From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 265

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**TITLE: Dreams Folding Into Broken Time**
**Chapter 265**

His hand shot out, seizing my arm with a force that propelled me forward, nearly crashing into his chest. A sharp gasp escaped my lips as pain radiated through my arm where his fingers dug in, leaving a mark of his grip. In that instant, I understood the truth of his words from our last encounter. He possessed a grip that could not be easily shaken off. “Let go!” I spat, my voice laced with urgency. “That hurts!”

Still, he remained unmoving, his expression eerily vacant. It was as if he were staring through me, lost in some distant thought or memory. “I’m only going to say this once,” he stated, his voice low and trembling, each word heavy with a weight I couldn’t ignore. “I did not—and will not—sleep with my brother’s wife. Ever. I might have fewer morals than I care to admit, but that’s one line I will never cross.”

The numbness in my arm intensified. “Reese—let go of me!” I urged, desperation creeping into my tone.

And just like that, it was over. His grip slackened, as if he had suddenly awoken from a trance. He stepped back, staring at his own hand as if it were a foreign object, a look of bewilderment etched on his face. “I’m sorry—”

Before I could process the moment, I reacted. The sound of my slap echoed through the kitchen like a thunderclap, sharp and resonant. My palm stung, and my heart raced as I watched Reese stand there, eyes wide and bloodshot, his cheek already blooming red where my hand had struck.

“Don’t you ever put your fucking hands on me.” My voice rang steady, a stark contrast to the turmoil roiling within me.

He didn’t retaliate; instead, he remained rooted in place, breathing heavily, his gaze glassy and unfocused. “I’m sorry,” he murmured again, this time so softly that it barely reached my ears.

The silence that enveloped us was thick, almost suffocating. My heart thudded loudly in my ears, a relentless reminder of the tension that hung in the air. I didn’t trust him—not for a moment—but in that fleeting instant, I caught a glimpse of something in his expression, a flicker of regret that vanished just as quickly as it appeared.

Then, as if summoned by the very tension that gripped us, a voice sliced through the atmosphere like a knife.

“What the hell is going on here?”

I spun around so swiftly that the world around me blurred momentarily. Roman stood in the doorway, his hair still damp from the shower, droplets glistening like jewels. His gaze darted between Reese and me, taking in the distance that separated us, the look of shock on Reese’s face, and my trembling hands. In an instant, his entire demeanor stiffened, a predator ready to pounce.

“Roman—” I began, but my voice faltered, caught in the web of emotion that tangled within me.

Reese averted his gaze, his jaw clenched tight, breaths coming in heavy bursts.

Roman’s eyes fell to my arm, where a faint red mark was already blossoming, and something dark and fierce ignited in his expression. “Savannah,” he said, his voice low and controlled, “what happened?”

Swallowing hard, I felt my pulse race, a drumbeat of anxiety echoing through every part of my being. “It’s not—he just—” I struggled to find the words, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions. The adrenaline surged, turning my thoughts into a chaotic static.

Reese straightened, re-establishing that calm, almost mocking demeanor he had worn earlier. “Relax,” he said, his tone oddly measured, as if we were discussing the weather. “It was nothing. Just a little discussion.”

Roman’s head snapped toward him, fury igniting in his eyes. “Does that look like nothing to you?” His voice was low, but the intensity was palpable. “Did you touch her, Reese?”

“I did—” Reese began, but Roman was already in motion.

With two swift strides, he crossed the kitchen, his hand fisting the collar of Reese’s shirt with a force that spoke volumes. “You touched her?” he repeated, his voice rising, eyes ablaze with protective rage.

Reese didn’t fight back; he stood there, unyielding. “Roman, I didn’t hurt her,” he said, his tone unnervingly calm, as if he were discussing a trivial matter. “I grabbed her arm. That’s it. It wasn’t like that.”