CHAPTER 113: THE DENIAL

I had just shoved the twins’ backpacks into their hands when a low groan rumbled from the living room.

We froze.

Rome shifted again, his fingers brushing against the couch as his head tilted back. His lips, faintly stained with my lipstick, parted as he mumbled something under his breath.

Egypt gasped. "Mommy, he’s really waking up this time!"

Paris’s eyes widened with excitement instead of fear. "Finally! I want to see what he says when he sees his mustache!"

I almost collapsed right then and there. These kids were going to be the end of me.

"Go! Out the door, now!" I whispered, trying to push them toward the door. But they just dug their heels into the floor like stubborn little mules.

Rome stirred again. His brows furrowed, and this time, he let out a hoarse sound.

The twins clutched each other’s hands, their little shoulders shaking. At first, I thought it was fear. But no. They were laughing—silently.

"Paris. Egypt." I glared daggers at them. "If either of you makes a noise, I swear I’ll—"

Too late. Rome’s eyes fluttered open.

My heart stopped.

His hazy gaze wandered around the room before landing straight on me. His voice came out rough, still heavy with sleep.

"S-Sylvia?... Sylvia, is that you?" he murmured drowsily before giving a faint smile and rubbing his forehead.

"Ha... impossible. There’s no way... it’s Sylvia. I must be dreaming again..."

He scrubbed at his eyes, then looked at me again.

Slowly, I saw his eyes widen, and then he glanced toward Egypt and Paris, who were quietly giggling at the side.

His gaze swept around the room before suddenly snapping back, and he sat up quickly as though everything had just sunk in.

"P-Paris... Egypt... Sylvia?"

His voice cracked as he looked at us, tears threatening in his eyes.

What’s wrong with him? First he was drunk, now he was emotional. Is he on drugs?

"W-why am I here? I... I just remembered getting drunk and then... Alpheus..."

I raised an eyebrow. So he didn’t remember what he did or how he ended up outside my house?

"You don’t remember how you got here? You were sleeping comfortably outside my house, and you don’t recall that?"

He froze, pressing a hand to his forehead. "I... d-did that?"

What is wrong with this man?

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself in front of the kids. "Now that you’re awake, I think it’s best if you leave—"

Before I could even finish, Egypt skipped forward, all innocence, and chirped, "Good morning, Mister Clown!"

Paris snorted.

Rome blinked, then lifted a hand to his face. The moment his fingers brushed against the crude marker mustache, his expression grew even more confused.

I slapped my forehead. Egypt!

His gaze shifted toward the small mirror hanging on the wall, where his reflection stared back at him in full humiliation.

Rome’s hand froze halfway across his face. His brows knitted together as his fingertips traced the drawn-on mustache and lipstick the twins had put on him.

"He... he... hehhehe!"

Paris couldn’t hold it in anymore. She burst into laughter, and Egypt quickly followed, squealing with delight as she clapped her hands.

Rome looked back and forth between them, then at me, his face pale with dawning realization.

"They... did this to me?"

His voice cracked, teetering between disbelief and... was that happiness?

He’s happy? My brows furrowed. He didn’t look annoyed at all that the twins had vandalized his face. On the contrary, I caught the faintest flicker of a smile tugging at his lips.

I crossed my arms and arched a brow.

"What did you expect? Passing out at my front door like a je—" I stopped myself before I cursed in front of the twins. "...like that was practically an invitation for these two naughty girls to turn you into their canvas."

Rome groaned and dropped his face into his hands. "T-they did this... to me..."

"Don’t worry, Mister Clown," Egypt chirped, bouncing closer to him. "It looks good on you!"

Paris, still giggling also added. "Yeah, you should keep it. Maybe it’ll make people less scared of you."

Rome’s head snapped up at that. But instead of getting angry, he let out a shaky chuckle.

"Less scary, huh?" His eyes shifted to me, softening in a way that made my stomach twist.

"Rome."

My voice came out colder than I intended as I tried to pull the kids back before this turned into even more chaos.

They were getting too comfortable around him, and that terrified me. This wasn’t the first time they’d seen Rome, and I feared their little minds were starting to wonder who exactly he was.

If they started asking questions—questions I wasn’t ready to answer, everything could spiral out of control.

"Enough. They’re going to be late for school."

