What’d I Miss?
Chapter 277: What'd I Miss?
Savannah
The minutes after Roman saw the frame still hanging on the wall passed in a blur.
Not the kind that softened the memory—but the kind that fractured it. Sharp. Jagged. Overlapping sounds and images crashing into one another so fast my mind struggled to keep up.
Roman was shouting. No—screaming. He was practically yelling down the entire house.
His voice filled the room, bouncing off the walls, loud enough to hurt my ears. The sound of it made my chest tighten painfully. He was furious in a way I’d never ever seen before—raw, unrestrained, unfiltered. Every word he threw into the air felt like it was coated in something dangerous. Roman was mad.
Meanwhile, my thoughts were splintering. Because all I could see—no matter how hard I tried not to—was her.
Dahlia. Her face. Her smile. Her presence looming over us even now. And the more I thought about it, the more horrified I became.
How had Roman managed to stay friends with Penelope all these years when she wore his late wife’s face so perfectly? The resemblance wasn’t just striking—it was cruel. Same hair. Same features. Same skin tone. Same everything.
Practically nothing was different.
And Reese… God. How had Reese lived with it?
How had he looked at Penelope without seeing Dahlia every single time? How had he pushed forward with whatever plan they’d made, knowing it was like staring at his dead sister-in-law brought back to life?
Had these brothers lost their minds? It sure felt like it.
Roman’s voice rose again, breaking through my thoughts, thick with rage. He was pacing now, movements sharp and restless, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides like he was fighting the urge to break something.
I barely registered the sound of the door bursting open before footsteps rushed in. It was Reese and Alex.
They scanned the room immediately, tense and alert, eyes darting around like they expected to find an intruder lurking around.
“What’s happened?” Alex asked first, his voice calm but still very sharp. “What’s wrong?”
“Roman, we heard yelling,” Reese added. “What’s going on?”
Roman spun toward them, fury blazing. He didn’t say a word. He just pointed. Straight at the wall behind the door. At the picture.
“Want to know what’s wrong?” he roared. “This. This is what’s wrong! What's that doing there?!”
Reese followed his finger, his brow furrowing the moment he saw it. “How did that get up there?” he asked, genuinely confused.
Roman laughed—but there was no humor in it. “Oh, you’re asking me now?” he barked. “Weren’t you the one who got the room ready?”
Reese stiffened. “Oh really?” he shot back. “Why the fuck would I put that up there? Does that even make sense to you?”
The room vibrated with tension.
Alex, meanwhile, leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, watching the entire exchange like it was a scene from his favorite movie. An amused smirk tugged at his lips, which only made my stomach churn harder.
I turned on Roman, anger finally cutting through the shock. “Will you stop it?!” I snapped. “What is wrong with you?!”
He didn’t look at me. His eyes were still locked on Reese, burning with accusation.
I dragged a hand down my face, refusing to look at the picture again. I didn’t want to see her. Didn’t want to feel that ache twist in my chest again.
I didn’t even understand why it hurt. But it did. Quietly. Deeply.
I folded my arms around myself, grounding myself before speaking. “Someone please take it down,” I said softly. “Please.”
For once, there was no argument. Reese and Alex moved immediately.
They lifted the frame off the wall together, careful despite the tension crackling between them. The moment it was gone, the room felt… lighter. Not healed. But less suffocating.
Reese turned toward the door, picture in hand.
“Wait.” Roman’s voice stopped them both.
Reese paused but didn’t turn around.
“Who was the help you asked to prepare this room?” Roman asked, his voice still edged with anger.
“Don’t know which one did this. I’ll find out,” Reese replied shortly.
And then they were gone. The door closed behind them, leaving just Roman and me in the room.
The silence was deafening.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, my shoulders sagging under the sudden weight of everything that had just happened.
“Sav.” Roman’s voice was quieter now.
I looked up.
“I’m sorry about that,” he said. “I didn’t know it was there. If I had known, I wouldn’t have—”
“Roman, it’s fine,” I cut in quickly.
It wasn’t fine. But I didn’t have the energy to unpack that yet. I didn't want us to fight over meaningless things. Because that is what this is. Meaningless.
She's dead and gone. Case closed.
I felt pressure building at the base of my neck, spreading across my shoulders like a headache threatening to split me in half.
Roman noticed. He always did.
“Are you okay?” he asked, stepping toward me.
I stepped back before I could stop myself. The words burst out of me before I could rethink them. “You don’t have to treat Reese that way all the time.”
Roman frowned. “Come again?”
I held my ground, heart pounding.
“He’s your brother,” I said. “And I don’t think he deserves the way you speak to him. Reese loves you. He’s done everything for you. He stood by you when you were in a coma. He’s been loyal and supportive. And you snap at him like he’s disposable.”
The words poured out faster now, lighter with every sentence. Like I was finally setting something down that had been weighing on my chest for far too long.
“I don’t think that’s okay, Roman. That's not nice.” I finished quietly.
Roman stared at me.
“So,” he said slowly, “you and Reese have become this… close? What'd I miss?”
I frowned. “That man fought to make sure nothing went wrong with you and your baby,” I said firmly. “You owe him an apology.”
His brow arched. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” I said, not backing down. “You are going to apologize to Reese.”
He stepped closer, towering over me, his presence filling the space between us. Almost like he was trying to intimidate me. “And if I don’t?” he murmured. “Hmm, Savannah? What are you gonna do?”
I swallowed.
And suddenly… I didn’t know what to say.