From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 157

**TITLE: Dreams Folding Into Broken Time**
**by Serene L. Ard**
**Chapter 157**

“Nice try. But you’re not getting rid of me that easy, Sav,” he murmured, his breath warm and tinged with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine. The words reverberated against my hair, a haunting echo that felt all too intimate. “I’m inside your blood. I’m part of you now.”

I struggled against him, a wild whirlwind of limbs as I shoved against his chest, my feet connecting with his shins in desperate kicks. “Why won’t you just leave me alone?” My voice cracked, the sound morphing into a series of harsh sobs that felt raw and unrefined, spilling forth like a broken dam.

He winced when my elbow grazed his injured hand, a sharp intake of breath escaping his lips, but his grip remained unyielding. Instead, he captured my wrists with surprising gentleness, his good hand binding them together against my chest as if to anchor me to him.

“You’re gonna make this harder if you keep struggling, Savannah,” he said softly, his tone low and oddly familiar, a strange comfort amidst the chaos.

Too familiar, I thought, and it sent a jolt of something unsettling through me.

In that moment, something inside me snapped. Perhaps it was the hysteria creeping in, or maybe the trauma that clung to my every thought, but suddenly, laughter erupted from my lips—raw, broken, tangled with the heavy sobs that still wracked my body.

Roman froze, his expression shifting as he blinked down at me in disbelief, as if I had sprouted another head. “Are you… are you laughing right now?” he asked, a hint of incredulity in his voice.

“That was exactly what Professor Kingston said the first time,” I replied, the absurdity of the memory cutting through my despair.

His laughter faded, and an uncomfortable silence enveloped us. I could sense him mentally chastising himself for bringing it up.

“This is all your fault,” I whispered, my voice thick with tears as I scrubbed at my wet cheeks with the heel of my hand. “You. Always you.”

“Savannah.” His voice softened, dropping into a tone that was more vulnerable than I had ever heard from him. “Don’t bottle it up. Don’t do this to yourself. You’re hurting yourself more than anyone else ever could.”

“Please, Roman…” I sniffled, forcing my body to still against him, the weight of my emotions pressing down on me. “Just let me go.”

For what felt like an eternity, I thought he wouldn’t relent. His arms were like iron bands, his jaw tense as it rested against my hair. But to my surprise, he loosened his grip, allowing a sliver of space between us.

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