But the twins weren’t moving. They were practically glued to the floor, still enjoying teasing Rome.

And Rome, instead of being annoyed or cold, just... sat there. Quiet. Strangely gentle. Watching the twins with a look I couldn’t quite define.

That unsettled me even more.

I grabbed the twins by their shoulders and nudged them toward the door. "Shoes on, ready for school now."

But as they shuffled away, Egypt tugged at my hand and whispered, loud enough for Rome to hear.

"Mommy... he’s friends with Uncle Alpheus, right? He’s also Mr. Bear... and he has a twin brother who looks exactly like him. Do we have to treat him like a stranger, or treat him as our other uncle?"

My heart nearly dropped into my stomach. Out of everything Egypt had just said, only one thing echoed in my head.

Twin brother?

How did she know Rome had a twin brother?

For a moment, silence swallowed the room.

Rome’s expression stiffened. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

My gaze darted from Egypt and Paris to Rome, then back again to the twins.

I saw panic flicker across Rome’s face for a split second. My vision darkened as my fists curled tight.

Did Greece visit the twins? Is that how they know him?

"Yes, Mom. His brother also looks like him. Like the older boy version of me and Paris!" Egypt chimed.

I froze on the spot, then slowly glanced at Rome, whose lips parted again—likely from the shock that the twins even knew such a thing.

Even I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t want to give Rome any more reason to get close to the kids.

I could ask them later how they knew about Greece, but for now, I had to pull them away from Rome. Otherwise, it would only give him another excuse to demand the twins as his own.

I gently patted Egypt’s head before forcing a smile. "Come on, kids. Go to our room first. I’ll just talk with our visitor here."

However, Egypt just pouted at me, as if she still wanted to say more—but I cut her off too late. Her small brows pinched together as she spoke with all seriousness.

"Mommy, his twin looks just like him. Isn’t it a coincidence that he and his brother are also twins, like Paris and me?" She pointed directly at Rome. "They have the same eyes. Same face as ours. Only this one has a clown mustache."

I froze, my mouth suddenly dry. They know...

Rome’s jaw tightened. His eyes wide with disbelief only moments ago now softened. He swallowed hard, as if ready to ask the one question I dreaded.

"Sylvia... the twins—"

But I cut him off fast.

"That’s enough." My voice cracked sharper than I intended. "Egypt, Paris—out. Go to our room. Now."

Both girls pouted but shuffled toward the door, dragging their feet. Egypt glanced back at Rome, as if she still wanted to say more. Paris whispered just loud enough for me to hear, "Egypt, stop being naughty to Mom and don’t say anything unnecessary."

"Owkayyy..." Egypt muttered.

My pulse spiked.

Rome’s gaze stayed fixed on me as the twins slipped out, the door clicking softly shut behind them. The quiet left behind made my ears ring.

"Sylvia... the twins probably—"

"Stop. Now that the kids are no longer here, I think it’s best if you leave. I’ve already been too kind letting you stay. But don’t cross the line between being a stranger and trying to get close to my twins. You can leave now."

I turned my back to him, forcing my breathing to steady. I knew the twins were probably listening just outside the door, so I had to keep my composure.

They weren’t naïve. It was me who was naïve for thinking they wouldn’t realize it. How could I just brush off the fact that they probably already had an idea of who Rome was?

But until it came from their own mouths until they truly confronted me with it—I still had a reason to push Rome away.

Selfish or not, I wasn’t sharing my twins with him. No matter how many times he demanded, I could shut him out of our lives until he realized he had no place in them.

"But Sylvia," Rome’s voice lowered, heavy with something between frustration and longing. "The twins can see it. They probably already know I’m their father—"

"Stop," I cut in sharply, my fists clenching at my sides. "No, they don’t. They’re just kids. Kids imagine strange things all the time."

Rome shook his head slowly, a humorless smile tugging at his lips.

"You can lie to me all you want, Sylvia... but you can’t lie to them. They already know. So why are you still denying it? It’s so obvious that even five-year-old twins can—"

"Enough, Rome. Out."

My voice trembled, but I held his gaze firmly as I pointed to the door. I should never have listened to the twins and let him inside in the first place.

"Out. I don’t want to create a scene the kids can hear. And you know that too. As long as you don’t have proof of anything, you’re just a stranger in our lives. Now get out."