended not to know I was already here—it didn’t feel like curiosity. It felt like judgment already passed. “Bad things, I suppose?” I asked quietly. The General wouldn’t hesitate to poison his children against me. That much I’d already learned. Reginald Blackwood wielded words like weapons, and I was an easy target—a woman who had dared to step into his carefully controlled dynasty and disrupt it. Ramsey didn’t answer immediately. His back was still to me, shoulders stiffening slightly, as if my question had forced him to choose between politeness and truth. Usually, people chose politeness. Usually, they lied. But Ramsey didn’t. “Yes,” he said at last. “All bad things.” The honesty hit me harder than any insult could have. “I’ve heard you’re controlling Roman. That you’re a very bad woman.” His voice was steady, unembellished, like he was reciting facts from a list. “That you turned him against his own family. That you’re with him because he’s rich. That you're forcing him to marry you.” Each sentence struck like a measured blow. I stood still, towel clutched tighter around my body, forcing myself not to react—not to interrupt, not to shield myself from the truth being laid bare so plainly. “And,” he continued, “that you’re the reason he changed his sole inheritor… from Reese to you.” The room seemed to tilt.“What?” I breathed. That last statement slammed into me like a freight train. Reese had been Roman’s next of kin? My stomach dropped. Oh, Roman. What have you done? What were you thinking? A rush of emotions collided inside me—shock, guilt, fear, something dangerously close to grief. I hadn’t known anything about Roman’s decision, but now I was forced to understand the depth of it. The depth of what I hadn't known. “Who told you these things?” I asked, my voice tight despite my effort to keep it calm. “How did you hear all of this?” Roman wouldn’t say those things about me. I knew that for sure. Reese didn’t strike me as the kind of man who spread lies for entertainment, sharp-tongued as he was. And while Reginald was cruel, something about these rumors felt… different. Personal. Petty. Calculated in a way that only another woman could manage. I know the scent of a woman. Even in a lie. Ramsey shrugged, a small, helpless motion. “I can’t say for sure. There’s always someone saying something around here. But I think the one who brought it up first was Miss Valentine.” My brows knit together. “Miss Valentine?” He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Though I haven’t seen her around in a long time.” The name meant nothing to me. And yet, the damage she’d apparently caused felt deeply personal. How could someone I’d never met spread such harmful rumors about me? How had lies taken root so easily in this family, blooming unchecked while truth withered? Unacceptable didn’t even begin to cover it. “Ramsey,” I said carefully. “Yes, ma’am?” He responded instantly. I shook my head even though he couldn't see me. “Please call me Savannah. My name is Savannah.” For a moment, he didn’t move. Then I saw it—the way his shoulders tensed, how his hands curled faintly at his sides like he was physically restraining himself. “No,” he said softly. “I mustn’t.” I frowned. “Why not?” “I… don’t know how my big brother, Roman or Sir would feel about that.” “Sir?” I echoed. “You mean your father? The General?” He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Sir wouldn’t be too happy with that.” “And why is that?” I pressed. “I don't think they'd care what you call me.” His hands balled into fists. I could see the effort it took for him to speak next, like forcing words past an invisible barrier. “Well… you see, I’m—” “Ramsey.” The interruption came from the left. Both of us turned as Reese walked in, a bag slung over his shoulder. Relief washed over me at the sight of a familiar face around here, but what happened next caught me completely off guard. Ramsey lit up instantly like a child spotting a favorite person in a crowded room, he rushed over and wrapped Reese in a tight hug, nearly tackling him with the force of it. “Brother!” he exclaimed. “You came back! I missed you so much!” Reese laughed, genuine and warm, as he hugged him back just as tightly. “I missed you too, Ramsey.” The sight softened something in my chest I hadn’t realized was clenched. Ramsey pulled back, possibly grinning. He hooked his thumb over his shoulder, pointing at me. “I was chatting with ma’am, and she’s really very kind. Not like what they’ve been saying. She’s been wonderful to me for the past—” He glanced at his watch. “Four minutes and thirty-eight seconds.” My jaw dropped. Who calculated time like that? Reese shot me a brief glance, amusement flickering in his eyes before he turned back to his brother. “Alright, Ramsey. Give Savannah and me a moment to talk. I’ll find you later at dinner.” “Sure!” Ramsey said brightly. “Goodbye, ma’am. It was nice talking with you.” “Likewise,” I replied, smiling even though his back was already turned.“Don’t forget me,” he called over his shoulder. “The name’s Ramsey. Ramsey Reed!” Ramsey Reed Blackwood. Something in my chest tightened. It echoed what he’d said earlier. I’m kind of… forgotten around here. “I won’t forget,” I said quietly. He paused, just for a second. Then I guess he smiled wider. “Thank you, ma’am.” And he walked away—careful not to turn back, not even once. Only later did I realize he’d made a conscious effort not to look at me again while I stood there in nothing but a towel. Reese closed the door behind him after walking into the bedroom. “Here,” he said, handing me the bag. “I hope they fit. I borrowed them from River. She was more than happy to help.” “Thank you,” I said sincerely. “Please remind me to thank her.” “I will.” He gestured to the bed. “May I sit?” I groaned softly and slapped my forehead. “Yes—sorry. Please.”As he sat, I pointed toward the bathroom. “I’ll go change.” He nodded, eyes politely averted. “Sure. I'll wait here.” At the door, I hesitated. “And… Reese?” “Yes?” “How old is Ramsey? He's weirdly honest.” “Twenty. He's twenty years old.” I shifted awkwardly. “Oh. That explains it. He’s very… open.” Reese chuckled. “In case you didn’t pick up on it, Ramsey has severe OCD. He can’t actually bring himself to lie if that's what you're wondering about.” I froze. Then everything clicked. The honesty. The lack of filter. The discomfort when faced with heavy options to bend the truth or tell a lie to cover up. Ramsey wasn’t forgotten because he was weak. He was forgotten because he was an inconvenience. Because he was the only truth in a house full of lies.