CHAPTER 129: THE TASTE OF HOME

The silence that followed was deafening.

I could almost hear the faint ticking of the small clock in the living room. Cairo’s hand was still in mine, but his grip had loosened as if he wasn’t sure whether he was even allowed to stand there.

I cleared my throat softly, trying to sound calm even though my heart was pounding.

"Come in," I said, stepping aside and gesturing toward the door. "Cairo’s probably tired from the hospital. Let’s all go inside first."

Egypt and Paris exchanged another uncertain glance before moving hesitantly.

Their eyes stayed glued to Cairo as he stepped into our tiny living room, glancing around shyly.

Maybe he wasn’t used to a cramped space like ours after growing up in the mansion he shared with Bern.

"Uhm... Cairo, I-I’m sorry if our house is a little small compared to yours," I said awkwardly. "I hope you don’t feel uncomfortable"

"No. It’s okay," he said before giving me a small, genuine smile. "Your house is cute, Syl. I’ve never seen a house this small—like, it’s almost the size of my dad’s bathroom."

I didn’t know whether to laugh or be embarrassed. He wasn’t wrong, our house was small. Compared to Bern’s, ours could probably pass as a doghouse.

"H-ha... haha..." I laughed weakly.

Cairo’s gaze wandered around the room again until it landed on the framed photos near the TV—pictures of me, Egypt, and Paris. The three of us were smiling in each one, our arms around each other, frozen in moments of happiness that had never included him.

He lowered his gaze, and for a fleeting second, I caught the faintest trace of pain flash across his face before he hid it behind a polite smile.

"You have a happy family, Syl..." he said softly.

My chest tightened. I didn’t know whether I should be worried about the sadness I saw in his eyes. He still didn’t know I was his mother, so maybe... he was just lonely, longing for something he never had.

"Uhm... Cairo, you can sit here," I said quickly, patting the small sofa. "I’ll get you something to drink."

But before I could move, Paris crossed her arms and blocked my way. "Mommy! You still haven’t answered Egypt’s question. Who is he and why is he calling you Syl?"

I froze. Egypt turned to me too, her curious eyes wide and waiting. I had almost forgotten about them—and now their sharp little minds were probably racing with thoughts. I wasn’t ready for them to know.

"Uh—" I started, forcing out a nervous laugh that came out far too shaky.

"Uh... C-Cairo is my dear friend’s son. He’ll be staying with us for a while, and I’ll be taking care of him as his nanny. So, I want you both to make him feel at home, alright?"

Then I turned to Cairo and gently brought the twins closer. "And C-cairo, these are my twin d-daughters, Paris and Egypt. They’re kind and friendly. I hope the three of you get along well."

I forced a small smile afterward.

"Just twins?"

Huh?..

He whispered, his voice barely audible for me to hear.

I ignored what Cairo said and glanced at Paris and Egypt, who were both looking back at me. "Twins, be good to Cairo. For now, he’ll be living with us."

Paris frowned. "Home? He’s living with us?"

"Y-yes, sweetheart. Just for a while."

Her brows knitted even tighter as she leaned closer to Cairo, studying his face like a little detective. "But why does he look familiar?" she asked, tilting her head. "Did I meet him before?"

My heart skipped. Familiar? No—there’s no way she could see the resemblance, could she?

"H-he’s not—" I stammered, my voice trembling as I tried to find the right words.

My eyes darted toward Cairo. For a brief moment, there was a flicker of hope in his gaze but it disappeared as quickly as it came, replaced by an awkward smile.

"Maybe you just think he looks familiar because it’s your first time meeting," I said quickly, forcing a smile that felt painfully strained. "For now, I want you to treat him like your little brother, okay? He’s shy but very kind. And he even has the same birthday as you both."

Egypt tilted her head, frowning. "Like our own little brother and the same birthday, too?" she echoed. "Does that mean... he’s like our twin brother?"

My mouth opened, but no sound came out. "I—uh—well..." I stuttered, my pulse quickening. "Y-yeah... something like that. He’s the same age as you, so please treat him kindly like your little brother, okay?"

Paris crossed her arms again. "Mommy, you’re acting weird. You never stutter like that."

I forced a tense laugh, waving my hand dismissively. "Sweethearts," I said softly but firmly, "we’ll talk about it later, alright? Cairo needs to rest."

