I Was Scared

I Was Scared
Chapter 287: I Was Scared
Roman 

I wasn’t sure which part amused me more—the fact that Savannah thought I was asleep… or the fact that River had been assigned the monumental responsibility of “watching over me” and was instead hunched over her phone, aggressively tapping at some obnoxiously loud game.

Granted, I had fallen asleep earlier. Savannah’s hands had a way of quieting everything inside me. The moment she touched my hair, stroked my scalp, or even rested her palm against my chest, the chaos in my mind simply… stilled. It was soothing and comforting all at once.

But that sleep hadn’t lasted.

The second her phone chimed with a message, my eyes opened. And once I realized she was texting—quietly, secretly, anxiously—sleep never stood a chance. 

I didn’t need confirmation to know who she was talking to. The urgency in her movements, the careful way she eased herself away from me, the way she replaced her body with a pillow as if I wouldn’t notice the difference…

It didn’t take a genius. She was texting one of my brothers in this house. Specifically, Reese.

The thought had lodged somewhere beneath my ribs and refused to move. It wasn’t rational. I knew that. Savannah would never betray me. Reese would never cross that line with Sav.

But logic had never been particularly effective at calming jealousy or possessiveness. Or whatever twisted emotion tightened my chest every time I pictured them alone together.

What could possibly be so important that she needed to sneak away in the middle of the night?

That part stung more than anything.

And River—who had been tasked with staying behind—wasn’t exactly helping matters. The sound effects from her game blasted through the room with relentless cheerfulness. Explosions. Digital chimes. Victory jingles. Defeat horns. 

Over and over again.

The noise scraped against my nerves until irritation simmered beneath my skin. She didn’t even notice my eyes were open. She didn’t notice when I shifted. She didn’t notice when I stared directly at her for several long seconds.

River practically didn’t notice anything.

The game announced another dramatic “Game Over!” and that was the final straw.

“Are you going to turn that down,” I said flatly, “or do I need to smash it first?”

River shrieked. She jumped so violently that her phone nearly flew from her hands. “Oh God! You’re awake!”

“Remarkable observation,” I replied dryly. “Maybe if you’d looked up once in the past ten minutes, you would’ve noticed sooner.”

Her shock quickly shifted into frantic motion. She fumbled with her phone, tapping rapidly, likely trying to call Savannah.

I exhaled sharply. “Put the phone down.”

She froze. “Huh?”

“Don’t call anyone, River.”

Slowly, hesitantly, she lowered the device. Her eyes flicked between me and the door, calculating something I couldn’t see nor understand.

“She’s with Reese, isn’t she?” I asked. It wasn’t really a question.

River nodded stiffly. “But it’s not what you think. They’re only talking. They’re not doing anything—”

“I know they aren’t,” I cut in. “Savannah would never do that. Reese wouldn’t even dare.” Even saying his name now felt like grinding glass between my teeth.

River released a breath she’d been holding.

I watched her carefully. “Do you know what they’re talking about?”

She shook her head. “Savannah said she’d explain in person.”

Of course she did.

I pushed the covers aside and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My body protested instantly—a sharp pull across healing muscle, a flare of warning from stitches not yet ready for any heroics.

I ignored it. “I’m going there,” I said.

River shot upright. “Roman, please don’t make a scene—”

I raised a hand. She stopped mid-sentence. “What do I look like to you?” I asked coolly. “A caveman?”

Her silence was not reassuring.

I stood, steadying myself against the edge of the bed. Pain flickered, but anger burned hotter. “Let’s go.”

“Me? With you? No. I don't want to go.” Her voice cracked. “You know where Reese’s room is. Find your way, Roman.”

“Of course I do,” I said. “Lead the way.”

She made a small distressed sound. “They’re going to kill me.”

I shook my head. “No. That’ll be me. Move.”

The walk down the corridor was short, but River treated it like a funeral march. She glanced back at me repeatedly like a scared child, as if expecting me to collapse, explode, or change my mind.

None of those things happened though.

The manor was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of silence that made every footstep sound a lot louder than it was.

By the time we reached Reese’s door, River looked ready to faint. She lifted her hand to knock but I didn’t give her the chance. I turned the handle and pushed the door open and walked in.

River remained at the threshold.

Savannah stood near the window, arms wrapped around herself. Reese stood several steps away from her, tension visible in the set of his shoulders.

Savannah’s face was wet with tears and something inside me snapped tight. “Roman!” she gasped. “You're awake!” 

I looked between them slowly. “Is this a private party,” I asked calmly, “or are fiancés allowed to join?”

No one answered immediately.

Savannah’s eyes searched my face, panic flickering there. Reese didn’t move, but I could see calculation behind his calm expression.

I folded my arms carefully, ignoring the pull in my chest. “Continue,” I said. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt anything important.”

Savannah took a step toward me. “You shouldn’t be—”

“I’m fine.” I said. The lie came easily. She stopped a few feet away, uncertain.

Reese finally spoke. “Roman, we were just—”

“Talking,” I finished. “Yes. I gathered that much.”

Silence pressed in again. My gaze shifted to Savannah. Her lashes were clumped with tears. Her breathing uneven. “Why are you crying?” I asked quietly.

She opened her mouth, closed it, then looked away.

Reese stepped forward slightly. “Nothing. She was just worried about you.”

That answer did nothing to ease the tightness in my chest.

“Worried about me,” I repeated. “So she left me to come to you.”

“That’s not—”

“I woke up,” I continued, voice low and controlled, “to an empty space beside me. To a pillow where my fiancée should’ve been. And I’m supposed to assume that’s normal?”

Savannah flinched. Guilt hit immediately. I exhaled slowly, forcing some of the tension out of my shoulders. “Talk to me, baby” I said to her, softer now.

Her lips trembled. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“That’s not an answer.”

She looked at Reese, then back at me. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I was scared.”

The anger inside me faltered. “Of what?” I asked.

“Of losing you.” She took another step closer. “I needed to understand something,” she continued. “I needed to make sure… that nothing would take you away from me again.”

Her hand hovered near mine, unsure whether she was allowed to touch. I let her take it.

Her fingers were cold.

Reese remained silent, watching us both with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher.

“You should be resting,” Savannah murmured.

“I will,” I said. “When I know what’s going on.”

Her eyes filled again, but this time she didn’t look away. And standing there between my brother and the woman I loved, I realized something unsettling.

Whatever conversation I had just interrupted…had already changed something. 

And I had arrived too late to stop it.