Chapter 241 CHAPTER 0241

Chapter 241 CHAPTER 0241
LAUREN'S POV

I walked into the living room, my heels making soft taps against the floor as I stepped further inside. The lights were on, the curtains half-drawn, everything looking exactly the way it normally did, yet somehow the atmosphere felt different. A kind of heaviness lingered in the air, something I couldn’t exactly place. Maybe it was just me being tired, but still… something felt off. Almost like the house had exhaled a long sigh right before I walked in.

I found it a bit strange that Liz hadn’t texted me to say she’d settled in. Especially considering how we practically missed each other this morning by just a few minutes. Even if she was still getting used to her new surroundings, at least a short "I've settled in” message should’ve come through. The silence made me pause for a moment, looking around the room again, trying to figure out why everything felt so unusually quiet.

I know I was only staying with Roman, but the whole house just felt off today, like something had happened or like someone had said something they shouldn’t have. Or maybe it was just the long business meeting draining me more than I realized. I brushed a few strands of hair behind my ear and exhaled deeply, trying not to jump to conclusions so quickly. I wasn’t in the mood to start overthinking every little thing.

Roman wasn’t here, or at least not in the living room. He was probably upstairs… unless he stepped out. But knowing us, we always inform each other before leaving the house, no matter how small the outing is. So he had to be upstairs. The thought gave me a small sense of routine, some normalcy, and I headed toward the staircase.

After taking my bath, I’d check on Liz and see how she was doing. Maybe she just fell asleep or got busy. Maybe my mind was simply exaggerating the silence.

I went upstairs, pushing the door to our room open. Roman was sitting on the bed, elbows resting slightly on his knees, his gaze fixed on the floor. He didn’t even notice me walking in. The way he sat there, completely deep in thought, made me stop at the doorway. Again. This man and thinking. One day he would think himself into full grey hairs before he even turned forty at this rate.

He promised me that he would stop overthinking every single thing happening around us, yet here he was again, staring at nothing like the universe had handed him a difficult math equation to solve.

We just got engaged. Engaged. I expected him to be lighter, happier, excited, maybe even glowing a little with that natural happiness I loved seeing on him. Instead, he sat there looking like he had been analyzing the world’s biggest problem for the whole day. It annoyed me, but it also made me concerned. He had everything he wanted now, so what on earth could be pulling his mind this deep into worry?

I dropped my bag onto the floor, letting it fall gently as I folded my arms across my chest, making sure he’d eventually notice the fact that I was staring right at him. It didn’t take long. He blinked a couple of times, came out of whatever world he was inside, and finally lifted his eyes toward me.

“Babe, you’re back,” he said as he stood from the bed and walked closer. He leaned in and gave me a light kiss, like he was trying to cover up the fact that he’d been drowning in thoughts again.

“How was the meeting?” he asked.

“It was fine,” I replied, but I immediately narrowed my eyes at him. “But you know who’s not fine at the moment? Me. I’m not fine with the way you’ve been thinking lately. And you promised me that you would stop. Now what annoys me the most is the fact that you don’t want to open up.”

He let out a sigh, a long one, like he already knew he was guilty. “Alright. I’ll tell you.”

“Is it about the engagement? Are you rethinking it?” I asked, watching his face carefully.

“No. Why would I do that?” he replied quickly. “It’s not about the engagement. It’s something else.”

“What is it?” I asked again, the anticipation in my voice more than obvious.

“Your sister,” he finally said.

I let out a small sigh, rubbing my forehead gently because I already knew where he was going with this. That topic had been hovering around us ever since Liz moved in. 

“I know you’re not fully in agreement with her staying with us,” I said, trying to keep my tone calm. “But it’s only for the meantime. I thought you said you would agree because of me. And besides, something like that shouldn’t be making you think like your whole world is about to collapse.”

“It’s not about me being on board with the idea of her staying here,” he said, his voice deeper now. “It’s far worse than that. I didn’t want to tell you this because I’ve been noticing the way you’ve been taking her side and defending her lately. And I totally understand you're excited to have a sibling, a twin, I would do the same if I were in your shoes. But things began to get out of control. I wanted you to find out yourself because it looks like you’re already catching up, but… I’ve lost my patience.”

My arms slowly dropped to my sides. “What happened?” I asked, my voice firm and serious.

“Elisabeth… since we met her she has been…”

The sound of my phone ringing cut him off sharply, stealing both our attention instantly.

I glanced down at it and raised my brow when I saw the caller ID. It was Liz.

“Why is she calling me when she’s inside?” I murmured, more to myself than to Roman. “Doesn’t she know I’m back? Or did she go somewhere?”

“Let me quickly answer this,” I added before picking up the call.

I placed the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Lauren,” Liz’s voice came through quickly, sounding slightly rushed. “Please, I need your help with something important. I know that you’ve already been of much help to me, but can I ask for one more favour?”

“Yeah, sure,” I replied. “You’re not around, right?”

“Yes, I just stepped out. That’s why I need your help. Can I borrow some cash from you?” she asked.

“Sure, how much do you need?” I said, glancing at Roman as his brows immediately furrowed.