They both fell silent, but I could still see the unspoken questions swirling in their eyes.

Cairo shifted uneasily on the sofa, his gaze fixed on his lap. "I’m sorry," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn’t mean to make them upset."

That small, trembling apology shattered something inside me.

"You didn’t," I said quickly, kneeling in front of him. "They’re not mad at you—they’re just curious, that’s all. You didn’t do anything wrong, okay? You don’t ever have to say sorry."

He looked up at me, uncertainty flickering across his young face before glancing toward Paris and Egypt. His brows furrowed slightly as their gazes lingered on him.

"Then why are they staring at me like that?"

Before I could answer, Paris spoke bluntly. "Because you look... like Mommy."

Cairo blinked, then turned to me slowly. "Do I really?"

For a moment, I couldn’t speak. My breath caught, my chest tightening as I looked at him. It was the first time anyone had ever said that Cairo looked like me and the words came from Paris.

Cairo was almost the spitting image of Rome. Hearing Paris say that made my heart flutter and ache all at once. Because that resemblance was exactly the reason I hadn’t wanted to face him before.

Paris and Egypt were still watching, waiting for my answer, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak. My words simply vanished.

And then, before I could stop it, the tears I had been holding back burned at the corners of my eyes. I turned away quickly so they wouldn’t see.

For the first time, all three of my children—my triplets were finally in the same place with me. Yet instead of pure joy, pain and regret tightened in my chest.

I couldn’t help but feel broken, seeing them together like this.

It should’ve been like this all along.

If only I hadn’t been such a coward back then... they would have grown up side by side laughing, playing, and sharing the same childhood I stole from them.

My knees weakened as I leaned against the wall, pretending to fix something on the TV shelf just to hide the trembling of my hands. I heard Paris whisper something to Egypt, followed by a faint giggle.

Cairo looked confused, glancing between them with a shy smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He was trying to fit in and my heart ached even more, knowing he did, but couldn’t know it yet.

Egypt walked closer to him and, after a moment of hesitation, handed him a small toy car that had been gifted to her by Alpheus. "Here," she said quietly. "You can borrow this for now. We don’t mind sharing."

Cairo blinked in surprise, then smiled—a real one this time. "Thanks..." he murmured.

I bit my lip hard, swallowing the lump in my throat as I watched the three of them.

If only they knew. If only I could tell them right now.

"Mommy?" Paris’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Are you okay? You’re crying."

"I’m fine," I said quickly, wiping my cheeks with the back of my hand and forcing a smile. "I just got something in my eye... haha, but I’m okay."

But my voice cracked at the end, betraying the truth I couldn’t say out loud—that my happiness was mixed with years of guilt and longing I could never undo.

*************

Moments later.....

"Wow, Mom, this is the first time you’ve ever cooked this much food! Is this even real?!"

Egypt exclaimed exaggeratedly as she stared at the table filled with dishes I had prepared.

I couldn’t help but laugh. "Haha, you silly girl. Of course it’s real."

I reached over and playfully pinched her cheek, earning a giggle from her.

"Mom, this is delicious! I really like your shrimp sinigang!" Paris said happily before taking a spoonful of the soup I had made especially for her and Egypt.

"Really? Thanks, sweetheart," I replied with a smile. "I cooked that for you and Egypt since I know it’s your favorite."

"But Mom," Egypt said between bites. "why did you cook chicken soup, too? You already made shrimp sinigang."

She leaned over to take a sip from the chicken soup but stopped midway when she noticed Cairo sitting quietly across the table, his spoon untouched, just watching us.

"Uhm... Cairo," Egypt said carefully, "do you like this? This is Mom’s specialty—you should try it!"

She lifted a spoonful of shrimp sinigang and was about to feed him, but I quickly reached out to stop her.

"Egypt, no—" I caught my breath, forcing a calm tone. "I mean... Cairo’s allergic to shrimp. That’s why I made the chicken soup. It’s especially for him."

I turned to Cairo, whose eyes had been fixed on me the entire time. Then he glanced down at Egypt’s spoon, giving her a small, polite smile.

"Oh," Egypt muttered softly, lowering her spoon. "I didn’t know that..."

"It’s okay," Cairo said quietly. "I’m not really used to eating with other people anyway."