From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 19

**Chapter 14: You’re Okay, Sweetie**

Alyssa knelt at the edge of the shimmering pool, her clothes drenched and her hair a chaotic halo around her face. Panic surged through her as she screamed Emily’s name, each syllable laced with desperation. Lizzie stood nearby, frozen in shock, tears cascading down her cheeks as she pointed toward the deep end, where the water seemed to ripple ominously.

Chloe, rooted to the spot, looked on with wide, terrified eyes, her heart racing in sync with the chaos unfolding around her.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Roman dove into the water, a fierce determination etched on his face, his instincts taking over.

Dean, just returning from the other side of the house, held his phone loosely in one hand, droplets of water still glistening on his skin from his earlier swim.

“Jesus Christ,” he gasped, sprinting toward the pool’s edge, ready to assist Roman if the need arose.

I rushed to Alyssa’s side, sinking to my knees in the grass beside her. Grabbing her trembling hands, I felt the icy grip of fear coursing through her. “What happened?!” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I-I turned around for just a second,” Alyssa stammered, her voice cracking as she struggled to catch her breath. “I swear, it was only a second! I was just trying to grab her snack. I didn’t think she’d—”

Roman’s powerful strokes cut through the water as he pulled Emily up, and my heart sank as I noticed her beloved stuffed unicorn bobbing forlornly in the pool’s depths.

Emily’s tiny arms dangled limply, like broken twigs, devoid of life. There was no cry, no movement—only a suffocating silence that felt as if it could split my chest wide open.

“No,” I whispered, a chill creeping down my spine.

“Call an ambulance!” Alyssa shrieked, her voice raw with panic.

Lizzie, her hands shaking, was already on the phone, desperately trying to relay the situation, her voice trembling but determined.

Chloe’s hands turned to jelly, and her phone slipped from her grasp, clattering to the ground as her eyes remained glued to the scene unfolding before her. Her lips quivered, betraying the horror she felt.

Roman gently lowered Emily onto the grass, his hands trembling as he pressed his ear to her chest, searching for any sign of life. “Come on,” he murmured, urgency lacing his voice. His hands found Emily’s tiny sternum, and he began compressions—fast, frantic, as if he were trying to wrestle death away from her with each push.

“Come on, baby girl. Come on,” he whispered, water dripping from his lashes onto her still form. “Wake up.”

Alyssa was inconsolable, her sobs echoing in the air as she struggled to crawl toward her daughter. I held her back, my voice firm yet gentle. “Let him work. Let him—Alyssa, please, let him work.”

—

**Chapter 19**

Dean knelt beside Roman, poised to take over if necessary. The atmosphere felt thick, as though time itself had frozen in a moment of sheer terror.

“Please save my baby girl. I’m begging you,” Alyssa wailed, her voice breaking under the weight of her anguish.

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