From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 209

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**TITLE: Dreams Folding Into Broken Time**

**Chapter 209**

“Long enough to… what exactly? To put yourself on death row? To slowly extinguish your own life? To force me to witness our existence dissolve into nothingness? To let this consume you from the inside out without a word?” My voice trembled, cracking under the weight of my emotions. “You could’ve spoken up, Mom! You could’ve confided in us! Dad—”

I faltered, the word hanging in the air like a foul odor, heavy and suffocating.

He was her husband. Not my father.

Her gaze met mine, a soft, sorrowful smile gracing her lips. “He wouldn’t have done anything, Savannah. You must understand that.”

“But you didn’t even give him—or anyone—a chance! He could’ve sought out specialists, the best possible treatments, anything! You just—”

“I didn’t want anyone’s pity,” she interjected sharply, her tone slicing through the air. “And I didn’t want to be a burden.”

I shook my head vehemently, my hands clenching into tight fists at my sides. “You were never a burden. You are my mother. Our mother. His wife, for heaven’s sake!”

With a weary sigh, she leaned back against her pillow, the weight of her exhaustion evident in her expression. “Was there not a time when you were so furious with me that you wished I would just… disappear?”

Her question struck me like a physical blow, sending shockwaves through my chest.

“No,” I replied instantly, shaking my head in fervent denial. “Of course not. I never thought that.”

She regarded me with skepticism, her eyes searching mine. “Not even when—”

“No,” I interjected, my voice cracking. “Never. Not even then. I was angry, yes. But I never wanted you gone. What happened with Kingston—that was not your fault. It was his. Only his.”

Tears glistened in her eyes, yet she held my gaze unwaveringly. “I stood by and allowed it to happen, Savannah. I was too weak to intervene. Too loyal. And when your father—when my husband—made a choice, I followed his lead, desperate to keep our family intact. I should have protected you, yet instead, I punished you. I let him turn me into a coward.”

“Mom, please stop.” My voice quaked. “Don’t do this to yourself. Not now.”

A faint smile flickered across her face, but it was tinged with sadness. “It’s a little late for saving face, don’t you think?”

I bit my lip, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over. “You’re sick, Mom. We can fix this. You can still—”

“Savannah,” she interrupted gently, her voice a whisper. “I’m not going to get better.”

“Don’t say that—”

“I’m dying. The doctors told me this morning that my body is shutting down. At this point, I’m practically a talking corpse.”

Her words struck me like a stone dropped into a still pond, sending ripples of despair through my heart. “Mom,” I whispered, shaking my head as if my denial could somehow alter reality.

But she merely looked at me—calm, resigned, accepting her fate. “It’s true. I’ve lost more hair this week than an entire barbershop would in a month.”

Her attempt at humor fell flat, yet somehow, she managed to muster a tiny smile. With trembling fingers, she lifted the edge of her beanie and pulled it off.

I gasped audibly.

“Oh my God…” My hand flew to my mouth in shock. “Your hair…”

Her scalp was completely bare, smooth and pale.

She chuckled softly, though her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “It’s all gone now. Can you believe I managed to fool you all with extensions for over a year?” A spark of mischief flickered through her exhaustion.