Chapter 255 CHAPTER 0255

Chapter 255 CHAPTER 0255
LAUREN'S POV

Five days had passed since the accident.

Five days since I watched Elizabeth fall to the ground, unable to feel her own legs. Five days since the ambulance sirens filled the air and paramedics surrounded her while Roman stood beside me, blood still drying on his temple.

I hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. About her. About him. About everything.

The hospital had kept Roman overnight for observation after they stitched up the gash on his head. Mild concussion, they said. Nothing too serious, but they wanted to monitor him. I stayed in that sterile waiting room until they let me see him, my hands shaking the entire time, replaying the image of him stepping out of the car with blood running down his face.

All because of me.

Now, I stood outside his bedroom door in his estate, my hand resting on the handle but not yet turning it. He had been resting since we got back from his follow-up appointment earlier today. The doctors said he was healing well. No complications. He could return to normal activities soon.

But I couldn't shake the weight sitting on my chest.

I finally pushed the door open, moving quietly in case he was asleep.

He wasn't.

Roman was sitting up in bed, his back against the headboard, a book resting open in his lap. The white bandage on his temple stood out starkly against his dark hair. When he heard me enter, he looked up immediately, and the softest smile touched his lips — the kind of smile that made my heart ache because I didn't deserve it.

"Hey," he said gently, closing the book and setting it aside. "Come here."

I hesitated for a second, then walked over slowly and sat on the edge of the bed, my hands folding tightly in my lap. I couldn't quite look at him.

"Lauren." His voice was warm, concerned. "What's wrong?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words caught in my throat. I had rehearsed this moment a hundred times in my head over the past few days, but now that I was here, everything felt jumbled and heavy.

"The doctor called earlier," I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper. "About Elizabeth."

Roman's expression shifted immediately, his body straightening slightly. "What did they say?"

I took a shaky breath. "She has a spinal cord injury. The impact from the crash caused severe trauma to her lumbar vertebrae — the lower part of her spine. They said the damage was significant enough that she's lost all mobility in both legs." My voice cracked slightly. "They're not sure if it's permanent yet, but… the doctors aren't optimistic. She might never walk again."

Roman was quiet for a moment, absorbing the information. His jaw tightened, but his eyes remained steady. "She made her choice," he said finally, his tone even. "She got behind that wheel. She aimed for your car. She did this to herself, Lauren."

"I know," I whispered. "I know that. But Roman…"

I couldn't hold it in anymore.

My voice broke completely, and tears started streaming down my face before I could stop them. I covered my mouth with one hand, trying to muffle the sob that escaped, but it was useless. Everything I'd been holding inside for days came pouring out all at once.

"I'm so sorry," I choked out, my whole body trembling. "I'm so, so sorry for everything. For being selfish. For not listening to you. For all the danger I brought into your life. For Elizabeth, for everything she did to you. You got hurt because of me, Roman. You have stitches in your head because of me."

The tears came harder, and I couldn't stop them. I felt like I was breaking apart.

"And I can't stop thinking about what could've happened," I continued, my voice shaking violently. "What if she had hit us harder? What if you had been hurt worse? What if she had succeeded and I lost you? What if Aria had been in the car with me that morning? What if…"

"Lauren, stop." Roman's voice cut through my spiral, firm but achingly gentle.

Before I could say anything else, he reached out and took both of my hands in his, pulling me closer. His grip was strong, grounding, warm.

"Look at me," he said softly.

I forced myself to meet his gaze, even though my vision was blurred with tears.

His eyes were so steady, so full of something deep and unshakable that it made my chest tighten even more. "None of this is your fault," he said slowly, deliberately, making sure every single word sank in. "Do you hear me? None of it."

"But you got hurt…"

"And I would do it again." His voice was stronger now, almost fierce. "A thousand times over, Lauren. Ten thousand times. If it meant keeping you safe, if it meant protecting you and Aria, I would take every single hit, every injury, every scar without hesitation. Do you understand that?"

I stared at him, my throat so tight I couldn't speak.

He let go of one of my hands and lifted it to cup my cheek, his thumb gently brushing away the tears that wouldn't stop falling. "You didn't bring danger into my life," he said, his voice softening again. "You brought light. You brought purpose. Before you, I was just going through the motions, Lauren. I had everything — money, success, respect but none of it meant anything. I was empty."

His eyes searched mine, and I saw the raw honesty in them.

"But then you walked into my life," he continued, his voice thick with emotion. "You and Aria. And suddenly, everything had meaning. Suddenly, I had something worth protecting. Something worth fighting for. Something worth living for."

"Roman…" My voice came out broken, barely audible.

"I love you," he said simply, his eyes never leaving mine. "I love you so much it terrifies me sometimes. And I don't regret a single second of fighting for you. Not one. Not the danger, not the fear, not the pain. Because at the end of it all, I get to have you. I get to have Aria. I get to have a family I never even knew I wanted until you gave it to me."

That completely shattered me.

I broke down fully, sobbing into my hands as he pulled me into his arms. He held me tightly, carefully, one hand cradling the back of my head while the other wrapped securely around my back. I buried my face in his chest, feeling his heartbeat steady and strong beneath my cheek, and I cried — cried for everything we'd been through, for everything he'd sacrificed, for the overwhelming weight of being loved so completely by someone who saw every broken piece of me and loved me anyway.

"I love you too," I sobbed against his chest. "I love you so much, Roman. And I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."

"Shh," he murmured into my hair, his hand rubbing soothing circles on my back. "You have nothing to apologize for. Nothing."

We stayed like that for a long time — him holding me while I cried, whispering reassurances into my hair, telling me over and over that I was safe, that we were safe, that everything was going to be okay.

Eventually, my sobs quieted into soft hiccups, and I pulled back slightly to look at him. My eyes were red and swollen, my face was a mess, and I probably looked terrible.

But Roman looked at me like I was the most beautiful thing in the world.

He reached up and gently wiped the remaining tears from my cheeks with his thumbs, his touch so tender it made my heart ache. "Better?" he asked softly.

I nodded, even though my throat still felt tight. "I'm a mess."

"You're my mess," he said with a small, affectionate smile.

Despite everything, I couldn't help but let out a weak laugh. "How do you always know what to say?"

"Because I know you," he said simply, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "And I know that you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders even when you don't have to. But you don't have to carry it alone anymore, Lauren. You have me. Always."

Fresh tears welled up in my eyes, but this time they weren't from guilt or fear. They were from gratitude. From relief. From the overwhelming feeling of being truly, deeply loved.

"We're going to be okay," Roman said, his forehead resting gently against mine. "All of us. This is the end of the chaos, Lauren. From here on out, it's just peace. Just us. Just our family."

I closed my eyes, letting his words sink in, letting myself believe them.

"Just peace," I whispered.

"Just peace," he echoed.

And in that moment, wrapped in his arms, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against mine, I finally let go of the fear. I let go of the guilt. I let go of everything that had been weighing me down.

Because Roman was right.

We were going to be okay.

We were finally, truly, safe.