Roman

I walked into the room and it felt like a death sentence had just been delivered.

Alyssa was crumpled on the couch like a broken doll, her face blotchy.her breathing uneven. Savannah had her arm around her, rubbing small,soothing circles on her shoulder. Lizzie was pacing near the window,phone to her ear, her voice sharp and low as she spoke in a rush.Savannah's mom lingered around her.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice cutting through the tension.

Savannah looked up, her eyes red. "Emily's dad is downstairs," she said. "He's causing a scene and threatening to take her away."

Even she sounded shaken.

Emily was still sleeping peacefully on the bed.

I curled my fingers in rage. "Where has he been the whole time? If he's such a devoted father, why wasn't he there to save her from drowning?"

Alyssa didn't look at me. "We're not together," she said quietly. "He's not in her life."

She turned her face away, but the guilt was written all over her.

The way she avoided my eye and looked away exposed everything she was trying to hide.

I looked at her-really looked. The way her gaze skittered to the floor,

the way her shoulders hunched like she was trying to make herself smaller.

She wasn't just hiding pain. She was hiding shame.

But who am I to judge anyone?

Savannah looked down. "Gerald wasn't there for her, so she didn't want anything from him. Not even a name on a birth certificate."

"So how'd he find out about Emily?"

Alyssa's tone turned sharp, bitter."Chloe."

Savannah's head jerked up.

"That vindictive little bitch told him." Alyssa's voice cracked as she stood up. "She's trying to punish me. She's actually trying to get back at me. She's truly done it this time."

"Alyssa, don't speak about your sister that way." Their mother snapped, covering the mouthpiece of her phone.

Alyssa broe free from Savannah's hold and stood, her fists clenched."That snake is not my sister. At least, not today. She's trying to take my daughter away from me. If you see her again, you better warn her to run the other direction."

And honestly? I wouldn't put it past Chloe. That blonde-haired narcissist loved a good sabotage.

"Wait-does he know which room she's in?" their dad asked, his voice low,wary.

Savannah was the one to reply.'"No. The nurses won't let him in unless they're certain he's truly her father. Right now all they know is that

there's a crazy man insisting he's a patient's father."

"We're filing a restraining order." I declared.

Alyssa's brows drew in. "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

I pulled my phone out. "I'm calling my lawyer."

Savannah blinked."Who? Conrad? He's in Malibu, remember?"

"Penny." I said,already scrolling. "If the sperm donor wants a custody fight, we'll give him a war."

I stepped a few feet away to make a call.

The phone rang twice.

"Roman," Penny's crisp voice came through. "Long time. I was beginning to think you'd eloped and left me behind."

I smiled tightly. "I need a restraining order. Now."

"Ooh. Straight to business. I'm intrigued." She paused. "Against whom? Let me guess, an obsessive client?"

"An unstable man trying to take a child from her mother. The girl almost drowned this morning, and now he's shown up at the hospital like he's the hero."

"And who is the mother to you? Roman, is there something I need to know?"

"Penny, she's a friend."

She let out a breath."Okay. I can file the paperwork today, but Roman... I'm not exactly the favored side right now. Social services might flag the case because the near-drowning happened on the mother's watch."

My jaw flexed. "So what can we do?"

"Dig." Penny said. "Find me something ugly. A history of violence.Drugs. Affairs. Scandals. Financial instability. I don't care what. I just need a crack. Anything to make the mother look like the safer option here."

"Then I'l give you everything," I said. "I'll call·back with his full name."

Even as I said it, something coiled in my chest. This wasn't just about Alyssa anymore.

"Roman," she said, a little softer now. "Let's hang out sometime."

"I'm not in Philly right now, but I'll let you know when I get back." I hung up.

Just then, Dean walked in,frowning. "I can't find Chloe."

Savannah straightened. "What do you mean?"

"She's not at the house, her car's still parked, and no one's seen her leave. Her phone's smashed-thanks to Alyssa."

"Don't start with me, Dean." Alyssa snapped.

I didn't like this one bit. Chloe gone? Gerald showing up? Too many pieces shifting at once.

"I need to go look for her."

Savannah grabbed her phone. "T'll come with you."

Dean nodded, and for a second, my stomach twisted.

I didn't like it. Not the way Dean looked at her. Not the way she looked back.

I hated the way he looked at her like she was still his to protect.

But this wasn't the time.

"Be careful," I said, forcing my voice even, and Savannah met my eyes briefly, enough to make my chest clench.

Savannah looked back at me. "I'll text you if we find her." She said before disappearing down the hallway with Dean.

When the door closed behind them, the room felt heavier.

Alyssa slumped back onto the couch. "What am I going to do if I lose her?"

"You're not losing anyone," I said. I walked over, crouched in front of her, and looked her dead in the eye. "I'm going to fix this. I promise. No one is taking Emily from you. I just need his full name."

She blinked at me, lips trembling. "Why are you doing this?"

Because you remind me of someone. Because I couldn't save her,but maybe I can save you.

But I said none of that. "Because no child deserves to be a pawn.And no mother should have to fight this alone."

She nodded, slow and small. "His name is Gerald Potter."

Potter. I hate that name with passion.

"I need to talk to him," I said.

Alyssa frowned."Why?"

"Because before we hit him with legal fire, I want to give him a chance to walk away."

And because I need to know exactly who I'm dealing with.

Their father stood. "You sure that's wise?"

"I didn't say I was going to be nice," I muttered. "If he doesn't want this to get ugly, he'll back down."

I took the elevator down to the lobby, my pulse a steady sound in my ears, security nodding at me as I passed.

As I rounded the corner near the reception desk, a man stood.

gesturing angrily at the nurses. I didn't need anyone to tell me he was the prick I was looking for.

He was pacing near the reception,still arguing with everything in scrubs.

Tall. Broad shoulders. Expensive watch.

And worse,familiar.

Too familiar.

"Gerald Potter?"

And when he turned-I saw it.

I shouldn't have played it off as coincidence.

Potter.

My mother's maiden name. The pieces clicked in rapid succession.cold and sharp.

The eyes. The jaw. The smirk.

That wasn't Gerald Potter.

That was Ryan Blackwood.

My brother.