You Don’t Know?

You Don’t Know?
Chapter 290: You Don't Know? 
Roman

I hadn’t expected Savannah to come back. Not to the room. Not to the bed. Not to me.

The moment I walked out of Reese’s room and shut that door behind me, something in my chest had already known how the night would end— alone, awake, and staring at the ceiling while the echo of her words replayed over and over in my head like a punishment I couldn’t switch off.

So I didn’t wait for her.

I didn’t even lie down properly. I just sat on the edge of the bed for a long time, elbows on my knees, hands clasped together, staring at nothing. At some point, I leaned back against the headboard. At some point, the darkness outside the windows softened into gray. At some point, morning arrived.

I never slept. My mind refused to quiet. Every time my thoughts began to dull, her voice cut through again.

Pick. A. Side. The word felt like a blade pressed slowly against bone.

I still couldn’t believe she had said it. Savannah— my Savannah — the woman who had stood by me through chaos and pain and everything in between. The woman who had once looked at me like I was her home.

How could she think I would choose anyone else? How could she even ask? After everything we had survived together… after everything we had lost… after everything we were still trying to protect… she believed I could abandon her for a memory?

My jaw tightened.

Would we ever just be happy? Would there ever be a moment when nothing stood between us — no ghosts, no fears, no family politics, no past that refused to stay buried?

Or was this what we were now? Two people constantly fighting shadows.

I didn’t understand her jealousy. I truly didn’t. Dahlia wasn’t here. She hadn’t been here for years. Savannah had never met her. Never spoken to her. Never shared a single moment with her.

Yet somehow she was fighting her. Fighting someone who couldn’t answer back.

Was it the pregnancy? The hormones? The fear? Was she lashing out because everything felt unstable and she needed something to push against?

The question gnawed at me.

Should I have been more patient with her? Should I have stayed calm when she demanded something I could never promise? Should I have listened instead of reacting? Should I have held her instead of arguing?

For a moment, guilt stirred. Then anger crushed it when I remember she threatened to walk away.

She threatened to take my child and disappear from my life as if everything we had endured together could be erased with a decision made in anger.

I nearly died. I nearly lost everything. And this was what she offered me in return — a choice that was never a choice at all.

No. That wasn’t something I could simply excuse away.

I leaned forward, rubbing my face with both hands. My muscles ached from tension. My head throbbed from exhaustion. But beneath the fatigue was something sharper — something restless and simmering.

A part of me wondered where she had slept. The thought came uninvited. Had she stayed in Reese’s room after I left?

My chest tightened instantly, instinctive and unwelcome.

No.

I rejected the idea immediately. Savannah might be angry with me, but she wouldn’t cross that line. She wouldn’t disrespect us like that. She wouldn’t disrespect herself.

More likely, she had gone with River. The conclusion didn’t comfort me the way I thought it would. The room felt empty. Even the air felt different without her presence.

The sound of my phone ringing shattered the silence. I actually flinched.

For a moment, I couldn’t even place the noise. It felt foreign, like something from another life. I turned slowly, searching for it, until I saw the device resting neatly on the table beside the bed.

I stared at it for a second before picking it up. It was Goldberg. I swiped to answer and brought it to my ear.

“Miss Hart,” he said immediately, urgency clear in his voice. “How is Roman doing? Has his condition improved?”

Despite everything, a faint smile tugged at my lips. “Yeah,” I said quietly. “I think he’s doing okay now.”

There was a pause. Then, cautiously, “Roman?”

“Yeah. It’s me.”

The relief on the other end was immediate and profound. I could almost hear his shoulders drop.

“Oh thank God,” he breathed. “I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks. Ever since I heard what happened. Your phone has been off every time. I just decided to try again this morning and— well, I assumed your fiancée would pick up.”

Something about his words didn’t sit right.

“You haven’t spoken to Savannah since it happened?” I asked.

“No,” he replied. “Your phone has been unreachable, and hers goes straight to voicemail. I assumed she was… overwhelmed.”

Overwhelmed. The word lingered.

“Then how did you hear about what happened to me?” I asked.

“From your father and your brother,” he answered casually.

The world seemed to sharpen instantly.

I stood up without realizing I was moving. “What do you mean?” My voice came out lower than intended.

There was hesitation on the line.

“You don’t know?” Goldberg asked carefully. “Your father addressed your staff. He informed everyone about your condition and appointed your older brother, Ryan, to take over operations while you were unconscious. He’s been managing your businesses, partnerships, and investments.”

The words landed slowly. Then all at once. Heat flooded my chest—not warmth, not shock. It was rage. Pure, blinding, suffocating rage. 

Ryan. That bastard. The same man who had laid hands on Savannah. The same man I had sworn to deal with personally. The same man I had already been fighting the urge to confront.

And he had stepped into my place. Into my life. Into my authority. Without my knowledge. Without my consent. Without even the decency to inform me.

“Can’t lie,” Goldberg continued, unaware of the storm building inside me. “He’s been handling things efficiently.”

Efficiently. My vision reddened. Efficiency was not the point here. Control was.

“Hello?” Goldberg said cautiously. “Roman?”

I forced myself to breathe. “Was Savannah aware of this?” I asked. “Or Reese?”

“Hard to say,” he admitted. “They may have known, but your father can be quite… persuasive. I doubt anyone could have stopped him.”

That was enough. I ended the call without another word. The silence that followed felt different now. It was charged, electric and dangerous.

My hands were already clenched into fists. My body was already moving before my mind caught up. I crossed the room, opened the door, and stepped into the hallway with a single, crystal-clear thought burning through every layer of exhaustion.

Ryan.

He had taken what was mine. He had stepped into my absence like it meant nothing. He had touched what he should never have touched.

And now he was going to answer for it.

I didn’t hesitate. Didn’t slow. I didn't consider the consequences or how delicate my wounds were. 

I moved down the hallway with purpose, anger sharpening my focus until there was room for nothing else.

I was going to find him. And this time, there would be no restraint. This time, he would hear exactly what I had to say.