From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 201

**Dreams Folding Into Broken Time**
**Chapter 201**

“What are we, Roman?” she asked, her voice a mere whisper, a stark contrast to the usual bravado that colored her words.

The shift in her tone didn’t escape me. It was as if a curtain had fallen, revealing a vulnerability I rarely saw. I took a deep breath, my hand instinctively brushing down my face as if to wipe away the tension that had settled there. “You’re my friend,” I replied at last, my voice steady but uncertain. “And my lawyer. What kind of question is that?”

She shook her head slowly, a hint of pity glimmering in her eyes. “That’s not what we are, Roman. And deep down, you know it.”

“Penny—”

“Do you plan on lying to your fiancée and to yourself as well?” she interjected, her words slicing through the air with a sharpness that caught me off guard. “Or is this just another thing you’ll sweep under the rug, like Dahlia?”

My jaw clenched involuntarily, the name sending a jolt of anger and grief through me. “Enough.”

“But I’m not just your friend, am I?” she pressed, her voice rising slightly, not in volume but in conviction. There was an intensity in her gaze that made my heart race. “You can’t keep pretending that she never existed, Roman. You claim you’ve moved on, that you’re in love again, but you can’t even utter her name without falling apart.”

“I will tell Savannah everything,” I declared, more for my own reassurance than hers. “When she asks, I’ll tell her. I’m not hiding anything from her. I would never keep the truth from her.”

“And what if she never asks?” Penny challenged, her eyes narrowing as if she were dissecting my every thought.

“Then there’s nothing to tell. Ever,” I replied, my voice firm, though inside, uncertainty gnawed at me.

Penny laughed, the sound ringing harsh and devoid of humor. “Roman, I asked you a question.” She leaned closer, her eyes fierce, as if trying to pierce through my defenses. “What. Are. We?”

The sudden stillness in her tone sent a shiver down my spine. A flicker of suspicion ignited within me, causing my eyes to narrow. “Are you recording this?” I demanded, my heart racing with a mix of anger and betrayal.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, clearly taken aback.

“Is that what this is?” I continued, rising abruptly from my seat. “Another one of your games? Trying to trap me? Some underhanded lawyer trick to get me to confess something on record so you can send it to her?”

“Wow,” she said, her voice suddenly icy. “Cheap trick. Really, Roman? You think I’d stoop that low?”

“You’re a lawyer, Penny,” I retorted, crossing my arms defensively. “I think you know exactly what you are capable of.”

In a gesture of mock surrender, she raised her hand, then reached into her pocket. She pulled out her phone and set it down between us, the screen illuminating the dim room. No recording. Just her home screen stared back at us.

She slid the phone across the marble countertop, her gaze unwavering. “Convincing enough?”

“Stop it, Penny,” I said, irritation creeping into my voice.

“Why are you avoiding the question?” she pressed, her tone shifting to something lower, more insistent.

I ignored her, turning my back to the conversation as I picked up the plates, heading toward the sink. The clattering of ceramic echoed in the silence, a stark reminder of the tension thickening the air. My reflection stared back at me through the kitchen window—haunted eyes, a jaw clenched tight with unspoken emotions.

Looking back now, I regretted not heeding Savannah’s warning. She had told me to steer clear of Penny today, but I had brushed her off. Perhaps a part of me was reluctant to admit that Savannah was right. I wanted to cling to the illusion that I understood Penny, that I could predict her moves.

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